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Well, this is a packed section 
of Holy Scripture. In many respects, we'll just 
try and summarize the main teaching of this particular text. But 
in verses 1 to 11, this section covers several themes that have 
previously been dealt with in Matthew's Gospel up until this 
point. In the first place, the fulfillment 
of prophecy. Jesus rides on the donkey, according 
to verse 4, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by 
the prophet. As well, Jesus, since Matthew 
16, has announced that he would come to Jerusalem, or go to Jerusalem, 
that he must go to Jerusalem because it's there that he would 
ultimately die and give his life a ransom for many. As well, there 
are certain things highlighted here about the Lord Jesus himself 
that Matthew has already told us. His meekness. That's what's 
emphasized in the quote from Zechariah 9. Behold, your king 
is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey. Again, Matthew's 
already recorded this concerning our beloved Savior. Also, the 
various titles applied to Jesus in this particular passage. We 
see Jesus as King. We see Jesus as Son of David. We see Jesus as the coming one, 
as a prophet, and ultimately as Lord. As well, this section 
demonstrates that what some have called the messianic secret is 
over. In other words, there are occasions 
and instances in our Lord's ministry when He cautions His disciples 
from making known the things that He is doing. Again, some 
have called that the messianic secret. Jesus keeps His mission 
secret until this particular time. Make no mistake about it. What Jesus does here is an acted 
parable, a symbolic action that what the prophet Zechariah wrote 
Christ fulfills and in doing so he publishes, or he proclaims, 
or he demonstrates that he is the Messiah promised by God the 
Father to the people of Israel and not for them alone but also 
for Gentiles in order to save them from their sins. I have 
read nonsense from modern-day preachers who suggest that Jesus 
never claimed to be the Messiah. That is patently false and demonstrated 
through the fact that Christ rides this donkey. He is publishing 
that He is the Messiah, ordained by God to save His people from 
their sins. Also, I've read or I've heard 
these modern preachers suggest that Jesus was a Messiah only 
to Jews. No, He is Messiah to Jew and 
to Gentile. There is one Savior and His name 
is the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's look at this passage, 
as I said, under three considerations. In the first place, the destination 
of the Messiah, verse 1. Secondly, the preparation for 
the Messiah, verses 2 to 5. And then in the third place, 
the reception of the Messiah, in verses 6 to 11. But note first 
verse 1, now when they drew near Jerusalem. As I've said, He's 
already announced this beginning in Matthew 16 at verse 21. He's reiterated it in Matthew 
17 verses 22 and 23, and then again in Matthew 20 verses 17 
to 19. What we find is that Jesus does 
this, or He must come to Jerusalem, specifically to fulfill that 
purpose for which he was sent. The Gospel record, Matthew specifically, 
starts off with this announcement. You shall call his name Jesus. 
Why? For it is he who will save his 
people from their sins. How is He going to do that? Through 
a social media campaign? How is He going to do that by 
having tea and cookies with sinners? He is going to do that by giving 
His life a ransom for many. And He underscores that in Matthew 
20, verse 28. Even as the Son of Man did not 
come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom. 
That means a payment price. Specifically the death of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. That is the payment price in 
order to provide that ransom for his people. So we've arrived 
at the destination. He is drawing near to Jerusalem. 
They come to Bethphage, which would be included. We might call 
it the greater Jerusalem area. Bethphage is very close. to where 
Jesus is going. And then specifically, the Mount 
of Olives is highlighted. That's east of the Valley of 
Kidron, which overlooks the city. And I underscore this to tell 
you that Jesus has walked a long way. You notice that throughout 
the narrative that we have studied in the past, Jesus has walked 
a lot. It's not the case that Jesus 
is so tired that he needs a donkey now. It's not the case that he's 
so weary that he needs a donkey. No, the point is to publicly 
affirm and declare what Isaiah 62 11 and what Zechariah 9 proclaim 
that the son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ is the king of Zion 
coming to them via this particular donkey. Now, I should also say, 
before we move on, that we find ourselves in what's called the 
Passion Week. Basically, from chapters 21 to 28, all of these 
events take place within the self-same week. Now, here the 
triumphal entry takes place on Sunday, the Sunday prior to the 
Passover on Friday, or to Good Friday, when the Lord Jesus Christ 
would die. So all of the events from here 
on are all in this one week span. Now notice, in the second place, 
the preparation for the Messiah. Verses 2 to 5. Jesus gives instruction 
to his disciples. Verse 2. It says, Jesus sent 
two disciples saying to them, go into the village opposite 
you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt 
with her. Loose them and bring them to 
me, and if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, the Lord 
has need of them, and immediately he will send them. Now, as I 
said, what Jesus does here is a public declaration. It is a 
public act. Davies and Allison say, the following 
instructions which reflect a king's authority indicate that riding 
the ass will be deliberate, symbolic act. It's similar to what the 
prophets in the Old Testament would do. Sometimes they would 
act out a particular message that Yahweh had given to the 
nation of Israel. You see this in, say, for instance, 
Hosea, his marriage to a harlot. What does that symbolize or what 
does that picture but God's relationship to Israel, who is a harlot as 
well? We see it in the prophet Isaiah, 
you see it in the prophet Ezekiel. Sometimes the prophets engaged 
in symbolic actions to communicate the word of the living God. And 
that's what's happening in this particular instance. Now, notice 
specifically concerning these donkeys. We have to comment on 
donkeys this morning. So our Lord God Most High saw 
the importance of this section. The Lord God Most High saw the 
necessity of bringing these things out. We need to spend just a 
moment to consider, first of all, the number of donkeys. Why 
does Matthew tell us there are two donkeys? Mark and Luke tell 
us there is one donkey. We have seen many times that 
Matthew sees two often. He saw two demoniacs. He sees 
two blind men prior to this particular passage. I think in many instances 
these highlight for us that Matthew was indeed an eyewitness to this 
reality. But in terms of the number of 
donkeys, it reflects the reading of Zechariah 9 and verse 9. As well, there is probably an 
allusion here, and an allusion isn't a direct quotation. That's 
why I said there's so much going on in this section. I mean, if 
we wanted to be here for hours and hours and hours and eat cold 
chili, we could, well, I don't know if I could do that, but 
there's certain men out there that could do that. They could 
draw out all of the allusions that Matthew gives us in this 
passage. So an allusion isn't a direct 
quotation. But it is something that is spoken 
that is consistent with what we find in the Old Testament. 
In fact, the book of Revelation, for instance, is one of the most 
Old Testament-ish books in all of the New Testament. And here, 
specifically, what many see is the Shiloh prophecy of Genesis 
49, 10, and 11. where it speaks of this coming 
king who has a cult that is tied to a vine. So we see there are 
many things going on in this particular passage. As well, 
on a real practical level, both Mark and Luke teach us or tell 
us that nobody ever rode this cult. Now, I'm not a farmer. I'm not the son of a farmer. 
I don't deal with donkeys. I don't deal with colts. But 
this much I do know, that if a colt has never carried a man, 
I can't imagine that it's an easy thing to not only carry 
the man, but to be in the midst of throngs of people shouting. Again, I suggest to you that 
a donkey would be spooked by such a thing. Our blessed Lord 
brings the mother along with him so that this little one doesn't 
get spooked. Again, on a real practical level. A second thing we ought to consider 
is what I'll call the dignity of donkeys. I'm sure you probably 
didn't think this morning we were going to hear a message 
that referred to the dignity of donkeys, but we think of donkeys 
as just these, you know, terrible beasts of burden. You know, these 
ignoble creatures. I think that's the proper word, 
Cam. Ignoble is proper. These lowly base things. But 
if you look in the Old Testament, Moses rode on donkeys. Solomon rode on donkeys. David 
rode on donkeys. Several of the royal leaders, 
or the figures in the Book of Judges, rode on donkeys. Donkeys 
were fit for a king. But what donkeys underscore is 
the peaceful nature of the king. In other words, Jesus doesn't 
come on a royal stallion with guns blazing. Jesus comes as 
one who preaches peace. And this donkey represents that, 
or this donkey indicates that. And as we see in the passage, 
this is specific, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken 
by the prophet. And then notice Jesus counters 
that somebody might ask, why are you taking my donkeys? For 
those of you who are concerned about what appears to be an apparent 
theft, Jesus doesn't steal. The Lord, he refers to in verse 
3, is himself. He has absolute authority to 
requisition these donkeys, but Mark does tell us that they are 
returned after Jesus rides into Jerusalem. Notice, Jesus says 
in verse 3, and if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 
the Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them. 
So you see, what Jesus says is that these are for me in this 
particular instance. I love what Spurgeon does. You've 
all heard the term hypostatic union. If you haven't, you should 
come to the confession study. Then you will learn what hypostatic 
union means. It means that there are two natures 
in the one person of Christ. He is both human and divine, 
yet one person. And it seems to me that Spurgeon 
looks through the lens of that hypostatic union at this particular 
scene. And he says beautifully, he says, 
Jesus, without laying aside his sovereignty, had taken a nature 
full of needs. Notice what he says in verse 
3. The Lord has need of them. But I thought he's the son of 
David. I thought he is the coming one. I thought he is the Lord. 
I thought he is the God of heaven and earth. And yet he says the 
Lord has need of them. Spurgeon says, without laying 
aside his sovereignty, he had taken a nature full of needs, 
yet being in need, he was still the Lord and could command his 
subjects and requisition their property. Augustine, that early 
father, spoke concerning the Trinity with reference to our 
Lord. He says certain things are true of our Lord according 
to the form of God, according to the form of a servant. In 
this passage, according to the form of a servant, our blessed 
Lord sat astride this particular donkey. According to the form 
of God, He was the Lord who owned them. He was the Lord who used 
them. He was the Lord who ultimately 
created them. Davies and Allison also suggest 
this idea. The messianic beasts belong to 
Jesus because he is the Lord Messiah who recovers the lordship 
of Adam over animals. Remember that Jesus does that 
as well. He's not only fulfilling what 
Israel failed to do, he's fulfilling what Adam failed to do. And while 
Adam couldn't continue in this path of exercising dominion over 
the beasts, our Lord Jesus says, bring the donkeys to me so that 
I can ride one. into the city of Jerusalem. Now notice, with reference to 
this preparation, we see the reason this is done. Verses four 
and five. All this was done that it might 
be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell 
the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you lowly 
and sitting on a donkey, a colt the full of a donkey. The fulfillment 
of scripture. That's what's going on here. 
I love what Spurgeon says here, Matthew is always reminding us 
of the Old Testament as well. Indeed, he may, for our Lord 
is always fulfilling it. This was done that it might be 
fulfilled, this occurs several times in Matthew's gospel in 
chapter one. Twice in chapter 2, chapter 4, 
chapter 8, chapter 12, chapter 13, chapter 21, chapter 27, chapter 
27 again in the TR. What does Matthew want us to 
understand? It's you wretches who are in 
your sin. You wretches who are undone because 
of your father Adam. You wretches who drink sin like 
it's water. And that describes each and every 
one of us. There is hope for you in God's 
Son. There is hope for you in the 
one the prophets wrote of. There is hope for you in the 
one of whom Moses wrote. Over and over and over again, 
Matthew highlights the reality that this fulfilled the scripture. This is the one you're looking 
for. When we get to the end of the reception in the city by 
the people, we see some of them, Jerusalemites, more than likely, 
ask the question, who is this? I don't think they're wondering, 
what's his name? I don't think they're wondering, 
you know, who are his parents? I think the question is more 
akin to this, what kind of a man is this? Similar to what the 
disciples asked back in chapter 8 when they see the Lord Jesus 
Christ speak to the wind and the waves and they stop blowing 
and swelling. They are struck with the reality 
that they're standing before a man who has power over nature. And they say, what man is this? Or similar to Matthew chapter 
9, when they lower that paralytic down through the roof and Jesus 
says, son, your sins are forgiven you. And the Pharisees and the 
scribes are thinking to themselves, who does he think he is? God 
alone has the authority to forgive sins. All this to say, if you 
are here this morning and you've never asked that very good question, 
who is this Jesus? You've never before voiced that 
particular statement. May I encourage you to listen, 
because the prophets, because Moses, because all of the Bible 
points us to this picture, points us to this Son of David, this 
coming one, this Messiah, this King, who saves not through military 
might, not through revolution, I mean, how about disarming the 
Roman government? Again, Christ doesn't come in 
with bandoleros wrapped around him and shotguns blazing. Jesus 
comes on a donkey. He cannot be perceived as a threat 
to the moral order of the Roman Empire. As well, consider the 
reality, Jesus is a prophet from the north, from Galilee, and 
he's come down into Jerusalem, or Judah. When we get to the 
reception, brethren, when we get to the people crying, Hosanna, 
Matthew wants us to understand, it isn't necessarily the Jerusalemites, 
the Judahites that are crying, Hosanna. Now, John tells us in 
12.13 that some did come from the city to meet him. But remember, 
it's Passover. It's Galileans that come down 
with Jesus. They are going to the city. The 
throngs are praising Christ and it is primarily those from the 
north. This could be perceived to be 
a threat. A prophet from the north speaking 
judgment to the south. This isn't good. But Jesus disarms 
it all by writing on this lowly cult. If you've not asked the 
question, who is this man? I hope to answer that this morning, 
and I hope by God's grace you believe that answer, because 
if you do not believe, you will die in your sins. It's the interesting 
thing about Christianity. Christians don't go to heaven 
because they're excellent people. Christians go to heaven because 
they believe in an excellent Savior, right? You're not going 
to go to heaven because you paid your taxes. You're not going 
to go to heaven because you've never had a godless thought. 
You're not going to go to heaven because you're the best husband 
on your block. You're not going to go to heaven 
because your children are the most behaved in whatever social 
context you find yourself. You're not going to heaven for 
those reasons. You're going to heaven because 
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to 
give His life a ransom for many. You see, if your children or 
your conduct or your ethics could somehow gain you access to heaven, 
then Christ died in vain. and the scripture won't let you 
go there. Paul says in Galatians 2, I do not nullify, I do not 
set aside the grace of God. For if Christ, or if righteousness 
comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. Brethren, be very 
careful about how you advertise your Christianity. If people 
think you're a Christian, or people think you're going to 
heaven because of your performance, you are not speaking truthfully. We are going to heaven in spite 
of our conduct, in spite of our ethics, in spite of the madness 
that we've engaged at because Jesus' blood cleanses us from 
all unrighteousness. Now, that's not to say go live 
like the devil and say, well, Jesus has cleansed me. That's 
wickedness too. But you see, brethren, we can 
advertise that reality that we're going to be with God because 
we wear suits and ties and show up in church on Sunday. If that's 
why we're going to heaven, then the cross was in vain. You need to know who this Jesus 
is. Let's look back at the text. 
Notice what Matthew does. He conflates texts. That means 
he brings two together. Now, before you start to believe 
that Matthew somehow is violating our protocol in the 21st century, 
Matthew didn't care about our protocol in the 21st century. 
He didn't subscribe to the Chicago Style Manual. This is a common 
practice in the biblical narrative. It's common in the church fathers. 
It's common reading theologians. They'll bring texts together 
that speak concerning the same thing. And what Matthew does, 
and ascribes it to the prophet, again a common occurrence, is 
take Isaiah 62.11 and Zechariah 9.9. Tell the daughter of Zion, 
behold your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey. 
Occult the fall of a donkey. So essentially what we have is 
that both texts addressing Israel concerning salvation. The Zechariah 
9 text starts off with rejoice. You see, as Jesus comes into 
the city of Jerusalem, it is to die to be sure, but another 
overarching theme in the entirety of the section is Jesus' controversy 
with religious leaders. Jesus' condemnation of the holy 
city. So to come and say rejoice would 
not fit well with the message of condemnation that he's certainly 
going to speak at all of that when he says that the temple 
is going to be destroyed. So he takes from the prophet 
Isaiah 62.11, tell the daughter of Zion, and then he moves to 
Zechariah 9.9. Behold, your king is coming to 
you lowly and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. 
Now, he leaves out something from the prophet Zechariah. Again, 
don't say, well, he can't do that. I mean, some of us probably 
chasten our children if they don't recite the memory verse 
just like they're supposed to, right? I think kids are going 
to be empowered today. I didn't get it exactly right, 
but neither did Matthew. Matthew left out something from 
Zechariah. Matthew's a theologian and he 
has a reason why. You not spending the time studying 
your memory verses, that's not on the same level. So children, 
study, memorize as it is written. Matthew specifically does not 
quote the portion, he is just and having salvation. Now, that's 
not because Matthew doesn't believe that. The emphasis, again, is 
on the character of the Messiah as the lowly one. He certainly 
is just and he certainly does have salvation and Matthew is 
going to take pains to indicate how those things are fleshed 
out in the life and the ministry of our Lord. This is the particular 
emphasis. He wants us to see the lowliness 
of our Lord Jesus. But as we consider the text that 
he quotes, it doesn't hurt us to have some understanding of 
what's going on in Zechariah the prophet. There are specifics 
that the prophet says concerning Jesus in Zechariah 9 verses 9 
and 10. Underscores his character. He 
is lowly. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that 
glorious? Isn't that one of the reasons 
why sinners are just drawn to Jesus? I suppose that Jesus understands 
this because in Matthew 11, 28, he says, Come to me, all you 
who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He 
says, Take my yoke upon you. He says, My yoke is easy, my 
burden is light. There's a meekness and a gentleness 
about our Lord Jesus Christ that is very attractive, isn't it? You as a sinner hear the reality 
that you have offended a holy God, but there is this lowly 
Savior who rode a donkey to go about his task. It's approachable, 
isn't he? Again, we don't want to overemphasize 
that to the neglect of the picture we get in Revelation 19, where 
he is on that white horse, where he does have the sword that proceeds 
from his mouth, where he does ride prosperously because of 
truth, humility, and righteousness. But we ought not to minimize 
the reality that God the Son took on our flesh. God the Son 
came in the likeness of man. God the Son, as He walked about 
earth, did not come to be served, but He came to serve, to give 
His life a ransom for many. I've got to tell you, if I was 
in my sin, and I still am, but it's a different sort of relationship 
than it used to be, I'd want to know, who is this that rides 
on a donkey instead of a war horse? that makes peace not through 
military might, but through the blood of His cross. How do we 
make peace today? Through large bomb drops. I'm 
not here as a pacifist to say that's never necessary. Certainly 
I wouldn't say that. You know me better than that. 
The Old Testament tells us that God the Lord sanctions war in 
instances. But our blessed Jesus comes in 
this lowliness What does the prophet describe or how does 
the prophet describe him in Isaiah 53? He has no appearance. He has no visage. He has no look 
to him that would draw us. You know, Jesus, when he walked 
around, didn't have this halo on his head, didn't have this 
white glow about him. He looked like a normal, regular 
man that lived and worked in Galilee. And yet, This one gave 
himself for the sins of all those who, by God's grace, believe 
in him. Who is this Jesus? He is a meek 
and lowly and yet a powerful and sovereign Savior. We need 
to get that. And that's what the Prophet Zechariah 
highlights and Matthew wants to bring out. As well, it teaches 
us concerning his activity. He is just and having salvation. That's what Christ is. That's 
what Christ does. He is just and having salvation. Doesn't 
that make you long for heaven, brethren? Just about a week in 
this world when you see the injustice, you see the inequity, you see 
the wickedness. I mean, a person sitting in a 
cafe and they're shot to death. Persons at a concert, well, you 
know, it was a bad group that was performing the concert. They 
were at a concert. They're not enemy combatants. 
They're not hard targets. They're not carrying weapons 
and they're shot dead. Doesn't it make you long for 
that place where in righteousness dwells, where there will be justice 
and equity? You know, tonight we're going 
to look at Paul's caution to Timothy concerning perilous times. And the perilous times are such, 
not because of climate change. No matter how many times they 
may tell us otherwise, that's not our problem. The perilous 
times are such, not because of poverty. You say, well, that's 
easy for you to say. You're middle class. OK. The 
perilous times are not due because of bad political leaders. The 
perilous times are because of men in general. You see, we want to locate our 
problems out there rather than in here. But let me tell you, 
when you locate them in here, there is hope. There is redemption. There is blood atonement. There 
is blessing to be had in all those or by all those who come 
by faith to the Lord Jesus. He is just. He has salvation. And then it tells us concerning 
His dominion or the reign that He will undertake. I will cut 
off the chariot from Ephraim. I'm reading Zechariah 9.10. And 
the horse from Jerusalem, the battle bow shall be cut off. 
He shall speak peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea 
to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth." Now certainly 
Matthew knew that. Remember that when a man quotes 
a particular passage of Scripture, he doesn't stop at verse 9. He 
sanctions the entirety of the passage. So Matthew is preparing 
us, the reader, in this regard. That our King has come into Jerusalem. 
That our King is going to be victorious. That our King is 
going to exercise universal empire and sovereignty and dominion. 
All things that transpire in Matthew. Now, it's a different 
way than we would have imagined. We certainly wouldn't have thought 
it would be through execution. through blood, through thorns, 
a crown of thorns plunged into his head. We wouldn't have thought 
it would be via the cross, but nevertheless the Lord Jesus accomplishes 
this, and how does he end Matthew's gospel? He says, all authority 
has been given to me in heaven and on earth. He has universal 
empire, universal reign, universal authority. And that's what Zechariah 
prophesied concerning him. And again, the people who saw 
what was going on understood this. We know from the crowd's 
reception that they knew what Jesus was doing when he rode 
on that donkey. They weren't scratching their 
heads and saying, what's going on in this particular instance? 
They knew their prophets. They knew Zechariah. There was 
a messianic expectation in the first century. They were looking. 
They were trying to find. And here comes Jesus on this 
little donkey. It's truly beautiful. The lack 
or rather the arrival of the Messianic King in accordance 
with the Old Testament prophets which the people rightly interpreted. Now notice thirdly his reception. The disciples comply with his 
instruction, verses six and seven. So the disciples went and did 
as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the 
colt, laid their clothes on them, and set him on them. Now some 
take this as almost a carnival act. Set him on them, the two 
donkeys. That's not what's in view. They put their clothes on the 
donkeys and set Jesus on the colt. I'm serious, some of the 
commentators suggest that he somehow managed to ride both 
donkeys into the city. That's not what's in view. There's 
no saddle, they take their clothes off, they lay it on the donkey, 
their outer clothes, they're not naked, they lay it on the 
donkey, they set Jesus on the donkey, and off he goes into 
the city. Now notice, verse 8. and a very 
great multitude. Again, probably the bulk of which 
are Galileans, the bulk of which are those from the north who 
are coming down to the south to celebrate the Passover feast 
in Jerusalem. Now, when we look at the book 
of Revelation, it tells us a third of the city of Jerusalem was 
7,000, a tenth, rather, of the city was 7,000. So that might 
put the number of Jerusalem at the time around 70,000 persons. Now, at feast time, that would 
drastically increase. You'd get double that during 
a feast because there were mandated feasts when the Israelites were 
supposed to come to Jerusalem to obey, to comply, to celebrate, 
and to undertake. So when we see that word or that 
statement that it's a great multitude, he ain't kidding. There's a lot 
of people there. There's hordes, again, primarily 
northerners, primarily Galileans, as they come, you know, at the 
same time. They didn't come with Jesus, it just so happened. They 
coincide at Jericho when we saw the healing of the two blind 
men in the previous section. There's a lot of people in this 
particular scene. Now, remember, most pilgrims 
would walk. That was required, I think. At 
least one of the persons says that. It was required that they 
walk. So the fact that Jesus is sitting on a donkey in and 
of itself would draw attention. Be like if everybody you knew 
was walking and miserable and you were driving down the road 
and you're, you know, Humvee or whatever you had and you're 
honking your horn looking at him like, you know, too bad for 
you. So the fact that he's riding on the donkey would be something 
that was out of the ordinary. The fact that he is the coming 
one, the fact that he is the Messiah, the fact that he is 
the son of David, again, the fervor, the furor, rather, of 
this crowd that is looking for their Messiah, notice how they 
respond to him in this particular instance. It says, they spread 
their clothes on the road, others cut down branches from the trees 
and spread them on the road. We might ask, why would they 
do that? Well, it's kind of like rolling 
out the red carpet, isn't it? We want to pave the way for the 
king. We want to honor the path of the king. We want to make 
sure that the king has ready access and we're going to lay 
down our clothes and some with branches on the road. As well, 
there's an interesting connection to King Jehu in 2 Kings 9.13. Then each man hastened to take 
his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps and 
they blew trumpets saying, Jehu is king. Davies and Allison suggest 
that clothes represent the man, don't they? If you're a king, 
you wear a king's robes. If you're a whatever, you wear 
a whatever. So taking off those clothes and 
laying them down at the feet of another is a sign of submission, 
isn't it? That's what these people are 
doing. That's what this crowd sees is fit and appropriate. Now I'm not saying every one 
of these are Christian. I'm not saying every one of these 
are believers. Every one of these are disciples. But I am suggesting 
this. that the bulk or mass of these 
people at least understood this much, that Zechariah 9.9 is taking 
place before our eyes. And the legitimate response is 
to praise, to adore, to honor, and to submit to this one who 
is king. Now note their cry. Verse 9, 
Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the 
name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Now you 
know why we sang Psalm 118. Because this is a direct quote 
from Psalm 118, verses 25 and 26. The word Hosanna has the 
meaning, save we beseech you. But over time, it went from petition, 
save we beseech you, to praise. Be similar to our statement, 
God save the Queen. Every time we say that, are we 
actually petitioning God to save the Queen? Or is it an inscription 
of praise? Is it a way to show honor? Is 
it a way to highlight the distinctiveness of that person we identify as 
Queen? God saved the Queen goes from 
petition to praise. This word, Hosanna, does the 
same thing. It goes from petition to praise. 
They're praising Jesus. They're praising the Zechariah 
9-9 man. that's sitting on this donkey. They are praising the 
Zechariah 9-9 man that comes in lowliness. They're praising 
this man and notice how they ascribe to him the reality that 
he is the son of David. The son of David. Blessed is 
he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 
What does son of David suggest? Suggest 2 Samuel 7 when God the 
Lord promised that from David's line there would be a king who 
would reign forever. That's this one. That's this 
Jesus. The idea that he is the one who 
comes in the name of the Lord Jesus is called the coming one 
other places in Matthew as well. The Father sends the Son to his 
messianic task, to his mediatorial task, to his role as the one 
who would save his people from their sins. You see this crowd 
understood at least the application of Zechariah 9.9 to our beloved 
Lord Jesus Christ. And he acknowledged the kingdom, 
the fact that he says in the quotation, behold, your king 
is coming to you. Mark rounds this out for us in 
11.10, blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes 
in the name of the Lord. You see the circumstances, brethren. You see what's happening. I read 
recently that when they installed the prime minister, I think 2,500 
people showed up for that. Now you may say that's small, 
you may say that's large, you may say whatever you want to 
say, but it is the case when an official takes their position, 
persons come to celebrate it, don't they? That's what we have 
going on. Jesus has entered the Holy City. Jesus has entered upon His task. Jesus has come to His destination. The cross has always been before 
the Son of God. The cross has always been the 
reason why He came. Persons ask this today. They 
say, why did Jesus come? Was it to start a new religion? 
Was it to be a revolutionary? Was it just to be a new teacher? You know, all those things might 
have their place in some explanation concerning the mission of our 
Redeemer. But there is nothing more pointed, 
nothing clearer than what Matthew 1.21 tells us and Matthew 20.28. He will save His people from 
their sins. And the way that He saves His 
people from their sins isn't through teaching. Well, it is 
through teaching the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
But it's not like, just how to be a better you sort of teaching. 
He doesn't do it by being a revolutionary. He does it through the blood 
of His cross. There is an excitement about this event. They cry to 
him, Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the 
name of the Lord. They say Hosanna in the highest. You ever read Psalm 103 and after 
David rehearses the reasons why he ought to bless the Lord, David, 
creature that he is, calls upon the angels to bless the Lord. What is the implication, David? 
What is the implication from these Galileans? Blessed Hosanna 
in the highest. They are calling on the entire 
created order to praise this Christ. Because He is this glorious. Because He is the Son of David. 
Because He is the coming one. Because He is the one who will 
bring to pass salvation and justice. That brings us to consider finally, 
under the reception of the Messiah, the specific entry into Jerusalem 
in verses 10 and 11. And when he had come into Jerusalem, 
all the city was moved. Again, we're talking about a 
lot of people here. This is where we get the word 
seismic. I don't think there was an actual physical earthquake, 
though the word will be used later in Matthew to indicate 
that there was an actual physical earthquake. It's used previously 
in Matthew 3. I think the idea is it was disturbed. It was stirred up. They were 
shaken up. What's happening in our city? 
We're supposed to gather here for the Feast of the Passover. 
We certainly didn't think somebody would ride on a donkey in accordance 
with Zechariah 9.9 into our fair city and have all the multitudes 
cry out Hosanna to him. Notice, when he had come into 
Jerusalem, all the city was moved saying, who is this? I've already 
said, this isn't a what's his name, it's a what manner of man 
is this? What kind of a man is this? We know who his parents are. 
Well, Matthew, Mark, and Luke only give us one journey to Jerusalem. John tells us that there were 
more. And in Matthew's gospel, it hints at or indicates that 
there were more visits to Jerusalem by our Lord Jesus. So it wasn't 
the case that he was on note. Look at 827. I've already referred 
to this. I want you to see it because 
I hope that by God's grace you'll ask the same sort of question. 
So the man marveled saying, who can this be that even the winds 
and the sea obey him? Who can this be? I guarantee 
you if you walked outside right now and told that rain to stop 
falling, it wouldn't obey you. And if it did happen to stop 
just at that time, I wouldn't believe it obeyed you. That would be the textbook definition 
of a fluke. You see what the disciples' enigma 
is? They've just seen a man speak to waves. They've just seen a 
man speak to wind. If we saw something like that, 
we'd think the man was a little out of his mind until we saw 
that the wind and the waves obeyed him. Consider as well that the Lord 
Jesus... I mentioned the practicality 
of having mother donkey with the cult. I'd imagine a mother 
donkey would get a little freaked out in that kind of a crowd as 
well. All screaming at the top of their lungs, Hosanna to the 
son of David. And yet the one who has the power 
to still the waves and the one who has the power to still the 
wind has the power to keep these beasts of burden under perfect 
control while he walks into their city. Have you ever asked the 
question, what manner of man is this? What kind of a man is 
this? Who is this that does such things? That's the emphasis in verse 
10. The Galileans have a ready response. This is the prophet. This is 
the prophet. You know what I think lays behind 
their statement? Is Deuteronomy 18, 15 to 18. When Moses said there would be 
a day when God would raise up from among your brethren a prophet 
like unto me. And yet a prophet not like unto 
me. You see, all of these inscriptions, 
all of these titles, all of these things are given to Jesus for 
us, the reader, for they, the hearer, to understand that we're 
not dealing with a common man. We're dealing with God's man. 
We're dealing with the Messiah prophesied of old. We're dealing 
with the Son of David who will sit upon that throne and His 
rule and His reign will have no end. That's the emphasis, 
the overtones concerning the Messiahship of our Lord Jesus 
Christ is what Matthew wants you to get. He wants you to understand 
that he's the Zechariah man, the Isaiah man. He wants you 
to understand that he's the Deuteronomy 18 man. He wants you to understand 
that He's not just another teacher. He's not just another rabbi. 
He's not just another theologian. But this is the Son of God who 
came into this world, sinners to save. And the means by which 
He does this is a means that we would have never, ever thought 
of. It is through the blood of His 
cross. Isn't that beautiful? Christ will achieve peace at 
the end of this week, won't He? It's not the way we would have 
imagined. Never imagine peace being achieved by a crown of 
thorns being embedded into a man's head. You don't think peace then, 
do you? You don't think peace when Roman 
soldiers take the hands that he made and slap him on the face. 
You certainly don't think peace when a man takes his own spit 
and flings it upon the creator of the universe. You're not thinking 
peace in that moment. You're not thinking peace when 
the crowd, probably some of whom are crying Hosanna to the son 
of David here, who four days later will say, away with him, 
away with him, crucify him. When they will ask for Barabbas 
and say that Jesus the Christ should be crucified. You certainly 
don't think peace, do you? Do you ever, without having known 
the story, when He is ultimately enthroned, not upon a throne 
but upon a cross, when you see Him there broken, bruised and 
battered and bloodied from all of the things that He went through, 
is the message in your head at that point, peace? No, it isn't. It is for us because we know 
the end of the story. But in this particular instance, 
this one will usher in peace. through the blood of His cross. Isn't that glorious? That's why 
the gospel is good news. It's good news for sinners. It's 
good news for those of us who have violated the law of God. 
It's good news for us who have transgressed the law of God. 
Those of us who have made a mess of everything. It's good news 
because Jesus came and lived a life of obedience to the Father 
and died as a sacrifice and a substitute on Calvary and He rose again 
in glory on the third day. Brethren, Jesus has come to town. Well, in conclusion, we learned 
something concerning the fulfillment of Scripture concerning the Messiah. Jesus sets forth, excuse me, 
his Messiahship in unmistakable terms. You ever hear anyone say, 
Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah? Take him to the donkey. 
Take him to the donkey. This is as loud an ascription 
of his messiahship as if he would have stood in their midst and 
said, hey, guess what? I'm the messiah. These were people 
that knew Zechariah. These were people that knew the 
Old Testament. When they saw him on the donkey, 
they knew what he was claiming. The second place we ought not 
to leave without concerning the various descriptors concerning 
this Messiah, his titles, we've seen them, the king, the son 
of David, the coming one, the Lord. This one is indeed the 
Messiah sent by God to save His people from their sins. His character, 
He is lowly. He rides on a donkey. He doesn't 
come on a Humvee or in a Humvee. He doesn't come with guns blazing. 
As well, His activity, He executes justice and He executes salvation. There's salvation nowhere else 
to be had. This is the grieving thing about 
living in the 21st century. People look for salvation in 
all the wrong places. They look for salvation via drug 
or alcohol, or they look for it via sex, or they look for 
it through some experience. They look for it with cult leaders. 
They look for it with false religion. They look for it with a whole 
host of things that will never satisfy. There is one in the 
history of the world that has salvation, and his name is the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Peter tells us there is no other 
name given under heaven by which we must be saved. It's Christ 
alone. Jesus said in John 14.6, I am 
the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father 
but through me. I submit that's one of the most 
frightening things about Christianity to everybody who's not a Christian. 
They probably don't mind that we sit here on a Sunday and sing 
some songs. I don't think that's offensive to really anybody. 
If it is, they got bigger problems than I ever imagined. Probably 
not the reality that, you know, we worship this one called God 
and we come through the Lord Jesus. It is the exclusivity 
of it. It is the particularity about 
it. It is the fact that we claim 
that every other way ends in hell. There is one way to heaven. Do you realize that Christians 
in the early part of the Roman Empire were the atheists? Christians 
were called atheists in the first century. Why? Because they didn't 
subscribe to the Pantheon. They didn't subscribe to all 
these other gods, so they were atheoic. The fact that they worshipped 
Jesus. Isn't this what riled everybody 
up in Thessalonica? Isn't this what the problem was 
when the apostles went there? They said, we have another king, 
Jesus. That was the threat to the Roman 
Empire. That was the threat to the unbelieving 
Jews, was this devotion and devotion alone to the Lord Jesus. He's 
the only one that has salvation. Remember I mentioned that in 
the prophet Zechariah indicates something of his universal empire 
and universal dominion and universal sovereignty. Turn to John's gospel 
in chapter 12 to see John pick up on this theme from Zechariah 
in a uniquely Johannine way. What does John in his gospel 
want us to know several places and several times? That Christ 
loves her, that Christ came to save the world. John 3.16, God 
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Whoever 
believes in him will not perish, but will have everlasting life. 
Now when we ask the question, what does John mean by the world? He doesn't mean every single 
human being, because that would be universalism, and the Bible 
patently declares that that is false. For John, the word world 
oftentimes connotes Jew and Gentile. He's not just a Jewish Messiah. It's not just to the tribes of 
Jacob that he comes. But I will give you a light as 
a light unto the Gentiles, the prophet Isaiah 49. Notice how 
John brings this out in his parallel account to the triumphal entry. 
Verse 17 of John 12, Therefore the people who were with him, 
when he called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from 
the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also 
met him because they heard that he had done this sign. The Pharisees 
therefore said among themselves, you see that you are accomplishing 
nothing. Look, the world has gone after 
him. Isn't that something of Zechariah's 
universalism? Isn't that something of Zechariah's 
Jew and Gentile dominion is under the reign of this beloved Savior? Now don't stop reading. Verse 
20, Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship 
at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who 
was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we 
wish to see Jesus. You see, both Jew and Gentile, 
under the universal sway of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, He 
has comprehensive dominion, power, and authority given to Him, and 
He sits enthroned at the right hand of God Most High. As we 
see there in John's Gospel, and as we see as we move on in Matthew's 
Gospel, and as Mark and Luke indicate as well, not everybody 
received Him this way. Not everybody cried, Hosanna. 
Not everybody ascribed to Him the title, Son of David. But 
there were Pharisees and scribes and those under their sway that 
would oppose Him, that would reject Him. They would ultimately 
deliver Him up to be crucified. Now, before we leave, you need 
to ask yourself, who is this, and am I rightly related to him? Because you see, there are those 
who receive him and cry, Hosanna. There are those who reject him 
and despise him. I want to leave us with this, 
I think, powerful observation. I'd like to say, you know, I 
came up with it on my own. No, I was just trafficking in 
the commentaries There's a lot of prophecy in the Old Testament, 
isn't there? Not all prophecy, but a lot of 
prophecy, such as Zechariah 9, such as Micah 5, 2, such as Isaiah 
9, 6. There's a lot of prophecy concerning 
the first coming of our Lord Jesus. Now, as I call your attention 
to this lowly one riding on a donkey into Jerusalem, you need to understand 
the reality that by doing this, Christ fulfilled what was written 
previously. And I want to leave you with 
this thought, that there is prophecy in the New Testament as well. 
And it tells us that He will come again in glory to judge 
the living and the dead. And the selfsame Christ who fulfilled 
prophecy concerning His first advent will be the same Christ 
who fulfills prophecy in His second advent. So the donkey 
track into Jerusalem means, and you can take this home and think 
through it, it means that one day you will stand before this 
Christ. You will see Him as He is. You will give an account of deeds 
done in the body, whether good or ill. This ought to terrify 
you. It ought to cause you to flee 
to Christ. He fulfilled the prophecies concerning 
the first. He will fulfill the prophecies 
concerning the second. I can't just wish this away. 
I just can't pretend it doesn't exist. I can't just hope it will 
go away. I was sharing with a brother 
recently, I used to work with this particular fellow, and we 
would talk about religion a lot. We would talk about the gospel, 
we would talk about Christianity, and he was a man that pretty 
consistently rejected the things of God. I remember this one particular 
night, he asked me this question, he says, Jim, what if tomorrow, 
or what if you die tonight? And then you wake up and you 
see that everything you had believed wasn't true. It seemed pretty 
obvious to me. I said, well, in the first place, 
if everything I believe isn't true, I'll have no consciousness 
whatsoever. I won't wake up and be able to 
contemplate that things I thought were true weren't true. So it's 
really a moot point. But I said to him, what will 
you do when you die and you realize that everything I have said to 
you is true? What will become of you on that 
day? You see, the point, brethren, isn't that I was able to respond 
to a question from an employer. It's what are you going to do 
when Jesus comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead? 
What are you going to do in light of the reality that the one who 
fulfilled the prophecies concerning the first is the one who will 
fulfill the prophecies concerning the second, that he is coming 
again, that he is going to judge you, that he is going to hold 
you accountable, that he doesn't just look away when you sin, 
when you violate the law, when you transgress, when you take 
your body and do things with it that God says not to do, when 
you don't do the good things that God the Lord says, the Lord 
just doesn't say, well, you know, I just never saw that, I never 
noticed that, I never realized that. He is coming again in glory. The only hope, the only safety, 
the only refuge is Christ. It's to believe the gospel. It 
is to come to Him. It is to lay hold, by God's grace, 
of the one alone who is able to save you. Meet Him as Savior 
now, so that when He does come, you will be safe. You will be 
in a position of safety. It will be a blessing. It will 
be a privilege. It will be a joy. It will be 
a delight. Rather, than the shame it's going to be for those who 
hear the cursed words, depart from me, for I never knew you." 
Well, let us pray. Our Father, we ask that you would 
help us to understand these things and help us, God, to get our 
minds wrapped around the reality of who this Jesus is. He is a 
great and glorious King, the Son of David, the one who has 
come to save his people from their sins. Our heart's desire, 
God, is that people would hear the gospel, the good news, and 
that they would believe the gospel and be saved. We ask that you 
would go with us now. We pray that you'd help us to 
think through these things. So often we hear sermons and 
then we just go about everything else and forget all about what 
we've heard. May that not be the case, Lord. May these things 
come to us in our thoughts, in our minds, in our hearts. May 
we consider the reality that we will stand before this Jesus 
one day, and we ought to be clothed in his righteousness, in his 
blood. And I pray that you would do this for your glory and for 
your honor, and we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.