Theological term
Hermeneutical Key
2 sermons · All terms
The Triumphal Entry
The triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, recorded in John 12:12–19, is a dense convergence of Old Testament expectation and messianic fulfillment. The crowd's palm branches, their cry of Hosanna from Psalm 118, and Jesus' deliberate choice to ride a donkey in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 together constitute a public royal declaration — Christ confirming by his own action that he is the King of Israel, the opener of the gates of righteousness, who brings salvation not by overwhelming military force but by suffering and death. The disciples' initial incomprehension, resolved only after the glorification of Christ, illustrates how the resurrection supplies the hermeneutical key for reading the entire Old Testament. The Pharisees' admission of failure — 'the world has gone after him' — unwittingly echoes Zechariah 9:10 and testifies to the unstoppable advance of God's kingdom through Christ.
The Defense in Jerusalem
Acts 22 records Paul's defense before the Jerusalem mob and his invocation of Roman citizenship before the commander, and this exposition traces both movements as a pattern for how believers engage hostile civil and religious authorities. Paul's account of his conversion — his Jewish upbringing under Gamaliel, his confrontation with the risen Christ on the Damascus road, his instruction through Ananias, and his temple vision — demonstrates that he is not an enemy of Israel but rather the fulfillment of what a faithful reading of the Old Testament demands. The crowd's fury erupts not over Paul's biography but over Christ's commission to the Gentiles, exposing their rejection of covenant promises made to Abraham and repeated through the Psalms and prophets. The sermon closes by pressing Paul's gospel — blood atonement, imputed righteousness, and salvation by grace through faith — upon every hearer, including the worst of sinners.