The Coming King (Palm Sunday 2024)

Good morning, guys. It's a cold Palm Sunday. It's the beginning of Holy Week, as you guys know.

It's the week that commemorates the most important historical events in all of history,

because Christianity is a religion built off of historical events. Amen?

More than World War II, more than the signing of the American Constitution,

more than 9-11, his death and resurrection are the most important historical events to occur.

So it makes sense that we take time to focus on this, in this time of the Christian calendar.

So we're going to be taking a break, as Janet mentioned, from our current sermon series in Revelation.

Today, we're going to take a look at Luke's account in Jesus' triumphal entry in Luke 19, 28-44.

That's Luke 19, 28-44.

And as always, if you are in need of a Bible, and if you would like one,

feel free to just raise your hand, and one of our members would be happy to gift you one.

Let's bow our heads, and if you would, pray with me as we pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.

God, we are in need of strength.

We are in need of mercy.

We are in need of the things that only you can give to us.

We are in need of grace.

We are in need of every single one of your blessings.

We are in need of Christ, the perfect Lamb,

the one who was slain on our behalf,

the coming King who came to bring us peace.

We are an anxious, toiling people without you.

We have no hope for peace without you.

Show us the peace that we find in your Son.

Give us eyes to see and ears to hear today.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Please rise for the reading of God's infallible Word.

And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the mount that is called Olivet,

he sent two of the disciples, saying,

Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied,

on which no one has ever yet sat.

Untie it and bring it here.

If anyone asks you, why are you untying it?

You shall say this, the Lord has need of it.

So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.

And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,

Why are you untying the colt?

And they said, the Lord has need of it.

And they brought it to Jesus.

And throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

And as they rode along, they spread their cloaks on the ground.

As he was drawing near, already on the way down the Mount of Olives,

the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice

for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying,

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,

Teacher, rebuke your disciples.

He answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying,

Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace.

But now they are hidden from your eyes.

For the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up a barricade around you

and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground,

you and your children within you.

They will not leave one stone upon another in you,

because you did not know the time of your visitation.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

In Greek mythology, there is this story about a woman named Cassandra.

Cassandra was the beautiful daughter and princess of the city of Troy.

She was so beautiful that the Greek god Apollo courted her,

tried to woo her, and did so by giving her the gift,

the supernatural gift of divination, of being able to see the future accurately.

But while she was all too eager to accept that gift,

she actually rejected him as a romantic partner,

essentially friendzoning him, right?

And he's so upset that he ends up cursing her.

He can't take away that power, but he curses her

so that while she can accurately see the future,

no one would believe her.

So the story goes that while she was in Troy,

she frantically warned her parents, the city, the people of Troy,

of the dangers of the Trojan War,

even of the Trojan horse,

the deceptive ploy that the Greeks used

to be able to hide soldiers inside the horse,

invade the city, and bring destruction.

But because of their stubbornness and because of the curse,

no one would listen to her,

even though she knew exactly what would bring peace to the city.

Can you imagine laboring over a people that you want to be saved,

but continue to reject the message that you know to be true

and you know would be good for them?

Well, we'll see that Jesus knows what that feels like in our passage today.

Jesus knows what it feels like to bring the things that would make for peace,

namely himself,

only to be misunderstood and outright rejected.

His disciples misunderstand what kind of kingdom,

what kind of peace he's come to bring.

And even worse, he's outright rejected by the Pharisees

and all in the city of Jerusalem that refused to look to him

for all their righteousness, for all their peace,

refused to look to him as their Passover sacrifice.

Because of that, while his entrance is triumphant with exuberant praise,

it's also quite sad.

So much so that even after receiving exuberant praise from his disciples,

Jesus, he weeps.

He is weeping over all who reject the peace that he has come to offer.

Humbly, he came humbly to save them from their impending doom.

But they reject it.

And that same warning of rejecting Jesus is true of us today.

Everything hinges upon what you make of Jesus.

Who is Jesus to you?

Is he your king?

Will you serve him as king?

Will you accept his peace?

This passage this morning warns and exhorts us to worship Jesus

as your coming king,

who alone brings everlasting peace.

Broke down the sermon by the three characters and actors that we see,

namely, of course, Jesus, his disciples, and then the Pharisees.

We'll see how Jesus is declaring himself as king.

Next, we'll see how the disciples accept him as king.

Those, he's not the king that they expected.

And how the Pharisees reject him as king.

Our passage opens with Jesus going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

And throughout the book of Luke,

Jesus has been foretelling his death, his resurrection,

prophesying that Jerusalem will be the specific place where he will die.

In the immediate chapter before our passage today,

in Luke 18, Jesus warns them,

see, we are going up to Jerusalem,

and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.

For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles,

and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.

And after flogging him, they will kill him.

And on the third day, he will rise.

You see, this is it.

This is the mission that Jesus has set out to do.

This is the mission that the Father gave him.

Jesus has been to Jerusalem before.

But, you know, after a prediction like this,

this visit is going to be very different.

Despite all the suffering and pain Jesus knows awaits him in the city,

he steps forth into his destiny with courage, without hesitancy or fear,

because he loves us.

In his highly praised book, Gentle and Lonely,

Pastor Dane Ortlund writes,

the cumulative testimony of the Gospels

is that when Jesus Christ sees the fallenness of the world all about him,

his deepest impulse, his most natural instinct,

is to move toward that sin and suffering,

not away from it.

We see that deepest impulse here in the opening verse,

to move toward sin,

to bring peace no matter what the cost to him.

And knowing this is his last week to live,

Jesus is now ready to publicly reveal everything about who he is

and what his ministry is all about.

Throughout the Gospels, we witness Jesus perform miracle after miracle,

saving, transforming lives,

only to then tell these people,

shh, don't tell anybody.

And he does this because he wants them to keep what theologians have called the messianic secret.

Jesus knew there was a right time for his death.

And he knew that if he grew too popular among the Jews,

the Pharisees, his enemies,

could let their ugly envy and anger

lead them to prematurely eliminate him

before the right hour that Jesus knew,

namely the Passover,

so that he could be the Passover lamb.

And his popularity has been growing and growing throughout his ministry,

but now that the time is just right,

literally five days,

five days before his death,

Jesus is ready to reveal who he is as the rightful king of Israel.

And he also knows the consequences of that too,

that he knows that the consequence of this would ultimately lead to his death.

And just like there is no way for us to take back words that we say out of our mouths,

there's no going back after Jesus' statement here.

This event changes everything about him and how the public perceives him.

I don't know what this says about me,

that this is one of the first examples that came to my mind,

but in the cinematic classic,

The Princess Diaries,

there's a scene where shy, introverted Mia

is revealed to the public that she is the rightful heir

to the throne of Genovia.

And everything changes about how people treat her,

about who she is.

There's no going back to being normal Mia.

In a similar way,

Jesus proclaims that he,

the lowly,

poor son of a carpenter,

a Galilean commoner,

he was the rightful heir to the Davidic throne.

And he does this by the vehicle of his choice.

When he draws near to the Mount of Olives,

Jesus sends two of his disciples to go fetch a cult

on which no one has ever yet ridden.

Now,

we have to ask,

why a cult?

A lot of this goes over our 21st century Western sensibilities,

but to a first century Jew,

they understood what Jesus was doing.

They understood the message that he was trying to proclaim.

They would have known this because of the historical precedent

set by kings in the past.

We know that after King David,

after his moral debacle of adultery with Bathsheba

and killing off her husband,

his family sort of turns into this dysfunctional mess.

And he turns into this negligent king and father.

And at the end of his reign,

where the public is supposed to know

who is supposed to be next,

and while he's already previously promised

his son Solomon the throne,

his other son,

Adonijah,

tries to steal power,

steal the throne,

and publicly proclaims,

I will be king.

So the public is confused.

Who's going to be king?

Is it,

was it Adonijah?

Was it,

was it Solomon?

After being negligent,

David finally steps in

and corrects his course

and establishes Solomon as king.

How does he do this?

He does it by having him ride into the city

on a donkey.

By riding a donkey into this city,

the answer is unambiguous

that Solomon is king.

And on top of that,

we'd be remiss

if we don't,

you know,

click this bright blue hyperlink

to Zechariah 9, 9,

which reads,

Rejoice greatly,

O daughter of Zion.

Shout aloud,

O daughter of Jerusalem.

Behold,

your king is coming to you.

Righteous and having salvation

is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt,

the foal of a donkey.

When Jesus rides

into Jerusalem

on a donkey,

there is no doubt

to everyone there

what statement he is making

by fulfilling this OT prophecy

in Zechariah 9, 9,

and literally hundreds more.

Jesus is the indisputable,

long-awaited,

righteous,

messianic king

of Israel,

bringing salvation

to all who would believe

in his name.

Jesus knows it,

the disciples know it,

the Pharisees know it.

As theologian N.T. Wright

puts it,

within his own time

and culture,

Jesus riding on a donkey

over the Mount of Olives

spoke more powerfully

than words could have done

of a royal claim.

To enter in this regal way,

Jesus sends his disciples

on a quest,

on a side quest

to find a colt

and he gives them

very specific instructions.

He gives them three.

Go to this village,

number one.

At the entrance

of this village,

find a colt

which he seems

to supernaturally know

that no one

has ever ridden.

And then number three,

without asking the owners,

start untying.

If they object,

Jesus teaches them

to simply state,

the Lord has need of it.

So they go.

Of course,

it's Jesus.

They find it exactly

as he tells them.

And they obey.

In my imagination,

they start nervously

untying the colt.

And lo and behold,

the owners seem

to catch them.

And object.

And say,

why are you

untying the colt?

And I imagine

the disciples,

you know,

they looked at each other

and shrugged their shoulders

and they said,

the Lord has need of it.

And it works.

It works

because it's likely

that Jesus really

is stepping in

to the full role

of a king here.

Because back in those days,

there was a principle

that figures of state,

rulers and kings,

they could impress

private property

for their own

personal use.

So he possesses

the donkey

on that principle.

And I think

this is fascinating.

The owners,

which in the original Greek

literally translates

as lords,

the lords

of the donkeys

submit and hand

over the animal

to the true lord

of the universe.

Isn't that true

of us,

brothers and sisters?

If Jesus is our king,

we should serve him

as such.

Everything we own

is in the domain

of his sovereignty.

Whenever he points

to this possession

and he says,

I have need of this,

we must hand it over.

It's the king.

Whenever he points

to our car

or our time

or money

or this skill,

we've got to turn it over.

It's the king.

We must.

Actually,

no,

sorry,

that's not a must.

It's a we get to,

right?

We get to

because we serve

only out of the things

that he has freely

given to us.

For what do we have

that we haven't

freely received?

Everything we own,

everything we are

comes freely

from the sovereign king.

Every good gift

comes from him.

After all,

in the hands

of the savior

is the most secure place

to have our possessions.

As Martin Luther comments,

I've held many things

in my hands

and I have lost them all.

But whatever I've placed

in God's hands,

that I still possess.

One particular area

that I believe

Jesus is saying,

I have need of this,

is our homes

in radically

ordinary hospitality.

Doesn't mean you have

to be the best cook,

thank God,

or have the nicest furniture

or even have a lot

of space to host

because Lord knows

we struggle with that

in Boston,

Cambridge.

Our hospitality

must be radical,

but it is ordinary.

It's well documented

that since the 1990s,

we have become

increasingly

a lonely people.

The U.S.

Surgeon General

has called,

quote,

our epidemic

of loneliness

and isolation

and underappreciated

public health crisis.

We don't need figures

of state to tell us that.

We know that.

We feel that,

don't we?

Our phones,

our social media,

they promise connectivity,

community,

to be known,

but in the end,

it feels like we are

more distant than ever.

And amid an epidemic

of loneliness

of our Christian homes,

whether you live

in a multi-storied house

or live in a dormitory,

the Lord is saying,

I have need of this.

Indeed,

opening our doors

to friends,

family,

church members,

and even strangers,

our homes

transform

into hospitable

hospitals

to heal the world

of this public health crisis

of their loneliness.

This is how we show the world

what authentic Christianity

is all about.

Author Rosaria Butterfield

writes of hospitality

in this way.

Do Christian people

practice Christian hospitality

in regular,

ordinary,

consistent ways?

Or do we think

our homes

are too precious

for criminals

and outcasts?

Our homes

are not our castles.

Indeed,

they are not even ours.

I felt

and witnessed

the transformation

that hospitality brings.

Acquaintances

come through the door

and they leave

as friends.

Church members

come through the door,

but they leave

as family.

Haters of God

come through the door,

but they leave

as lovers of God.

Christine and I,

along with many of you,

have been blessed

by this church's hospitality.

And in part,

in large part,

we are part of this church

because of hospitality.

And God will continue

to use our hospitality

to build his kingdom,

to build this church.

May we submit

everything we own,

even our castles,

to the Lord's purposes.

going back to the scene,

we see how Jesus' disciples

do just that

by submitting

everything in their possession,

even the very clothes

on their backs.

They bring back

the donkey to Jesus.

They set him on,

the animal,

not before

throwing their cloaks

on it

as a regal seat.

On top of that,

they throw their cloaks

on the ground

lest the regal king

or his donkey

touch the dirty ground.

They're pulling out

all the stops, right?

The royal red carpet treatment

because they accept him

as king.

Just like they did

for King Jehu

in 2 Kings 9.

But before we move on,

I think it's important

that we set the stage

historically

because it's well documented

that the Jews

at the time

believed that

their coming Messiah,

the foretold Davidic king,

he was coming

to bring peace.

I heard he touched him,

healed the leper.

Well, I heard

that he raised a girl

back to life.

Believing he is the king,

the whole multitude

of his disciples

began to rejoice

and praise God

with a loud voice

for the mighty works

that they had seen.

At a fever pitch,

the crowd welcomes

Jesus into Jerusalem

with zealous,

passionate worship

and they proclaim,

blessed is the king

who comes in the name

of the Lord.

Peace in heaven

and glory

to the highest.

This is in fact

the very first time

in the book of Luke

that Jesus is called

a king.

And this is the first time

that Jesus accepts

public worship

like this.

I would do this.

Compare that to the disciples

in Acts

or even the angels

in Revelation

who all rightly

reject the worship

of man.

But right now

the most appropriate

thing to do

is to worship

Jesus.

The first part

of that worship

comes from Psalm

118,

part of the Hallel,

which was a group

of Psalms

from 113

to 118.

And theologian

William Barclay

comments just how

deeply ingrained

these Psalms were

into their Jewish culture.

He writes,

they were part

of the first memory work

that every Jewish boy

had to do.

They were sung often

at great acts

of praise

and thanksgiving.

They were an integral

part of the Passover ritual.

So it seems like

with their heart

songs

that they learned

at such a young age,

they're singing it

to the ultimate

fulfillment

of Jesus.

Psalm 118

was also

traditionally sung

in pre-exilic Israel

as a welcome

to the king.

Compare what

the angels

say

at the birth

of Jesus

in Luke 2.

I think this is

such a fascinating

scene

because we see

the near opposite.

The multitude

of angels

they're proclaiming

glory to God

in the highest

and on earth

peace among those

with whom he is pleased.

Do you see

the contrast there?

The heavenly angels

there are looking

down and saying

peace on earth

while the disciples

on earth

are looking up

to heaven

and saying

peace in heaven

all for the glory

of Jesus

all for the glory

of God.

throughout his life

Jesus has united

the praise

of the earthly

of the heavenly

and it's appropriate

for every corner

of the universe

to worship

his name.

And I have no doubt

in this scene

that they were

they were crying

they were laughing

they were jumping

they were hooping

and hollering

because their Messiah

had come

to come establish

his earthly kingdom.

That's what they believed.

But on this side

of the cross

we know that

their cries of joy

will soon turn

to cries of grief

and disappointment

in five short days.

The disciples

may have understood

rightly how

Zechariah 9.9

predicted of

the coming Messiah

bringing salvation

but they probably

scratched their heads

when they read

in that part

and if you could

throw that verse

up there

they called

the Messiah

the humble

in Hebrew

the word

humble

can also mean

poor

afflicted

gentle

lowly

the disciples

were only seeing

Christ the conqueror

not Christ

the gentle

and lowly

suffering servant

because we know

that Jesus

came to the city

of Jerusalem

not to submit

Jewish enemies

under his feet

but to wash

the feet

of his father's

enemies.

As a church

we're going through

the book of Revelation

and at Jesus'

second and final

coming

there will

be a time

where he will

come to judge

and make war

where he will

subdue

all his enemies

under his feet

and so in this passage

Jesus has every

prerogative

to do the same

to enter into

Jerusalem

and to submit

his enemies

under his feet

in Revelation

he comes

riding in

on a white

war horse

but in Luke

in this passage

he comes riding in

on a peaceful

doggy

the animal

associated

with peacetime

becomes offering

peace

his eyes

are on the mission

assigned to him

by the father

not to storm

the capital

with violence

establish a worldly

kingdom

but to lay down

his life

for eternal

peace for us

and to establish

his heavenly kingdom

for Christ knows

that the greatest

problem in our

lives is not

a peace

not a lack

of peace

politically

but a lack

of peace

spiritually

scripture teaches

us that

the invisible

spiritual reality

that's realer

than the physical

things that we see

with our own

two eyes

just imagine

standing on that

last day

before your maker

as he rattles

off all the ways

that you have

defamed

you've betrayed

you've forsaken

his name

can you imagine

who could stand

who could say

a single word

in defense

those who feel

overworked

crushed

oppressed

complacent

powerless

and hopeless

today

they only feel

so because

they're feeling

the effects

of spiritual

sin and separation

from God

not just because

of broken

political systems

that's what

Jesus came

to fix

Jesus Christ

the righteous

king

came offering

peace

and this

peace of God

is peace

with God

for that purpose

Christ came

to this earth

defeated all

temptation to sin

was betrayed

forsaken

beat

mocked

and crucified

on our behalf

so that not

by our works

not by our acts

of hospitality

not by the quality

of our worship

or our evangelism

not by our works

but by faith

are we saved

he who knew

no sin

became sin

so that we

might become

the righteousness

of God

and notice how

Zechariah 9

does not say

that we need

to go to him

it says that

Jesus comes

to us

he came not

to be served

but to serve

this is amazing

grace

oh where would

we be

without Jesus

where would

we be

without him

don't you see

how much

he loved you

so today

we are beyond

blessed

to live

between the

advents

the saints

of old

would have

loved

to know

the things

that we

know now

in this book

we know

that Jesus

came ultimately

not to save

us

politically

but spiritually

to free us

not from the

bondage

of political

rulers

but the

bondage

of sin

and death

but church

that is

the greater

miracle

isn't it

not the lesser

sin compared

to Rome

is our

greater enemy

not the lesser

isn't it

so then we

have to ask

sometimes

why isn't

our worship

like the

crowds

like these

disciples

when was

the last

time you

worshipped

like this

do you

worship

like he

has literally

saved your

life

knowing what

we know

shouldn't

our praise

our excitement

our joy

exceed that

of the

crowds

Tim Keller

speaks of the

importance of

worship in this

way

the secret

to freedom

from

enslaving

patterns of

sin is

worship

you need

worship

you need

great worship

you need

weeping worship

you need

glorious worship

you need to

sense God's

greatness and

to be moved

by it

moved by

who God

is and

what he

has done

for you

I love

that quote

makes me

want to

worship

I wonder

if we

worship

little

because we

need

little

our text

says that

these crowds

they worship

because they

believe in

all the

works that

he had

done

so many

of those

miracles

Jesus

helped

those who

are in

desperate

need

lepers

who lost

everything

paralytics

the blind

from birth

parents

of a

deceased

child

Jesus

stepped in

where there

was no

peace

no chance

for peace

and he

spoke

and everything

changed

he

they worshipped

this way

because they

were desperate

for him

in other

gospel accounts

the crowds

are yelling

Hosanna

Hosanna

to the son

of David

Hosanna

literally

translates

to please

save

please

save us

I beg

you to

save

are you

desperate

for his

help

in the

same

way

every

morning

when I

rise

to make

Christ

my

treasure

when things

are going

well

Satan

makes

war

against

me

to make

me forget

my need

of Jesus

when things

are going

bad

and I'm

having

I'm

having

a tough

time

Satan

makes

war

against

me

by making

me

forget

that

Jesus

alone

meets

my

needs

retired

pastor

John

Piper

in such

a

call

for

way

as he

as he

always

does

states

the need

to fight

for faith

every morning

he writes

I feel

like I

have to

get

saved

every

morning

I

wake

up

and the

devil

is

sitting

on my

face

that's

why we

have to

put our

phones

down

to lay

our

distractions

aside

and examine

if our

hearts

are appropriately

needing

Jesus

and when we

are rightly

needy we

know that

there is

no problem

too great

for us to

bring before

the king

of peace

whether it's

a struggling

relationship

depression

anxiety

a lack

of job

loneliness

anger

habitual

sins

Jesus

can perform

miracles

in your

life

and while

we pray

for miracles

we don't

make the

same mistakes

that these

crowds did

that these

disciples do

no we have

faith to

trust that

his spiritual

blessings

far outweigh

his temporal

physical ones

so we turn

to him

because in

him we find

every spiritual

blessing

he is able

to do far

more abundantly

than we ask

or think

Charles Spurgeon

succinctly

proclaimed

I have a

great need

for Christ

I have a

great Christ

for my

need

that's how

we can

worship Jesus

with great

worship

with weeping

worship

with glorious

worship

but when we

worship like

this the

king's enemies

hates

hates it

they hate

when we

worship like

this

we see that

even here

with the

Jewish leaders

the Pharisees

the final

actors in

this scene

they reject

Jesus'

message of

the kingship

while the

crowds are

calling him

king

they refuse

to do the

same

they call him

a simple

rabbi

just like

them

and say

teacher

rebuke

your

disciples

now some

believe that

this request

of the

Pharisees

comes out

of a

genuine

concern

that this

mob

might turn

into

a political

riot

one that

the Romans

might only

be too

happy to

squash

with their

military

might

but could

be motivating

their request

but throughout

the book

of Luke

Jesus has

been constantly

sparring

with the

Pharisees

and at

this point

they are

rebuked

for their

love of

the praise

of man

their blindness

to the

times

their obedience

to man-made

trivialities

over the

law of

God

so they

are hurt

they are

offended

they are

angry

and they're

envious

of Jesus

so

yes

they could

be afraid

of Roman

conquest

but so

much of

their motivation

I believe

is out of

envy

in John's

account

he records

them saying

to each

other

you see

that you

are gaining

nothing

look

the world

has gone

after him

who here

would have

the audacity

that during

Sunday worship

they're upset

they're bitter

have an upset

face because

all these people

they're worshiping

Jesus

not

not him

not her

who would have

the audacity

the hubris

to do that

yet exactly

that's what

the pharisees

are doing

so Jesus

defends his

disciples

by saying

I tell you

if these

were silent

the stones

would cry out

now have you

guys ever

heard of the

insult

you're as

dumb as a

rock

I hope you

haven't heard

that recently

or told that

to anybody

recently

but

essentially

Jesus is

encapsulating

that message

to the

pharisees

right

he's saying

to these

well-esteemed

highly educated

pharisees

these uneducated

these unpolished

disciples

know better

than you

they are in the

right

in fact

these stones

these inanimate

objects

with no brains

they know

better than you

the pharisees

fail to see

with eyes

of faith

who Jesus

is

he is the

king of the

jews

yes

but he is

the king

of the

cosmos

all of the

universe

knows to

worship him

and because

of their

unbelief

Jesus draws

near to the

city of

Jerusalem

and he

weeps

over it

such a

such a

powerful scene

this is one

of the last

things that

you would expect

Jesus to do

after receiving

such exuberant

praise

and it's a

rare occurrence

because Jesus

only weeps

three times

in all of

scripture

but here

Jesus isn't

weeping

over his

really close

friends

Mount Martha

or Lazarus

he's weeping

over the

people that

will drive

nails through

his hands

and feet

so while

his rebukes

of the

pharisees

may have

been strong

no one can

say that

he did not

love them

like a

loving parent

seeing their

child go

down a

path to

destruction

he weeps

over them

he already

knows and

laments that

they have

rejected him

just like

they've rejected

many of the

prophets of

old

he knows that

they're extremely

hardened hearts

out of that

God has

judged them

and blinded

them to be

able to see

the things

that would

make for

peace

and just

like the

ot prophets

like jeremiah

or elijah

jesus he

weeps and

this word is

an emotional

word it's a

heavy word

it's not a

pretty cry

it's a

sobbing

it's a

heaving

he wanted

them to

know the

peace

he wanted

them to

know how

much he

loved them

and it's

ironic that

jerusalem

the name

meaning the

city of

peace has

rejected what

would have

made peace

for them

in the same

way it could

be said that

jesus weeps

over all

who reject

him today

because he

wants all

to come to

full life

in him

are we as

followers of

jesus do the

same

to weep over

the lost in

this world

are we pray

with the

weeping burden

over our

lost co-workers

our family

our friends

this city

this nation

this world

according to

joshua project

there are over

three billion

people

i can't even

wrap my mind

around this

i'm intimidated

in preaching to

just 70 people

three billion

people

who do not

know christ

who are unreached

with the gospel

may we continue

to grow

in our love

for the lost

that we can

express our

love through

tears

because the

jews did not

know the time

of their

visitation

jesus predicts

a very dark

day in

jerusalem's

future

in this

he even

corrects his

disciples who

think that he's

come to build

an earthly

kingdom

that's not

what he's

come to

doing

that's clear

from his

prophecy

he predicts

a terrible

siege of

jerusalem

the location

of the

temple

just as

every word

of jesus's

command to

fetch the

donkey came

true every

word we

know came

true of

this prophecy

we already

talked about

the political

tensions between

judea and

rome and that

did not stop

after jesus died

in 33 a.d

we know that

33 years later

in 66 a.d

that there

were tensions

over taxes

over money

as seems

like everything

is about

fighting over

money

roman leaders

then they

would plunder

the temple

treasury which

the zealots

did not like

so they

started a war

for seven

bloody years

in the middle

of the war

during 70

a.d

rome besieged

jerusalem

meaning their

armies surrounded

the city

walls and

prevented anyone

in or out

they starved

the city to

death and

according to

josephus the

jewish historian

starvation was

so bad that

one million

jews had

perished they

couldn't even

bury the body

so they had to

just toss them

over the city

walls

worst of all

to the jews

the romans

eventually broke

in and

destroyed

laid waste

to their

temple

their consecrated

temple

jerusalem was

supposed to be

the abode

of god

untouchable

territory

but as

israel was

exiled by

assyria

by by

babylon

in the past

in the ot

god definitively

displayed

his covenant

wrath against

israel

but the

christians

in 70

80

church

history

records that

they believed

jesus's warnings

in luke 21

to flee to the

mountains and

they escaped

they fled the

misery of this

starvation

across the

jordan river

in time and

established the

church in

pelle

it's been said

that the most

important thing

about a person

more than your

income

more than your

nationality

your personality

your accomplishments

is what you

make of

jesus

this passage

paints this

truth into

reality

jesus is

proclaiming the

unambiguous

message that he

is the king

of peace

the king of

the cosmos

but what

happens to

those who

reject him

he'll weep

over you

this historical

event is a

warning of the

greater judgment

day to come

and that final

day he will

judge the

living and the

dead

there's salvation

in no one

else for there's

no other name

under heaven

given among men

by which we

must be saved

it's the name

of jesus

so what will

you do

will you heed

his warning

will you know

the time of

your visitation

will you pledge

your allegiance

to the king

and renounce

all other

pursuits of

peace outside

of him

if you have

not accepted

jesus as

your king

our deepest

prayer is that

today would be

the day of

your salvation

this is undoubtedly

the most important

week of all of

church history

all of history

in general

use this week

i urge you

to explore

who jesus is

that he is

neither a legend

a lunatic

or a liar

but he is

lord

lord of the

universe and

lord over our

lives who's

laid down his

life for you

everything hinges

upon his name

let the king of

glory come in

let's let's

pray

oh jesus we

know that

everything hinges

upon you

and your name

that when we

have you we

are the richest

people in all

the universe

and apart from

you that we

lose everything

oh god please

give us eyes

to see ears

to hear that

you are the

lord who's

come to give

us the peace

that we can

never find with

anyone else

give us god

desperate hearts

after you

needy hearts

humble hearts

and say lord

jesus you alone

are what we

need you are

more than enough

for us you are

our greatest

treasure oh

father bless us

we need you and

your help your name

we pray

amen