Donkey One

Donkey One

Palm Sunday 2016             NOTES NOT EDITED

Matthew 21:1-11

SIS: The King of Kings is coming again and we must be ready to receive Him.

One of the most famous airplanes in the world– perhaps, the most famous–is Air Force One, the official airplane of the President of the United States.  Where I live, we are fortunate to have our very own “Air Force One” housed at the Ronald Reagan Library just up the highway in Simi Valley.  However, it is not officially Air Force One.  This plane is retired.  In fact, technically, the plane is only referred to as Air Force One when the President is actually on board.

Just to keep all the facts straight, the official helicopter of the President is called Marine One. 

Air Force One is the most sophisticated plane flying today.  It is a VC-25A.  It shares the airframe of a Boeing 747, but that is where the comparison ends.  The eight massive engines of AF-1 allow it to get airborne very quickly if security concerns require it.  The plane has 80 telephones and 238 miles of communication cables providing sophisticated Internet and satellite capabilities.  It has a medical compartment with a fully stocked pharmacy, X-ray machine, and full time surgeon.  Literally, it is a flying Whitehouse.

But more impressive than the plane itself is the preparation that must be made when the President flies.  First, there is an identical VC-25A that is usually flown to the same destination for backup.  In addition two C-5 Cargo Planes fly with, or before AF-1.  The contain the Presidential Armored limosine and decoy along with a full motorcade.  A fully stocked ambulance is also taken along.  And, in some cases Marine One is ferried to the destination.

The preparation for the President’s arrival – where ever it is in the world – is a massive, detailed effort.  The Secret Service arrives weeks, sometimes months in advance to scour the site of the President’s arrival.  No detail is overlooked.  The massive effort to prepare for the President’s arrival takes 1000's of man hours in some cases.  No detail is overlooked.  When the President finally arrives, everyone is prepared to assure his comfort and safety.

Now, let’s compare how the King of Kings traveled when He entered Jerusalem nearly 2000 years ago. MATTHEW 21:1-11

¹When they approached Jerusalem  and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives,  Jesus then sent two disciples, ² telling them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you should say that the Lord needs them, and immediately he will send them.” ⁴ This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: ⁵ Tell Daughter Zion,“Look, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”  ⁶ The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their robes on them, and He sat on them. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their robes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ Then the crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed kept shouting: Hosanna to the Son of David! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One! Hosanna in the highest heaven! ¹⁰ When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus  from Nazareth in Galilee!”

When dignitaries travel, they travel in style and luxury, just like Air Force One.  But, when the King of Kings travelled to Jerusalem, his mode of transportation was much more humble -- a donkey.  Not only a donkey, but a young donkey colt that had never been ridden (the other gospels tell us it was a donkey).  Its spindly little legs were barely able to support the weight of the Lord.  It was an impressive sight only in its awkwardness.

The President of the US arrives on an impressive plane called Air Force One.  The Lord arrived in Jerusalem on Donkey One.

The Lord arrived that day to a mixed reception.  Some were ready to receive Him and shouted and sang: "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord" The other gospels add that the people shouted: "Hosanna!  Hosanna!"

This word, "hosanna" sums up what it means to receive Jesus as the Lord of one's life.  It has a Semitic history, meaning it comes from the Hebrew OT, particularly the Psalms.  Hosanna is the Aramaic and/or Greek equivalent of "hoshi^eah na" which combines the word for "save us" with "now."  So, many of the people were recognizing that Jesus was the Messiah who had come to save them now!  However, they mistook a political idea of salvation for the spiritual salvation Jesus would secure for them on the cross.

There was another group in that crowd which were NOT prepared to accept Jesus as the Messiah.  Luke 19 adds that:

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” ⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

One of the themes repeated over and over in the gospels is the constant battle Jesus had with those who were religious.  The Triumphal Entry passages highlight the two primary responses people still have today when Jesus rides into their lives:  some are elated -- even ecstatic to receive Jesus as the Lord and Savior.  Others, are skeptical on one level or the other with those who are most bitter toward Jesus being the ones who are most religious.  Each gospel writer adds a little to the story.  People only fall into one of these two groups:  those that gladly and humbly receive Jesus as Lord, and those who are self-righteous and actually despise the very idea that they need to be saved.  This is a major interpretive theme in understanding the gospels.

Now, here's the point I really want to make today.  There were hundreds of prophecies fulfilled when Jesus came the first time, such as Zechariah 9:9:

⁹Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Likewise, there are also hundreds of prophecies that tell of the Next Coming, or Second Coming of Jesus like Rev. 19

¹¹ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
king of kings and lord of lords.

A major principle in the Triumphal Entry texts of the gospels is that  God has always had a plan, and it will always play out EXACTLY AS PLANNED.  The question is:  will YOU be prepared to receive Him as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings when that time comes?

I want to take the remainder of our time together this morning, after this long but important introduction to give you three ways you can be sure to properly receive the King of Kings when He comes again.  I call it, “being on the Hosanna side of the street.”

1.  We must view Our Savior as more important than our selves

³ If anyone says anything to you, you should say that the Lord needs them, and immediately he will send them.”

The key to the success of our mission in this life and the key to our rewards in the next is comprehend, “Who is Jesus Christ?”  I doubt very seriously if the man with the donkey and colt would have given them up because two rough looking itinerant preachers asked.  But, when they dropped the name of Jesus, the man gave up his possessions without so much as a question.  God had prepared this man to be who he was, where he was, with a donkey since before the beginning of time. The next best thing to “being important” is knowing someone important. Nobody is more important than God!

Notice the wording in verse 4:  “This took place SO . . . ,” or as the as the NIV translates it, “This took place to fulfill.”  Like so many texts referring to Jesus in the N.T. ties His Identity to the Promise Messiah (Savior) of the O.T.  In this case, the promise of Zech. 9:9.

The most important doctrine in the Bible is the doctrine of the Deity of Christ.  If Jesus Christ was not the prophesied Messiah, His death on the cross was no different than the death of the many thousands of other such deaths—except that he would have been a man of sterling character, unlike many who were common criminals.

But, the death of a man—even the most virtuous man who ever lived—would not have been enough to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind.  Only the Messiah—the promised, prophesied God-Man, could do that.  We must recognize Who Jesus is, and we must understand that our Savior is more important than our selves.

One of the most famous people in his day was a man by the name of Billy.  You younger folk probably have never heart of Billy, but if you were watching the news much from 1977-1981, he was something of a “celebrity.” He was often in the news.  He was quite a popular topic for the news–usually because of very bad behavior that was an embarrassment to his family, especially his brother.  In fact, had it not been for his famous brother, no body outside of his small farming community would have known who he was.  He was a nobody, but he had almost unrestricted access to the President of the United States.  The President was Jimmy Carter.  The infamous brother was Billy Carter.  Billy was important, not because of who he was, but because of who he was related to. 

That’s how it is with you and I.  Why would anybody care to hear what we have to say?  Chances are: they would not.  But, because of “Who” we know, we can accomplish even the most difficult tasks.  Christ is the key to success in the church – some of us forget this sometimes.  Another important aspect of preparing to meet the Lord is that we must

2.  See Our assignment as more important than our status.  (6)

{6}The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

In context, this verse had to do with a specific

assignment to two specific (unnamed) disciples at a specific moment in history.  The instructions were simple enough:

{1} As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, {2} saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. {3} If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

This wasn’t a very impressive assignment. The disciples did not achieve “celebrity status.”  In fact, as I mentioned, they remained nameless.  But, celebrity status aside, they were faithful.  Their actions, though anonymous, have become a part of God’s eternal record.  They opted for “eternal status,” over celebrity status.

We are in one of the most annoying times of the year for me.  No, I'm not talking about Easter.  I'm talking about American Idol.  We are now in "Final Season."  This is T.V. code for “perpetual reruns.”

Each year, it is the same process.  First we have to endure the weeks of auditions in which it becomes painfully obvious that some people think they can sing and they can barely bark.

Then, it is week after tortuous week that we have to endure the pompous ceremony of an "idol in the making."  I could go on and on but my sermon would degenerate into a rant.

Here's my beef:  there is so much glitter and so little substance to the whole idea of the show -- and I could probably make the same argument for nearly any other Hollywood production.  Hollywood is all about shadow and very little about substance.  Tens of thousands of young people give up nearly everything in life for a shot at becoming the next "American Idol."  And, when -- as will be the case -- one finally does win, what have they gained?  Fame, fortune, a place of adoration for mind-numbed TV and stage audiences? 

The show grates on me because it perpetuates the sad, sorry message that our "status" in life determines the "substance" of our lives.  In fact, it is only when we realize that our assignment to serve the Lord Jesus Christ is more important than our status in life, that we will ever achieve anything like a sense of fulfilling purpose in life.

Just think for a moment about the title of this hit show, "American WHAT?"  American Idol.  Need I say more.  We live in a society that idolizes status and disdains service.  Society talks a lot about climbing the ladder of success to grab the brass ring, but nearly ignores descending the stairs to minister to those stung by the silver needle. 

In the crowd that day was a motley mix of common folk that received Jesus gladly.  Those with status and standing in the community, like the Pharisees, were not about to take their cloaks off to be used as the red carpet for the Coming King.  Like most people of status, the Pharisees were used to BEING PRAISED NOT GIVING PRAISE.  The Lord must have really pricked their hearts when he said to the self-righteous Pharisees, according to Luke, (19:40)

"If people don't praise me, the rocks will cry out."

Wow!  That had to leave a mark.  The Pharisees
in God's eyes didn't even rate the status of "rocks!"
They were self-righteous and spent a lot of time “evaluating” others, but precious little time evaluating themselves.

That was then.  This is now. That assignment for those two disciples was completed.  But, what about you and I.  Do we as disciples of Jesus, today, have an important assignment to carry out?  According to Jesus we do have an important assignment.  His last words to his disciples then, and to us by extension today are these:

Mat 28   ¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples  of  all nations,  baptizing  them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember,  I am with you always,  to the end of the age.”

Our assignment is not glamorous.  We will not achieve celebrity status.  In fact, we may be persecuted as we carry out the assignment.

The assignment is simple: tell the world about Jesus the Savior.

A barber had just been gloriously converted in an old-fashioned revival meeting. He was really excited about being saved and was determined to tell as many people as possible. The next morning a customer came in for a cut and shave. The barber was trying to muster up words to say but just couldn't figure out how to start a conversation with the man. Finally the barber stood with his razor poised over the man's throat ready to give him a shave and these words popped into his head:  "Are you prepared to meet God?"

That’s our assignment.  Tell the world about Jesus.  It may not be a glamorous assignment, but it is our duty to God. Perhaps we should put down any sharp objects first.  Like the barber, though, it is sometimes hard to come up with  the right words—but we must try.

Regardless of how hard it is to keep telling the story.  Regardless of how people might reject us or put us down, we must keep eternity in view and remember:  Our assignment is more important than our status in life.

Please hear this.  You will not be ready to receive Jesus when He comes again if you do not see your assignment to serve Him as more important than your status in life.  Most people -- even church folk who attend every time the doors are open -- can miss this important lesson and miss the blessing of hearing Jesus say one day,  "Well done my good and faithful servant."

To be ready to receive the King of Kings when He returns again we must recognize that the Savior is more important than ourselves, and that our assignment to serve Him is more important than our status in life.  We must also understand

3.  Heaven tomorrow is more significant than Our sacrifice today. (8)

Something wonderful takes place in the pageantry of the Triumphal Entry that can be easily overlooked.

⁸ A very large crowd spread their robes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.

Now, because of the palm branches the people cut and laid in the road in honor of Jesus that Sunday.  This is why the Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday in the Christian calendar.

The palm tree is one of God’s grand designs. I remember the first palm trees I saw, or at least the first that I took any notice of.  I got off the plane in the Honolulu airport and thought I had arrived in the Garden of Eden.  In the open areas of the terminal were the most spectacular palm trees.  They looked like giant sentries guarding the airport grounds.  I was impressed.

Palm trees in the Bible are associated with victory in the Bible—the victory of good over evil; the triumph of God’s people over our enemies.

But, I’m not near as impressed with the palm branches as I am the first part of the verse, “a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road.”  Now, that’s impressive.  That is a little more of a sacrifice.  God grew the palm branches, but the cloaks were provided by the people’s own hard work.  The cloaks cost them something; the palm branches did not.  I think it is more apt to call this Sunday, “Cloak Sunday,” rather than Palm Sunday.  But, nobody on the “Calendar Committee” asked me.  “Cloak Sunday” is more in line with the sacrificial nature of Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem.  He would soon, within a week, die on a cruel cross for the sins of humanity.

When God made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, he gave nothing less than His Only Beloved Son.  This reminds me of the hen and the pig.  This is one of my favorite stories and I tell it often because it really makes a good point about sacrifice.

Both were asked by the farmer to make a contribution to the morning’s breakfast table.  The hen without reservation gave two eggs.  The pig hesitated and balked.  The hen reprimanded the pig.  “The master is quite good to us.  Is it too much to ask a little in return.”  The pig very quickly replied, “Providing a couple eggs is little enough sacrifice for you, but providing the bacon will cost me everything!”

How true.  A celebration takes on a whole new meaning depending upon the cost of our participation.  Church is a lot like that barnyard—some are hens and some are pigs.  Too many Christians, people in general,  are like the hen, not the pig. They make a small contribution, perhaps, but no great sacrifice.

One of my scripture memory verses a few years ago was Romans 8:18.  It is a penetrating verse that really makes us stop and assess our readiness to meet Jesus: 

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing  with the glory  that is going to be revealed to us.

We all need to keep this truth in mind.  So often, in life, we focus on our struggles, or on how others may be treating us, or on the fact that our week always seems a day or so longer than our paycheck.  It can cause despair.  Struggles are real—no doubt about that.  However, for the follower of Jesus, struggles are not permanent. 

There’s a little song I play on my guitar when I’m feeling sorry for myself.  It helps put my troubles into perspective.

I traveled down a lonely road And no one seemed to care;

The burden on my weary back Had bowed me to despair,

I oft complained to Jesus How folks were treating me,

And then I heard Him say so tenderly,

"My feet were also weary, Upon the Calv'ry road;

The cross became so heavy, I fell beneath the load,

Be faithful weary pilgrim, The morning I can see,

Just lift your cross and follow close to me."

To truly live as a follower of Jesus Christ in our world today requires great sacrifice.  Following Jesus is a struggle. It doesn't require much sacrifice to attend church every now and then.  It doesn't require much sacrifice to have a pot luck every now and again.  It doesn't take much sacrifice to drop a twenty in the plate every once in a while. But living day by day to serve Jesus in this world—that’s a sacrifice!

Keeping heaven in view allows us to face sacrifice with hopeful expectation.  A few months ago I memorized Luke 18:28-30:

²⁸ Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” ²⁹ “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰ will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”

Over and over in the N.T. there are references reminding believers of the unbelievable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, inexplicable glories that await us.  We must understand that HEAVEN tomorrow is much more significant than any SACRIFICES we face today.

Jesus entered Jerusalem that Sunday over 2000 years ago and people literally gave Him the coats off their backs.  Since that day millions of people have watched with expectation waiting for the Lord to return again.  Are you prepared to meet the Lord when He comes again?

Friends, you can be ready to receive the King of Kings when He comes again if you truly believe that heaven tomorrow is truly more significant than our sacrifices today.

A few moments ago we learned that a tremendous amount of effort goes into preparing for the arrival of the President of the United States of America.  No detail is overlooked and no expense is spared to make the proper preparation for the President's arrival.

It is even more important -- infinitely more important that we prepared for the coming arrival of the King of Kings.  He is coming again--we must be ready.