The King Has Come

Westhill Community Church

Sunday 24^th March 2024

The King Has Come

Reading: Mark 11: 1-11

Today we commence Holy Week, or Passion Week, when we remember the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry – a week culminating in his crucifixion and resurrection. The Jewish people were preparing for the annual festival of Passover, when they celebrated the time many years before in Egypt, when they painted the blood of a lamb on the doorposts and lintel of each dwelling and were saved from God’s judgement. Of course our celebration of Easter no longer coincides with the Jewish Passover, and this has been the case since the fourth century AD. This year there is still almost a month to go before Passover is celebrated.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey Passover was still four days away, but the crowds were already gathering inside and around Jerusalem. For that day, the tenth day of the month Nissan, was the day on which the Passover lambs were selected and set aside, to be kept confined until the fourteenth day later that week. Very many folk would travel to Jerusalem on or before the tenth and purchase their Passover lamb on arrival. The gospel writer John tells us that it was a great crowd of these festival goers that rushed to meet Jesus when he made the short trip from Bethany to Jerusalem that day (John 12: 12). There can be no doubt that the whole area around Jerusalem was thronged with festival goers, including the road on which Jesus travelled. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that over two million people would attend the Passover festival in those years.

This large crowd was buzzing excitedly with news and rumours about Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry, particularly his recent raising of Lazarus from the dead. John said that they were all asking one another where Jesus was, and whether he would be coming to the festival (John 12: 17). And the Jewish religious leaders added to the crowd’s excitement and anticipation by circulating an order that anyone who knew of Jesus’ whereabouts should inform them straight away (John 11: 56-57). John tells us that their intentions were not benevolent. They intended to arrest him and execute him, and this was their reasoning. The mood of the people was such that there was every likelihood they would take matters into their own hands and declare Jesus as king during the festival. And if that happened the leaders feared that the Romans would react violently, destroying the Temple and even their Jewish national identity. So the High Priest pronounced, “It is better that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” (John 11: 50). So it was that when the people were selecting their lambs for the Passover sacrifice, the Jewish leaders were selecting Jesus to be sacrificed for the nation. The apostle John commented that in this way the High Priest unknowingly and unwittingly himself selected Jesus to be the sacrificial Lamb of God (John 11: 51-52).

Now it seems quite clear that Jesus did not try to subdue the crowd, or slip quietly into Jerusalem unnoticed. Up until that time he had kept himself hidden away in the hill country of Judea. But now he seemed to be quite willing to receive the support and acclamation of the crowd. Six days before Passover he had returned to Bethany, where Lazarus had been raised from the dead, and now two days later, along with crowds of supporters, he travelled the final couple of miles into Jerusalem riding on the foal of a donkey.

Our cultural background does not help us much to understand what riding on a donkey would have signified to the people of Israel. To us riding on a donkey may seem an unremarkable thing to do. It’s not very impressive, not like riding on a large war-horse or in a golden chariot. So we suppose that in doing this Jesus was just demonstrating gentleness and humility. And of course that is partly true, but the significance of riding on the foal of a donkey was much greater than this. To throw some light on this we need to go back 1000 years to the end of King David’s life. David decreed that Solomon should succeed him as king of Israel. We read:

So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ And all the people went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound. (1 Kings 1: 38-40).

The foal of a donkey was used ceremonially to carry the new king to his place of anointing. Later the prophet Zechariah spoke of a day to come when the Annointed One, the Messiah, would be king in Jerusalem.

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle-bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. (Zech 9: 9-10)

The patriarch Jacob also spoke of this coming King when on his deathbed he prophesied to each of his sons. He said this concerning Judah:

The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch. (Gen 49: 8-11)

The foal of a donkey was the chosen mount for the coming King, who would be anointed to rule with righteousness. He would remove all instruments of war, proclaim peace to all mankind, and before him every knee would bow. And the other details provided by the four gospel writers leave us in no doubt that this is what the crowd concluded. They repeatedly cried out “Hosanna” and cut down branches to throw before him as he progressed. In so doing they were reciting verses from Psalm 118.

O Lord, save us, we beseech you! O Lord, we beseech you, grant us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. … With branches in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. (Psalm 118: 25-27)

The people would have been quite familiar with these verses, for they were recited every year during the autumn Festival of Tabernacles. But now they were reciting them at Passover too. The phrase “save us, we beseech you” is formed from the two Hebrew words “hoshiya” and “na.” The word “hoshiya” means “save” or “save us.” The word “na” means “please” or “we beseech you.” So together they mean “save us, we beseech you.” Interestingly today we use the word “hosanna” as an expression of praise, much like “hallelujah.” But for the Jewish people then it was a prayer to God for help and deliverance.

As Jesus travelled that road from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem the people repeatedly addressed him as the son of David and as the king. Luke tells us that Pharisees in the crowd were incensed by this, and called on Jesus to rebuke the people. But he replied that if the crowd were to be silent the very stones would cry out (Luke 19: 39-40).

So what was Jesus’ response to all of this? How did it make him feel? You might conclude that it made him glad, caused him to rejoice. After all, who is not thankful for the praise, adulation and support of others? I am quite sure that Donald Trump is ecstatic about the popular support of so many in the US for him to be the next president. And which of our own politicians is not greatly encouraged when they see increasing support for them or their party?

So was Jesus smiling? Was he vigorously waving to the crowd? Was he full of joy? No! We are told by Luke that he wept. He was overwhelmed with grief.

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.’ (Luke 19: 41-44)

Jesus knew that the people’s adulation, apparently so heartfelt and genuine, was only skin deep. Within four days many of them would be joining the Jewish religious leaders in the cry, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Everyone was going to abandon him, even his closest disciples. He would stand alone as he was tried and condemned. But Jesus did not weep because the people were going to reject him. He wept because of what this implied for them in the days and years ahead. Instead of peace, violence and destruction. Instead of blessing, the Temple demolished and the people scattered amongst the nations.

How could it be that this groundswell of support for Jesus and the desire to make him king could evaporate so quickly and completely? The prophet Isaiah gives the answer. He said:

These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. (Isa 29: 13)

In spite of their enthusiasm their hearts were not really in it. They were not actually committed to the one they were acclaiming.

Isaiah was speaking of Israel, but he could have been speaking of any group of religious people, maybe including you and me. You see it is so easy to say and do something, but for your heart not to be in it. At church especially we encourage one another to sing and say the right things, and carry out the right symbolic actions, whether it be attending meetings, lighting candles, repeating the confession, taking communion, fasting during Lent, and so on. Such things are good for us to do, because God himself calls us to do them. He is the one who gave us the psalms to recite; it was the Lord himself who bid us remember him by sharing in communion with one another. But if our worship of God is just a matter of speaking words or performing symbolic acts, if it does not spring from a heart that is committed to Him, then it is all for nothing and achieves nothing. Being a Christian, living for Jesus Christ, is not just a matter of saying the right things, attending the right places and keeping the right rules. Jesus said to the Jewish leader Nicodemus, you must be born again, from above. You must have a new heart, implanted by the Holy Spirit of God (John 3: 3-8). And the wonderful, glorious message of Easter is this: no matter what state we are in, Jesus died and rose again to give us a new heart if we ask him and put our trust in him. The prophet Ezekiel expressed it in this way:

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezek 36: 26-27)

So, now, as we prepare to share in communion together, let us each ask ourselves a question. It is not an easy question. It is deeply personal. But I believe it is important, and for some of us it might change our lives for ever.

Shut your eyes, and imagine that Jesus is coming into this sanctuary riding on that donkey. Gradually he comes nearer, riding right up to where you are sitting. He looks into your eyes, and then down into your heart. Now ask yourself this question: is Jesus smiling with joy as he gazes at my heart or is he weeping, saying to me, “You might honour me with your lips but your heart is far from me”? And if it is the latter you can be sure he will also be saying, “Look, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in” (Rev 3:20). So why not open the door and ask him in, right now?

When I was a child I remember singing this simple chorus. As I repeat it now you could make it your prayer too.

Into my heart, into my heart,

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

Come in today, come in to stay;

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.