I. Jesus Presents Himself As King Vs. 1-4

A. Jesus Takes Deliberate Steps To Fulfill Scripture

1. When they drew near- Jesus acts in anticipation of His entrance into Jerusalem

a. Bethphage/Mt. of Olives is just across the Kidron Valley
b. There are about 2 million pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast

2. Sent two disciples– He would not enter Jerusalem until He would enter as King
3. He deliberately involved His disciples: this would impact them re. His entrance

a. Turn to John 12:16

4. He gave them detailed instructions about what to expect and how to do things

a. Immediately you will find…and if anyone says anything- Very detailed
b. This was not a haphazard event. One of 300 O.T. prophecies.
c. Foreordained of God, spoken 100’s of years earlier by the prophets

5. Mark & Luke add- 

a. “A colt no one has ever ridden”-further detail, less likely to happen
b. People asked what they were doing, & they answered as Jesus instructed

6. All this was done- Jesus did all these things with this purpose in mind

B. Jesus & Prophetic Scripture Vs. 5, 6

1. General observation regarding prophecy

a. The Bible is about Jesus
b. Hebrews 10:7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ (Ps. 40, 1000 B.C.)

2. Matthew 21:5 is a quote from Zechariah 9, given 500 years previously.

a. The book of Zechariah was about restoration for Israel
b. The nation had been in exile for 70 years, they had returned, but were falling behind in rebuilding their Temple.
c. In that same spirit, Jesus is presented as the King of Israel
d. Note the emotion/intention- Tell the daughter of Zion…your King…

i. Zion was another name for Jerusalem
ii. They were informed that their King was arriving.

3. Jesus comes in humility, yet with appropriate dignity.

a. Instead of coming on a horse as a conquering Roman general, He comes on a colt, customary for royalty. He comes as the Prince of Peace.
b. When a ruler rode into a city upon a donkey it was a sign of peace.
c. Turn to Luke 19:41-44 Jesus had desired for them to have peace
d. Jesus will “ride again” as Judge of the nations. Revelation 19:11-16

C. Some Welcomed Jesus As King Vs. 7-11

1. V. 7- laid their clothes on them- This is another thing done for a king
2. V. 8- Often, beautiful rugs were laid out on the road. Clothes and palm branches would have accomplished the same thing.
3. V. 9- Hosanna- Literally- “save now”. They recognized Jesus as their King, but expected a political king. By the end of the week, they would turn against Him
4. Son of David– A Messianic title. Jesus was from the physical lineage of David.

a. They look to Jesus for salvation (Hosanna means “save now!”).
b. They openly give Jesus the titles appropriate for the Messiah (Son of David . . . He who comes in the name of the Lord).

5. Jesus received & encouraged this worship- See Luke 19:37-40
6. Turn to Psalm 118:15-29 This was a specific day for Jesus to be hailed as King.

D. Others Reject Jesus As King V. 15

1. Ps. 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

II. Jesus’ Actions As King

A. Confronted Sin V. 12

Drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple: What was the problem? Profiteers, in cooperation with the priests, robbed visitors to Jerusalem by forcing them to purchase “approved” sacrificial animals and currencies at inflated prices.

B. Restored God’s Purposes V. 13

My house shall be called a house of prayer: As well, they did this in the outer courts of the temple, the only area where Gentiles could come and pray.
This place of prayer was made into a swap meet of thieves parading in religion

C. Healed The Sick V. 14

After driving out the moneychangers and the merchants from the temple courts, Jesus didn’t start “The Society for the Cleansing of the Temple.” He got back to doing the business of the Messiah – showing the power of God in the context of compassion and mercy.
Remember- The religious leaders believed that people suffered from blindness or lameness because of sin. They would have viewed these people as on a lower spiritual level.

D. Corrected Spiritual Error Vs. 15, 16

The wonderful things that He did– Jesus’ deeds were obviously wonderful.
They rejected Him because of the hardness of their hearts
They were indignant: The hypocrisy of the religious leaders is evident.
Greed and theft in the temple didn’t bother them, but praise to Jesus did.
Do You hear what these are saying?
Yes, He had heard what these are saying – and it is perfected praise in the ears of God.

We must come to Jesus as little children.

E. Symbolic/Spiritual Separation V. 17

1. He came to die for their sins, but found His lodging apart from them.
2. His support came from friends in Bethany who had opened their hearts to Him