Every Last Word

Guest (Male): Of all the ways that the King of kings could make an entrance into a city, Jesus chose to come in on a donkey. Why would Jesus choose such a humble way to make his great entrance into Jerusalem? Turn to the Gospel of Luke and listen in as we discuss why Jesus chose to make that kind of entrance.

Mark: Welcome to Every Last Word, a radio and internet program with Dr. Philip Ryken, teaching the whole Bible to change your whole life. Today, we continue our study in Luke, investigating what the Bible says about Christ's own humility and how we should imitate him.

What we learn in this week's passage, Phil, is that Jesus had his disciples retrieve a young donkey because Jesus didn't have his own transportation. I guess that begs the general question: why didn't Jesus have even the simplest of possessions?

Dr. Philip Ryken: Well, Jesus said himself, Mark, that even the foxes have a place to spend the night, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. And he was talking about his earthly poverty. This was the lifestyle that he chose to live. And Jesus didn't need a lot of possessions. He simply trusted his Father to provide on a day-by-day basis, and his Father was faithful to provide. What a marvelous example that is for us. We think we need a lot of earthly things. What we really need is the faith to trust God to provide what we truly need.

Mark: Well, if Jesus is our example of how to be a servant, then how do we serve him?

Dr. Philip Ryken: Well, of course, Mark, we'll never live up to the example that Jesus set for us in his service to us that was service all the way to the death. But if we love Jesus and are seeking to follow him, then we too are called to a life of service where we lay down our lives for others. And as we do that, we're really showing people something of the love and character of Christ. What a marvelous calling that is for believers in Christ, that we can actually show the love of our Savior by the way that we serve.

Mark: Okay, thank you, Phil. Let's turn in our Bibles to Luke chapter 19, verses 28 through 40 and listen to Dr. Ryken.

Dr. Philip Ryken: Please turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, as we continue our worship of this great King. And we're taking things a little bit out of order, going back to a passage we skipped for a few weeks, at least in our studies of Luke, and returning to the middle of chapter 19.

Some summers ago now, I took a bus tour of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, and it happened to be on the day when Queen Elizabeth II was taking up her summer residence in the palace at Holyrood House. And as our tour guide was outlining the day's events, she suddenly said, "And there's the Queen." And everyone in the bus immediately went to that side of the bus. It was a little bit surprising the thing didn't tip all the way over. And we were hoping to catch a glimpse of the royal motorcade and hopefully even a glimpse of the Queen herself, which I didn't, which was too bad. But it was a great day to be in the city because the Queen was there. It was a day of royal pageantry.

But oh, how wonderful it must have been to be in Jerusalem on the day when the King of all kings rode into the holy city of God with everyone shouting his praises. Luke tells us here in chapter 19 that when Jesus had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. And you'll remember that ever since he had set his face towards Jerusalem at the end of chapter nine, Jesus had been moving in this direction. He was not going to Jerusalem for his coronation. He was going up to the city to die.

And yet, in his providence, God was pleased to give a glimpse of his coming glory even before he endured the cross. He was showing what kingly honor Jesus truly deserved. So, here in this passage, we have a momentary triumph before an impending tragedy. And in this momentary triumph, we see the true identity of Jesus Christ and we ourselves are invited to acknowledge him as our King. I want to show from this passage at least these three things: the King claiming his property, the King displaying his humility, and the King receiving his glory.

Throughout, we should be asking ourselves this question: am I ready to acknowledge that Jesus is the King, and if so, am I ready to give King Jesus that wealth and that worship which he so royally deserves? Well, Luke begins his account of this triumphal approach—it's not actually the triumphal entry yet, it's just the approach—but he begins by relating a little incident that turns out to be central to the unfolding drama. Jesus was just a few miles outside of Jerusalem, and there was something he needed to get before he entered that city.

Luke calls the animal a colt. Matthew specifies that it was the colt of a donkey tied up with its mother. What some readers wonder is why the owners agreed to let the disciples take this animal away, as Jesus apparently knew that they would. At first, it almost seems like the disciples are guilty of rustling livestock. When the owners saw them untying the donkey, sure enough, they wanted to know what Jesus said they would want to know. They asked the obvious question, "What are you doing?" The answer they're given almost sounds like a password, doesn't it? "The Lord has need of it." And so, perhaps Jesus had previously arranged to borrow the donkey. Or perhaps the owners recognized these disciples as followers of Jesus. Jesus had often been visiting in this vicinity. But in any case, they certainly seemed to know who the Lord was, and more important than that even, they were ready to serve him.

And yet, what is perhaps more remarkable than all of that is that Jesus was asking for anything at all. It's not so much surprise that they were willing to give it, but that Jesus was asking for something. Because he hardly had any possessions to call his own. Just the robe on his back and the sandals on his feet. Apparently didn't have any money because when we get to chapter 20, we'll see him asking to borrow someone else's coin so that he can use it to make an illustration. We also know from things that Jesus himself says in the gospels that he was homeless. He said, "The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." And yet, for all of that, the fact that he had nothing to call his own, he nevertheless asked for nothing. In the gospels, we hardly ever see him claiming any property for himself.

The whole purpose of his ministry was to be here for others, not for himself. He was letting go of some of his divine prerogative so that he could become our servant in salvation. We always see him giving things to others, not getting things for himself. And yet just this once, as he makes his final preparations to enter Jerusalem, as he is orchestrating the events of this Palm Sunday, Jesus says that he needs the donkey's colt.

Now, understand that this little donkey was rightfully his, simply by virtue of the fact that he made it in the first place. Jesus Christ is the creator God. The scriptures tell us that by him all things were created. All things were created through him and for him. And so when the disciples were untying this donkey and bringing it to their Lord, they were bringing a creature that was made by Jesus, for Jesus. It was his donkey to begin with, rightfully to be used for his glory.

And so even from these first details in this famous story, we are seeing what it means for Jesus to be the King of all kings. It means that he has the right to claim personal ownership of everything that he has made. You know, the psalmist praised God for owning the cattle on a thousand hills, and you could include the donkeys with that. And you could include everything in the whole creation. You could include the stars in a thousand galaxies. It is all the personal property of God the Son.

We see not only that from this little episode, but we also see how we ought to respond to that claim of ownership. For when the owners of this donkey heard what Jesus needed, they gave it to him immediately. They did not claim it for their own but offered it to Jesus in the service of their King. And once they heard that the Lord had need of it, well, that was all they really needed to know. This is the attitude that we should take about all of the things in life that we like to call our own: our money, our time, our gifts, our work, our possessions. If the Lord has need of them, then they are his to use as he pleases.

You know, these words here in Luke 19 would be a wonderful way to evaluate our stewardship. As we're thinking about how we're going to spend all the things that God has given to us, we can ask ourselves this question: does the Lord have need of this? Does he need it more for his kingdom than I do for my own well-being? And I think when we consider the vast needs of a world that is lost without the gospel, the answer will almost always be yes. Yes, he does need it more than I do. Yes, he does need it. The question then becomes whether we are willing to let the King stake his claim to what we own, remembering that it is really his royal property to begin with.

Well, there was a reason that Jesus needed this donkey. He needed it to display his humility. That's the second thing we see about this great King on his great day. And he needed this donkey to display his humility in fulfillment of one of the ancient prophecies of his kingship. You see, by riding into Jerusalem on this borrowed beast of burden, Jesus was making a kind of public statement. Ordinarily, one might expect a King to ride in with all kinds of pomp and circumstance, riding a stallion of war, perhaps.

One gospel song describes it like this, beginning with asking a question: how should a King come? Even a child knows the answer, of course. In a coach of gold with a pure white horse in the beautiful city in the prime of the day, and the trumpet should cry and the crowds make way, and the flags fly high in the morning sun and the people all cheer for the sovereign one. And everyone knows that's the way that it's done. That's the way that a King should come.

But it is not the way that Jesus came. No, he came gentle, riding on a donkey. For he knew the words of the prophecy of Zechariah, chapter nine, verse nine: "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." And you see, there is the prophecy that explains why Jesus sent his disciples to get this purebred donkey, specifically a colt that had never been ridden. He knew the ancient prophecy. He knew that the King would come, that he would bring salvation, and that he would come riding on this donkey's foal.

And so Jesus needed this animal to serve as a kind of prop in the drama of redemption. And as he rode down the Mount of Olives just opposite the city of Jerusalem, he was presenting himself as the King. Luke had prophesied this really from the beginning of the gospel, that Jesus was the King. And now his royalty was in full display. Like David and like Solomon before him who had once ridden on a donkey as a symbol of Israel's kingship, Jesus now was riding the donkey. And the people recognized that it was a royal symbol. That's clear from what they say in verse 38, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord." You see, when the people saw Jesus riding in like this, they knew he was coming as their King.

But I wonder if they fully understood what kind of King he had come to be. Oh, the donkey should have given them a pretty good clue. Jesus was not coming in in some kind of military strategy. He wasn't there to overthrow the Roman government. No, he had come in meekness and in gentleness to be the Messiah King of peace. And if people would receive him, if they would acknowledge his kingdom, if they would receive him as the kind of King that he had come to be, then he would receive all of their praise. But if they rejected him, if they turned against him, he would do nothing to defend himself, but would suffer even to the point of death.

And I think really Jesus rides into our own lives the same way today, with all gentleness and humility, not crushing us with his superior might but presenting himself in all humility to be our Savior and giving us a gracious invitation. Will we receive him on the terms of his kingship? Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." And when you think of Jesus riding into the city on that donkey, you recognize how gentle he is, how lowly he makes himself to be, how meek he is, and how gentle he will be therefore with the needs of your own soul. And if he is this King of gentleness, then everyone who loves him should serve him with the same kind of humility.

One scholar comments that Jesus could just as well have ridden into this city on his high horse. But he says the donkey stands out as a deliberate rejection of this symbol of arrogant trust in human might, expressing subservience to the sovereignty of God. Jerusalem's King is of humble appearance, yet victorious. And so it has always been that the church does not effectively spread the gospel by sword or by arrogance, but by mirroring the humble spirit of its King and Savior.

Well, after claiming his property and displaying his humility, the King received his glory, or at least a little bit of it. And this is where Luke's emphasis falls. It falls on the royal reception that Jesus was given on this ride into Jerusalem. And you'll notice that the first people to give him the glory were his own closest disciples. Sometimes people overlook this detail, but really it sets the stage for everything that follows. Because after they untie the donkey, they bring it to Jesus, and then you see in verse 35, they throw their own cloaks on the colt and then set Jesus on it. And here was the first acknowledgment that Jesus was the King. You see, Kings do not ride bareback. They sit in some royal saddle. Typically, they would ride on a mount decorated with royal purple. And if Jesus was the King, then he was far too exalted to sit directly on the donkey's back. The dignity of his royal person demanded, you see, in that culture some special honor: a saddle fit for a King.

And in the absence of anything else they could find, the disciples stripped off their own coats and covered the donkey's back. And then you see them in this touching display of intimate affection, of a kind of private homage. They lift Jesus up and they set him on the donkey. And here is another kind of exaltation. It's another demonstration of his kingly glory. The disciples are wanting with all their hearts for Jesus to receive the honor that he alone deserves. It's almost as if they are athletes who would lift up their coach after winning some championship triumph. And in the same way, they take Jesus and put him in the place of their King. They put him on the back of his chosen mount.

They were the first to give the King his glory. And yet soon others started to follow their example. That's what happens, isn't it, as we start to give Jesus the glory, then others are inspired to join with us in his praise. And it's exactly what happens here in verse 36. He rides along and they spread their cloaks on the road. This is what the disciples were doing. And soon they were paying their homage by throwing their garments on the road in front of him. This was the ancient way to welcome a King. It was really a way of saying that Jesus was too worthy to ride on an ordinary road. It wasn't just that he was too worthy to sit on the donkey; he was too worthy even to be on the road. He deserved some kind of royal carpeting.

And really, when people threw down their coats, they were saying something like this: "Jesus, you are so much greater than I am. You are so much worthy of kingly honor that when your donkey walks all over my clothes, it is no insult to me. Indeed, it is my privilege. It is only the least that I can do to acknowledge your kingly majesty." And suddenly and spontaneously, the crowds began to swell. First one person would cast his coat and then another person and then another after that. And the closer that Jesus came to Jerusalem, the more people joined in his parade. Luke tells us that as he was drawing near on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.

You'll remember that it was the start of the Passover feast. The pilgrims were streaming into Jerusalem from every direction, coming up to the holy city in the praise of their God. And as Jesus rode down the Mount of Olives, down into the Kidron Valley and then up again towards Jerusalem, great throngs of worshipers were pressing towards the city gates. And they were excited already. It was Passover after all. It was an exciting time in the nation of Israel. Oh, but when they heard that the King was coming, the crowd was supercharged with a bolt of spiritual lightning. The atmosphere instantly became electric. The mood was euphoric. People love royal pageantry anyway, but this was the culmination of everything these disciples had been hoping for. Here was the proof that Jesus was the Christ.

They were praising him for all the mighty works that they had seen. That's what is said at the end of verse 37, and it was true. They had seen him heal the sick. They had seen him cure the blind. They had even seen him raise the dead. And they had heard him preach the good news of the kingdom of God. They had heard him offer forgiveness through the repentance of sins. And they had come to know him as the Messiah, as the Christ with all of the power of God.

And now, as they saw Jesus ride his royal mile into the holy city, they could see that he was the King. And they wanted everyone to make way for his royal procession. And you'll notice the words that came naturally to their lips: words of praise, words from the ancient songs reserved for the coming King, words that they had been singing in the Psalms of Hallel, as people so often sang in those days as they were coming to Jerusalem for the holy feasts. They said, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord." They were echoing the words of Psalm 118, which says, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord."

Except if you're listening carefully, you'll notice that the disciples took those ancient words and made them a little bit more specific. They knew that Psalm 118 referred to the Messiah. They knew that the Messiah was royalty. And so they took what was implicit in that psalm and made it explicit. Rather than simply saying, "Blessed is he who comes," they said, "Blessed is the King who comes." You see, they understood what was happening, what Jesus was saying about himself, that he was Christ the King.

And then, if anything, their mood becomes even more exuberant than that. They reach a higher note of praise as they lift their hail to the King all the way to heaven itself. "Peace in heaven," they said, "and glory in the highest." And of course, those are very familiar words as well, aren't they? We heard them back at the very beginning of this gospel in the birth narratives when the angels said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased." You see, the King had come. And at his coming, people gave glory to God. You really see here the very purpose for which human beings were made: to give glory to the most high God in the name of Jesus Christ the King.

Now, I wonder what you would have done if you had been there on that great day. Would you have joined this parade? Would you have stripped off your coat and thrown it down in front of the donkey? Would you have shouted your own hail to the King and taken up the words of the ancient song, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord"? Well, I suppose that you probably would have. But you know, it's strange to say, there were people there that day who refused to join the celebration. Those grumpy old Pharisees are at it again—the party poopers of the gospels, not believing that Jesus is the Christ, not believing that he deserves to be worshiped as the King. And so they thought that what people were doing amounted to blasphemy. And they said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." Verse 39. Tell them to stop. In other words, they shouldn't be giving you this kind of praise.

Well, these men never did appreciate Jesus, did they? Somehow his popularity always seemed to arouse their hostility. And here, they're even trying to reign on his Palm Sunday parade by silencing his praise. Well, that's the way some people are even to this day, isn't it? Not only do they refuse to worship Jesus, but they wish no one else would worship him either. If only Christians would curb their enthusiasm.

But you know, the King will have his worship. He will have his worship. And when the Pharisees told him to turn down the volume, Jesus answered by saying, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." And by saying this, Jesus was claiming that he deserves the worship of the whole creation. And even if human beings were for some reason to stop giving him the praise that he deserves, he would still have his glory. It would come from the creation itself. Jesus was riding down the Mount of Olives when he said that, and he was saying that every stone on that mountainside was a potential member of his choir. The very stones of the ground, if necessary, would open their mouths to declare their maker's praise.

It reminds me of what the Apostle Paul says in Romans about creation, the creation waiting with eager longing for the day of salvation, groaning under its bondage to decay, waiting for the freedom of the glory of the children of God. And here Jesus gives us the sense that in that painful longing, the creation, the suffering creation, is almost bursting to sing its song, that the rocks are ready at any moment to break their stony silence and to shout for joy that Jesus is the King.

How strange it is as you consider what this passage really is saying that there are still some scholars who say that Jesus was only a man and that he never even claimed to be divine. I wonder what sense you can make of this passage if you take that kind of approach. Because here, people are praising Jesus as their King. They're claiming the ancient promises on his behalf. And what happens when the Pharisees try to stop them? You know, Jesus does not say, "Well, I guess you're right. You know, people really shouldn't be giving me this kind of worship." On the contrary, he refuses to be acknowledged as anything except the King. And he says, in fact, that if people stop worshiping him, then the whole universe will fill the silence with his praise. Jesus Christ could not and would not deny that this is what he truly deserved.

And here on this first Palm Sunday, we see one of the proofs that Jesus really claimed to be the Christ, that he claimed the worship that only God, only the King of all kings, could claim to deserve. And will you then give him such honor as he is worthy to receive? You know, it is amazing as it must have been to see the glory that was given to Jesus in his triumphant ride into Jerusalem, understand that Jesus is receiving even more glory now. After he was crucified for our sins, Jesus was raised from the dead and he ascended into heaven and he was exalted to the very right hand of God where he now sits on that royal throne.

And whereas he may not be on parade today, not quite the way that he was on the first Palm Sunday, he is even now receiving the homage that he deserves. He's receiving it from all the angels in heaven. He's receiving it from all of the saints who have gone ahead of us into glory. And he is receiving it from men and women and boys and girls all over the world who have been saved by his grace. Will you join in that parade? Will you give Jesus the honor that he deserves? You acknowledge his kingship. Do you recognize him as the sovereign of your life? And will you throw your heart and your mind and your will down before him and ask him to govern everything you think and say and do? That is the honor that Jesus deserves at this very moment.

And you know, one day he will ride again in his triumph. On the last of all days, he will come with all his angels to gather his people into his royal train. Can you imagine what joy it will be to see the King come into that glory? In the past several months, I've been reflecting on something I've noticed in my own worship of God in the singing of hymns in the context of public worship. There are some particular hymns which have a tendency to stir my heart to a greater praise. They're the ones that give me the goosebumps. Do you ever have that experience? The hymns that give you the most chills per stanza.

And I've noticed something about these particular hymns, that they have something in common. That they are hymns of exaltation in which Jesus is praised for his kingly majesty and in which in some way he is on parade. He is moving towards that throne of God. And for a moment, the veil of heaven is parted just long enough for me, at least, to get a glimpse of his regal glory.

Let me mention some of the verses of those hymns. See if you can understand what I am trying to explain. You get a fleeting glimpse of the King's processional glory in the last stanza of the hymn, At the Name of Jesus. And the words go like this: "Brothers, this Lord Jesus shall return again with his Father's glory, with his angel train. For all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow, and our hearts confess him, King of glory now." Do you understand the poetic language there? You can almost see Jesus with all his angels and they're following after him. He's in this royal procession. He is going up to receive his glory, and the crown of all nations is placed upon his head.

Or consider the triumphant words of the famous hymn, For All the Saints. "But lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day; the saints triumphant rise in bright array; the King of glory passes on his way. Alleluia! Alleluia!" Or again in a great hymn by Thomas Kelly: "Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious; see the man of sorrows now; from the fight returned victorious, every knee to him shall bow." And then the refrain, "Crown him, crown him, crowns become the victor's brow." And then the hymn builds to its triumphant closing stanza: "Hark! Those bursts of acclamation! Hark! Those loud triumphant chords! Jesus takes the highest station; O what joy the sight affords. Crown him, crown him, King of kings and Lord of lords."

Well, do you catch a glimpse in those hymns of the coming glory? I think you do. I think you can. As glorious as it was to see Jesus on that first Palm Sunday, it will be infinitely more glorious to see him go up to his eternal throne in the city of the new Jerusalem: the royal procession of God's once and forever King. And I tell you that everyone who trusts in Jesus for salvation, everyone who comes to the cross for the forgiveness of sins, everyone who believes in Jesus as the King will be part of that triumphant crowd cheering him on that great day. And I can imagine myself or maybe you in that great crowd looking to catch that first glimpse of the King in all of his glory, waiting for that glimpse. And then as you see him, your heart leaping for joy, giving the praise that you were born to give. And you will shout, "Oh, the King! It is the King! It is my King Jesus! Hallelujah! Hosanna! Hail to the King!"

Our Father, we would give you this praise even now in the name of Christ. We acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ to be the King of all kings. We pray for the faith that we may see him by faith, that we may know him as our King even now, bowing in our hearts before him. And Father, we pray that you would bring us to that great day when we will see Jesus in all of his royal triumph. It's in his name we pray. Amen.

Mark: You're listening to Every Last Word with Bible teacher Dr. Philip Ryken, a listener-supported ministry of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. The Alliance exists to promote a biblical understanding and worldview. Drawing upon the insight and wisdom of Reformed theologians from decades and even centuries gone by, we seek to provide Christian teaching that will equip believers to understand and meet the challenges and opportunities of our time and place. Alliance broadcasting includes The Bible Study Hour with Dr. James Boice, Every Last Word with Bible teacher Dr. Philip Ryken, God's Living Word with Pastor the Reverend Richard Phillips, and Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible featuring Donald Barnhouse.

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