“The Procession of the Prince of Peace”

(Matthew 21:1-11)

Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

June 14, 2020

The Passage

Matthew 21:1-11

1 When 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 with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.”

4 This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

5 Tell Daughter Zion,“See, your King is coming to you,gentle, and mounted on a donkey,and on a colt,the foal of a donkey.”

6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their clothes 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 shouted: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the nameof the Lord!Hosanna in the highest heaven!

10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar, saying, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Introductory Comments:

It’s a joy to be back in the Gospel of Matthew. I missed Matthew. I love to preach verse by verse through the Bible.

Today, we will pick up our study of Matthew in Matthew 21:1-11. We will study what has become known as the Triumphal Entry of Jesus. 

Before we study this passage, let’s pray together.

(prayer)

Many of you have probably seen The History Channel show American Pickers. Well, my family used to watch it a lot and when we lived in Kentucky we wanted to go visit a new store that they had opened at the time, in the city of Nashville. Nashville was only a couple hours away from us, so we got in the car and headed that way. We called to check their hours and found out that one of the stars of the show, Mike Wolfe, would be there in person. It multiplied our excitement to find out that we were not only going to be able to check out the store, but we could meet Mike Wolfe. When we got there, there was a long line to see Mike, but we were glad to wait. People were excited because they got to see a television star!

Well, today, we’re going to see that people are excited to see Jesus as He is coming into Jerusalem. They realize that He is not a regular man. There is something special about Him. 

Jesus makes this entry into Jerusalem and it is a triumphal entry! It is an entry of celebration and praise! So, let’s check it out. 

First, let’s acknowledge that Matthew 21 kicks off what I call the beginning of the end for Jesus’ time on the earth. Jesus is going to Jerusalem and He will die there. 

Jesus knew what would happen and He is readying Himself for this. 

So, as we take in Matthew 21:1-11, we will discover three milestones in the triumphal entry, and in the story of God’s redemption of His people. 

First, . . .

I. The preparation (vv. 1-3) [on screen]

Let’s look at verses 1-3. 

1 When 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 with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.”

So, as we dive into this story we see that Jesus gives very specific instructions in order to prepare for His entry into Jerusalem. 

First of all, we see that there is a specific geographical location from where Jesus will come into the city. 

Jesus is coming from Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives. 

Bethphage was a village loc