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Sermon
The Gospel of Matthew

Jesus’ Entry Into Jerusalem

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July 5, 2026
Matthew 21:1-11
Brian Liechty

The Person of Christ

The Resurrection of Christ

The Gospel

Transcript

0:19Well, good morning, everyone. It's good to see all of you here this morning, especially after probably a late night last night watching fireworks, or at least being awoken by them, right? That's how it often works. Well, for those of you that I have not met, my name is Brian Lichti, and I serve here as the pastor for counseling. And I'm just so glad that you're here this morning to worship the Lord and to hear from his word. Well, I don't know about you, but I really enjoy attending weddings, especially when there's little children involved in the wedding party. After all, you never know what's going to happen.

1:00Sometimes the flower girl carefully places every single petal exactly like she practiced, but sometimes she just tosses a few petals and decides she's done for the day. Same thing with the ring bearer, right? Sometimes the ring bearer solemnly carries the rings down the aisle, and sometimes he just decides that waving to grandma is a much higher priority. Those moments at weddings make everyone smile, but they also remind us of something. Children can have the best seat in the house and still not fully understand what's happening. They see the bride, they hear the vows, they watch the rings being exchanged, but they don't yet grasp that two people have entered into a lifelong covenant.

1:52Well, in our passage this morning, Matthew presents us with a similar picture. Everyone in this passage has a front row seat to Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. So the disciples are there, the crowds are there, the people in the city itself are there. Everyone witnesses the same event. And yet sadly, few, if any of them, truly understand what's happening. And so this morning, as we consider Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, let's not simply watch this entry unfold. Let's make sure we understand what it means. And so with that in mind, let's turn to the Lord and ask for his help. Father, as we come to you this morning, we confess that we need you.

2:44Apart from your spirit working in our hearts, we won't truly grasp what's happening in this passage. So please give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you have for us this morning. Do this, Father, for your great glory and for our everlasting joy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, as we consider Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, we're going to walk through the narrative in four scenes. Each scene highlights a different person or group of people who are involved. So in verses one to five, Jesus orchestrated his entrance into Jerusalem. In verses six to seven, the disciples carried out Jesus' instructions.

3:32In verses eight to nine, the crowds celebrated and welcomed his arrival. And then finally in verses 10 to 11, the people of Jerusalem were stirred and asked who Jesus was. And so if you're taking notes this morning, here's just a very simple outline that you can write down. Jesus, the disciples, the crowds, and the people of Jerusalem. All right, let's get started. So first this morning, in verses one to five, Jesus orchestrated his entry into Jerusalem. Again, in verses one to five, Jesus orchestrated his entry into Jerusalem. Beginning in verse one, we're told that Jesus and the disciples drew near to Jerusalem. And of course, this wasn't the first time that Matthew mentioned them heading in that direction.

4:23Ever since chapter 16, Jesus and his disciples have been making their way there. And they weren't the only ones. Hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over the known world at that time were traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. So as you can imagine, the city was just bustling with activity, right? The streets were filled with excitement and anticipation. In some ways, it would be like attending Times Square on New Year's Eve or going to the final match of the World Cup. Well as Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came near Bethphage, which was a small village located just about a mile or two east of Jerusalem.

5:07From there, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead of him into the city or into the village. He told them that they would immediately find a female donkey tied there with her young male colt. And then he instructed the disciples to untie the animals and bring them back to him. And if anyone questioned them, all they had to say was, "The Lord needs them," and the animals would be released. Now, it's possible that Jesus arranged these events ahead of time. That's possible. So maybe he met with the owner the day before and said, "Hey, this is kind of my plan. When the disciples come, please release your animals." That's a possibility. But it's also possible that Jesus predicted these events without any prior arrangements.

5:57After all, Jesus is God, right? He knows what will happen before it happens. Regardless though of whether these instructions reflected careful planning or divine omniscience, a bigger question remains. Why was Jesus doing all these things? In other words, why did Jesus lead the disciples to Jerusalem at this point and time in his ministry? And why did he give the disciples such specific instructions? And what exactly was so important about this donkey and her colt? Well, look at what Matthew says in verses four to five. He says, "This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 'Say to the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden."'" Brothers and sisters, Jesus did all these things because he was fulfilling prophecy. He didn't simply arrive in Jerusalem. He intentionally orchestrated his entrance. Every step, every instruction, every detail was designed to fulfill God's design exactly as promised.

7:16All right. So we know that Jesus did these things to fulfill prophecy, but what was this prophecy about? Well, to answer that question, it's important to understand that Matthew is drawing from two different verses in the Old Testament. The initial phrase, "Say to the daughter of Zion," comes from Isaiah 62 verse 11. But the remainder of verse five comes from Zechariah nine verse nine. And what's interesting is that Matthew doesn't quote either of those verses in their entirety. Instead, he carefully selects portions from each of them, and I think Matthew does this intentionally. I think Matthew is highlighting three important truths that he wants us to understand.

8:01First, Matthew wants us to understand that this prophecy is about a king who comes to Jerusalem. We see this in the opening words. "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you.'" Now, when we hear that word daughter, we tend to think of an individual female child, right? But the prophets often use that term collectively to refer to an entire group of people. Similarly, when we hear the word Zion, we think of Mount Zion, which is the largest hill in Jerusalem. But in Scripture, Zion often refers to Jerusalem itself. So when the prophet says, "Say to the daughter of Zion," he's not talking to some woman standing on a mountain.

8:46He's addressing the people of Jerusalem. And when the prophet addresses the people of Jerusalem, he comes with a message, "Behold, your king is coming to you." Now, based on the broader context of Zechariah, we know that this is no ordinary king. He's the Messiah. He's God's anointed king. He's the son of David, the long-awaited Messiah who would come to establish God's rule and his reign. Well, second, Matthew wants us to understand that this prophecy is about a king who is humble, and that Hebrew word for humble there carries the idea of someone who is meek or lowly or poor or even afflicted.

9:31In other words, this king is unlike the rulers of the world, right? So he's not arrogant. He's not self-promoting. He's not hungry for power. No, this king refuses to use his authority for selfish gain. Instead, this king is eager to serve his people. In fact, he's willing to suffer in their place. Well, third, Matthew wants us to understand that this prophecy is about a king who brings peace, not war. That's what the prophet's emphasizing when he says that this king will come mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. You see, in the Old Testament, there was nothing unusual about a king riding a donkey or even a mule for that matter.

10:20In fact, it could be a symbol of royal authority and legitimate kingship. One of the clearest examples of this is found in 1 Kings when David commands that Solomon ride on his own mule before he's publicly anointed as king. So as Solomon rode into the city on David's mule, it identified him as David's chosen successor. It functioned as a declaration of his kingship. But a donkey communicated more than just royal authority. It also communicated the nature of the king's arrival. You see, when a king marched out to war, he rode a war horse, displaying strength and readiness for battle. But when he came in peace, he rode a donkey, signaling that he wasn't coming to conquer but serve as a peaceful king.

11:15So brothers and sisters, do you see how all this connects to Jesus? For most of his ministry, Jesus avoided revealing his identity, at least in public. But on Palm Sunday, everything changed. Everything changed. Jesus deliberately and intentionally presented himself as the Messiah. He openly and publicly presented himself as Israel's king. So by fulfilling every detail of this prophecy, Jesus revealed exactly who he was. Not only that, but by fulfilling this prophecy, Jesus revealed the kind of king that he came to be. He came to be a humble king. He came to serve and suffer for his people. He came to bring peace between us and God by dying and rising from the cross.

12:08So again, Matthew shows us that Jesus intentionally orchestrated his entrance into Jerusalem by fulfilling prophecy so that it revealed who he was and the kind of king that he came to be. Well, that brings us to a very pivotal question. How did the people respond? Right? How did these people who encountered Jesus and watched his arrival respond? Did they understand what was happening? Did they see Jesus for who he truly is? Well, let's continue in our passage and find out. And we're going to begin by looking at how the disciples responded. So in verses six to seven, the disciples carried out Jesus' instructions. Again, in verses six to seven, the disciples carried out Jesus' instructions.

13:07So according to our passage, the disciples did exactly, exactly as Jesus instructed. They went into the village, they retrieved the donkey and her colt, right? And then they brought them back to Jesus. They did exactly as they were instructed. So they were faithful, they were obedient, they followed their master's instructions to a T. And then our text records that they spread their cloaks on these animals. Now these cloaks were likely some sort of robes or outer garments that they wear over their tunics. It could have even been something like a blanket that they would have slept in and covered up with at night.

13:48But here they use these cloaks for a different purpose. They use these cloaks to create a makeshift saddle for Jesus. And we don't know whether the disciples did this on their own initiative or because Jesus told them to. Regardless, Jesus sat on the cloaks that were placed on the colt and began riding toward Jerusalem. But that brings up our important question, right? Did they get it? Did they understand what they were doing? So when the disciples followed Jesus' instructions, did they understand that they were participating in fulfilling prophecy? And when they placed that makeshift saddle on that colt, did they understand they were presenting him as a royal king?

14:34Well, of all the people in this passage, the disciples should have been the ones who best understood who Jesus was and what he came to do. After all, they'd been following him for three years, right? They'd been traveling with Jesus. They'd been hearing his teaching. They'd been witnessing his miracles. In fact, Jesus had already revealed to them privately that he was the Messiah. If you remember, the disciples were all there in Matthew 16 when Peter said that Jesus was the Christ. Right? And Jesus confirmed Peter's confession there. So they were all there. They all heard that Jesus was the Messiah.

15:15Well, not only did the disciples know that Jesus revealed to them who he was, but they also understood what he came to do, or at least they were told what he came to do. On numerous occasions, Jesus repeatedly told them that he was going to Jerusalem to be mocked and scorned and tried and crucified. Well, unfortunately, our passage in Matthew doesn't answer this question of whether the disciples understood what was happening. But John's account of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem does. In fact, listen to what John says in chapter 12, verse 16. He says, "His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him."

16:06So whatever understanding the disciples had, it was partial. Until Jesus was glorified and he sent the Holy Spirit, they wouldn't fully grasp who he was or what he came to do. And the reality is we're no different than the disciples, right? We need the Holy Spirit of the living God to open our eyes and open our ears so that we can understand who Jesus is. Right? We need the Spirit of God to rightly and fully understand Jesus. Apart from the Spirit, our understanding will be partial at best.

16:47All right, well we've looked briefly at how the disciples responded to Jesus. Let's continue and see how the crowds responded. So turning our attention to verses eight to nine, the crowds welcomed and celebrated Jesus' arrival. Again, in verses eight to nine, the crowds welcomed and celebrated Jesus' arrival. Now from what we can tell, this crowd was made up primarily of Galilean pilgrims from the north. And in all likelihood, some of them had heard about Jesus or even witnessed his miracles. Some of them may have been part of the crowd in Jericho from last week's passage, who saw Jesus healing two blind men.

17:32Well, as soon as this crowd saw Jesus riding toward Jerusalem, most of them began spreading their cloaks as well as branches on the road. And at first glance, this seems kind of like a random detail, but it's actually quite significant. In the Old Testament, people often spread their cloaks on the ground before an approaching king. For example, that's what happened with King Jehu. As 2 Kings 9 verse 13 says, "Then in haste every man of them took his garment, and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, Jehu is king." So when the crowd spread their cloaks and their branches on the road, they were honoring Jesus. They were acknowledging his authority. They were welcoming him as their king.

18:26But according to our text, their welcome didn't stop with cloaks and branches. As Jesus continued toward Jerusalem, the crowds surrounded him. So some were in front of him, and some were behind. They essentially formed kind of an impromptu parade, and they processed into the city. And as they processed into the city, they began shouting and singing, "Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."

18:58As you can probably tell, these aren't throwaway praises. They're loaded with meaning and significance, so it's worth taking a moment to consider them. To begin with, the crowd shouted, "Hosanna to the son of David." And that word hosanna comes directly from Psalm 118 verse 25. And originally it meant save us, and it was used as sort of a prayer for deliverance or rescue. But over time, it eventually just was used more as a general term for praise, sort of like we use the term hallelujah. But notice the crowd didn't simply say hosanna. They said, "Hosanna to the son of David," which is a reference to 2 Samuel 7. It's a direct reference to the Messiah.

19:50So this crowd was clearly praising Jesus as the Messiah, as the promised king that God had sent. Next, the crowd said, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," which comes from Psalm 118 verse 26. And to come in someone's name means to act with their authority and their approval. In other words, the crowd was declaring that Jesus had been sent from God. And then lastly, they shouted, "Hosanna in the highest," which combines language from Psalm 118 verse 25 and Psalm 148 verse 1. And that phrase, in the highest, refers to the highest of the heavens where the angels and God dwell. So when the crowd shouted, "Hosanna in the highest," they were calling all of heaven to join them in praising Jesus.

20:48Isn't that amazing? I mean, this is a remarkable scene here. And from all appearances, the crowd seems to understand what was taking place. They recognized that Jesus was fulfilling prophecy. They welcomed him as the Messiah. They celebrated him as their king. That said, we have good reason to believe that just like the disciples, their understanding of Jesus was partial at best. After all, in just a few days, most of the people in that crowd would turn against Jesus. Instead of shouting, "Hosanna," they would shout, "Crucify him."

21:32So what happened? Why the shift? Well, even though they recognized that Jesus was their promised king, they failed to understand the kind of king that he came to be. You see, they wanted a mighty man of war who would crush their enemies rather than a suffering servant who would be crushed in their place. They wanted a political liberator who would deliver them from Rome rather than a savior who would deliver them from sin. In other words, their understanding of Jesus was based on expectations of what they thought they needed most. And as soon as it became apparent that Jesus wasn't going to meet those expectations, they abandoned him.

22:20Well, sadly, we can fall into the same trap, can't we? We may not be looking for deliverance from Rome, but we often come to Jesus with our own set of expectations based on what we think we need most. We want Jesus to fix our circumstances or remove all our hardships or make our lives comfortable or accomplish our plans. In short, we want a king who serves our agenda. But thankfully, Jesus refuses to be reduced as a means to accomplish our ends. So rather than coming to advance our agenda, Jesus came to advance the Father's agenda. Rather than coming to secure our earthly comfort, Jesus came to secure our eternal salvation.

23:15You see, Jesus knew that our greatest problem was not our difficult circumstances, but our sin and the judgment we deserve. And Jesus knew that the greatest enemy was not our flesh and blood and things of this world, but sin, death, and Satan and the bondage they can bring. Jesus knew that our greatest need was not relief or an easier life, but forgiveness for our sins and eternal life. And so one of the questions we need to ask ourselves this morning is this: Do we understand our greatest need?

23:50Because until we understand our greatest need, we won't see Jesus for who he truly is. All right, well, so far we've seen how both the disciples and the crowds responded to Jesus' arrival. Let's finish by considering how the people in the city of Jerusalem responded. And according to verses 10 to 11, the people in Jerusalem were stirred and asked who Jesus was Again, in verses 10 to 11, the people in the city of Jerusalem were stirred, and they asked who Jesus was. So at this point in our passage, Jesus has finally entered the city of Jerusalem. And Matthew makes it clear that the whole city, it says the whole city was stirred by Jesus' arrival.

24:41And that word stirred there means to shake, to agitate, to cause a commotion, or to make something tremble. In fact, it's the same word that's used to describe an earthquake. In fact, Matthew uses this same word again later during Jesus' crucifixion. When Jesus dies and the curtain of the temple is torn, Matthew says the earth shook and the rocks split. So in a sense, Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem was like a spiritual earthquake. His very presence disrupted the status quo. And it seems that everyone in the city felt its impact. Some of them were excited, but many of them were confused, perplexed, and fearful.

25:32Well, it's at this point that the residents of Jerusalem began asking, "Who is this? Who is this guy? Who's this guy who's riding on a donkey with people praising him?" And it's important to understand Matthew isn't saying every individual literally stopped what they were doing and asked that question out loud. Rather, he's kind of painting a picture of a city that's buzzing with curiosity. So Jesus had become the talk of the town. And the main question they were dealing with was, "Who is this guy? Who is he?"

26:09Well, there's an important contrast here. The Galilean pilgrims and crowds who traveled with Jesus knew who he was, or at least who they believed him to be. But many of the local residents in Jerusalem had no idea who Jesus was. They didn't even recognize their own king. So the crowd answered the city's question, and they said, "This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth from Galilee." I don't know about you, but I was really hoping they would say, "He's the Messiah. He's the promised king we've been waiting for. He's the anointed king that God promised to send." Instead, they simply identified him as a prophet from Nazareth.

26:59And of course, what the crowd said was true. Jesus was indeed a prophet, but he was far more than a prophet. So while the crowd answered the question, they didn't answer it fully. The response was accurate, but it was incomplete. And I believe one of the reasons that Matthew records this exchange between the people in the city of Jerusalem and the crowds is because he wants to confront us with the question, who is Jesus? That's a question that determines not only how we live this life, but how we spend eternity. You see, if Jesus is merely a good teacher, a prophet, or a moral example, then he could be admired from a distance.

27:49But if Jesus is the Messiah, if he's the Son of God, if he's the Savior of the world, then he deserves our worship. He deserves our trust. He deserves our allegiance. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus didn't come to Jerusalem simply to receive praise from crowds. He came to Jerusalem to die and rise for sinners. Jesus came to bear the penalty our sins deserve so that everyone who repents of their sin and believes on him will receive forgiveness and eternal life. And here's the thing. It doesn't matter what kind of sins you've committed. It doesn't matter how dark your past is. Jesus will never turn away anyone who comes to him in repentance and faith.

28:40So if you're here this morning and you've never turned from your sins and trusted in Christ alone for your salvation, do so today. Today. After all, none of us is promised tomorrow. Not only that, but at any moment, Jesus could return. And when he returns, he won't be riding a donkey. This next time he'll be riding a war horse. He'll be coming to execute justice and judgment. So please, don't put off responding to Jesus. Turn from your sin. Trust in him. Start following Jesus as your Lord and Savior today. Let's pray.

29:31Father, thank you for helping us this morning to see Jesus as he truly is. Thank you for showing us that he came as our humble king, that we might be reconciled to you. Help us to remember that even though he may not be the king we expect, he's exactly the king we need. And Father, I pray that you would work right now in the hearts and lives of those who don't know you. Help them to understand who Jesus is. Cause them to turn from their sins and trust in Jesus. Grant them the gift of salvation that they might know and enjoy you forever. And Father, we love you, we praise you, and we pray all of these things in Jesus' name.

30:16Amen.

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Sermon Text

Matthew 21:1-11

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