The Lord’s Message:  The Hands of God Whose Kingdom Comes

The Lord’s Message:  The Hands of God Whose Kingdom Comes
Date:  April 13, 2025
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church  
Scripture Reference:  Matthew 21:1-11

            We are continuing our sermon series, The Hands of God.  The Hands of God have authority over all the kingdoms; the physical kingdom, the spiritual kingdom including the devil and his demons, the kingdom of sickness, including sin, and the kingdom of death. Last Sunday, the Hands of God, Jesus, holds the world together.  Today, we are going to learn that the Hands of God comes to establish His kingdom.  What kind of kingdom will it be?

            Let us pray.

This event of Jesus coming into Jerusalem and the people celebrating Him is so important that it is found in all four gospels.  Jesus has been in Bethany.  In the book of John, Jesus came to Bethany after Lazarus was in the grave for four days.  Jesus performs a mighty miracle.  He raises Lazarus from the dead.  Listen to John 11:38-44.  Now, you would think that everybody would be celebrating his miracle.  Not everybody.  Listen to John 11:45-53. 

Jesus has left Bethany and travels to Bethphage.  Bethphage is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.  Bethphage means “house of unripe figs.”  Both places are farming communities. 

Jesus, knowing the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9, knows that He needs to ride on a donkey to fulfill this prophecy.  He tells His disciples to go to the town and gives them very specific instructions.  They will find a donkey with a colt.  They are to untie them and bring them to Jesus.  If anyone asks, they are to tell them that “the Lord needs them right away.”  This would be like taking a farmer’s truck or a waterman’s boat.  The donkeys would be used carry the figs to market, probably Jerusalem. 

Jesus riding a donkey shows that He is a king of peace.  The Roman kings would ride on a white horse, a king of war.  The Hands of God are coming to Jerusalem in humility and peace to establish His kingdom. 

The disciples are celebrating this.  They remove their cloaks and lay them on the donkey for Jesus to ride.  They start shouting, “Hosanna, to the Son of David!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! 

There are people coming from all over the area, far and near, for the celebration of Passover.  They are gathered in a line snaking down to Jerusalem.  People start to hear this and they start cutting palm branches and laying them on the road and shouting with the disciples.  The sea of people is parted by this procession, and all join in with the disciples. 

            This continues all the way into Jerusalem.  In verse 10, the Bible says that “the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 

            What were the disciples and the people shouting about Jesus coming down the road from Bethphage? “Hosanna to the Son of David.”  What did the crowds say about who Jesus is in verse 11?  “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.  Prophet means one who hears God and tells the people what God says like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. “Hosanna to the Son of David” is messianic language.  Messiah would be one sent by God to save the people of God. 

Once again, you would think that everyone would be celebrating Jesus coming into Jerusalem.  In Luke 19:39-40, the Pharisees confront Jesus about what His disciples are shouting.  The people who are celebrating the Messiah coming to establish His kingdom, I wonder what kingdom do they think the Hands of God are going to establish?  I suspect that many of these people were thinking that Jesus is going to establish a kingdom resembling King David’s kingdom.  When David became king, the nation of Israel had many enemies.  At the end of David’s life, all the enemies had been defeated and Israel was at peace.  The people are expecting Jesus to do the same thing and drive out the Romans.  Jesus did not come to reestablish the kingdom of Israel. 

            Everyone wants peace, but Jesus did not come to bring world peace that will come later on.  Jesus came to bring personal peace.  Now, you might be thinking why would I need personal peace?  The Apostle Paul explains in this way, Romans 5:10 & Colossians 1:21. You and I are enemies of God because of our sin.  Sin separated us from God.  It would take Jesus having His Hands and feet nailed to a Roman cross and God placing our sin on His Son for us to have peace. Because of Jesus, we have been reconciled with God, Romans 5:11.

            Sadly, people did not understand that the kingdom of God was coming to them.  In Luke 19:41-42, Jesus wept for them and for others that did not understand why He was coming to Jerusalem.  I hope that we understand that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus to become one of us.  Jesus left heaven, but Jesus did not sin.  Jesus gave His life for us, so that all who believe in Jesus who no longer be enemies against God, but we are now reconciled with God.  The Hands of God whose kingdom comes. 

            Let us continue to read our Bible, live the Bible and be the Bible for others. Amen.