Why Jesus Died, Part 3

Amen. If you got your Bible, turn me to Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2 verse number 5a. We're still there. We haven't left that part yet. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 2 verse number 5a, For he did not subject to angels the world to come. Someone said this past week, if I keep preaching on this verse, we will be in the world to come. And that's true. Maybe so. And when you get there, guess what? You'll know everything you need to know concerning what the world to come is going to look like.

But the bottom line is this, is that we are trying to ask and answer the question, why Jesus died? That's what the writer of Hebrews is going to do. But before we do that, we want to take you back 2,000 years to a Jewish lifestyle to help you understand the mentality of the Jewish nation. And in so doing, we are trying to help you understand that they understood about the coming of the King. They understood that. But if Jesus is the King, why did the King die? Now the writer of Hebrews in verse 8 of chapter 1 has already talked about how this King will have a throne that's established forever.

And in a Jewish mind, they're going to ask the question, how, if Jesus is the King, how and why did he die? And so we're helping you understand what a Jewish mind would be like 2,000 years ago. For example, let me give you this illustration.

If you have been to Israel with me, we go to a place down by the Dead Sea called Qumran, okay? Qumran is a very significant place because Qumran intersects Judaism with Christianity unlike any other location in the land of Israel. Most people don't even know that. Qumran was a place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. William Albright said in January of 1947, it was the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century. I would say it's the greatest archaeological discovery of any century because it proved over and over again that everything that we have in our hand is absolutely accurate and true.

There were 800 scrolls found in 11 different caves in Qumran. But in the excavation around in that area was a little commune where there were priests and laymen who were meticulous and precise at writing and copying the law of God. We know that because through the excavation, we've uncovered the scriptorium where they would do their writing with precision. And we know a lot a lot about these priests and laymen who were there living during the time of Christ and what they were doing. But in the discovery of the archaeological digs in Qumran, there were two main manuals found.

One manual was called the Manual of Disciplines. And there we learned about the conduct of these men who were there. But there was another discovery called the Testimonia. And in the discovery of the Testimonia and their writings, we realized what they were thinking and what they were looking toward and the questions that they asked. Why is that important? Because they asked this question. There were three offices in the Old Testament that were anointed with oil. Three offices, prophet, priest, and king.

And God affirmed the anointing of those offices. Elisha, the prophet, my anointed. Aaron, the priest, my anointed. And David, the king, my anointed. Why do we say that? Because in Judaism, the Messiah would be the anointed one, the Mashiach. He would be the anointed one. And yet they could not connect the dots. Because never in the economy of Israel had there ever been a priest-king. There had been a priest-prophet. There had been a king-prophet, but never a priest-king. They could not figure out how all three offices would come together under one person.

Or would there be three Messiahs? One prophet, one priest, one king. Because Deuteronomy 18 confirmed that the Messiah would be a prophet greater than Moses. Psalm 110 confirmed that their Messiah would be a priest. And we also know from Genesis 49 and Numbers 24 that their Messiah would be a king. But they could not connect the dots. But the rite of Hebrews in Hebrews 9 connected the dots. John in Revelation 1 verse 7 connected the dots. And yet in the Old Testament, the book of Zechariah, these words are written.

Zechariah 6 verse number 12. Then say to him, thus says the Lord of hosts, behold a man whose name is Branch, which is a title for the Messiah, the Netzir, the Branch, the shoot that will stem from the root of Jesse, whose name is Branch, for he will branch out from where he is and he will build the temple of the Lord. Yes, it is he who will build the temple of the Lord and he who will bear the honor and sit and rule on his throne. Thus he will be a priest on his throne and the council of peace will be between the two offices.

So if I am living 2,000 years ago and I am one of these men living in Qumran and I am writing meticulously the law of God, I know that the Messiah will be a prophet, he'll be a priest, he will be a king, but I do not know how they all come together. I cannot connect the dots because Israel has never had a priest king on the throne. And yet Zechariah tells us that the Branch will be a priest on his throne. And the New Testament connects all those dots for us. That's what we tell you. The Old Testament was like learning the alphabet.

But the New Testament is putting all those letters together into words that spell the Messiah is Jesus Christ, the true and living God. All this is so crucial because if I'm a Jew, to some degree I know my Messiah is a king, he's a priest, he's a prophet. But if he's all those things, why is he going to die? And did I know at the time of Christ that he was the king? And if I did, how would I know? And so we've given you an outline, and that outline is right there. Now if you can't read it, that means you're too far back.

Okay? You're in the back of the church. If you're in the front of the church, you can read it. So maybe you should turn down the lights just a little bit so they can read it. Hit the lights, would you please? There we go. Oh, a little bit more. Okay. And you still can't read it, can you? Oh, I can read it. But I'm up close, see? I'm up close. I'm real close. But I know what it says. Because we're trying to help you understand that they understood, they understood, number one, the revelation of prophecy.

That the Messiah would be a king. We gave you the verses, Genesis 49, verse number 10, Psalm 2, verses 6 to 8. We gave you Numbers 24, verse number 17, 2 Samuel chapter 7. There are so many verses that speak about the Messiah being king. So there are these revelations in prophecy that help them understand the Messiah is a king. And then we move to number two, the affirmation in his genealogy to show you that when you look at the genealogy of the Messiah in Matthew chapter 1, he is a son of Joseph, he is a son of David, so he is in the kingly line.

And then we move to look at the recognition by the Magi because they came to Jerusalem. Where is he who is born king of the Jews? So the Gentiles were the first to publicly recognize the king of the Jews.

And then we move from there to look at number four, the coronation at his baptism. Because there the Spirit of God would descend upon him. In Isaiah 11, Isaiah 61, talked about the Spirit of God's anointing upon the Messiah of Israel. And this was his public coronation for his earthly ministry during his baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. And then we move to point number five, which was his temptation to wilderness. That was next because during that temptation, Satan would tempt him about giving him all the kingdoms of the world if he just bowed down to worship him.

Because Satan knew that he was the king and he was trying to get him to worship Satan. And he would give him all the kingdoms of the world without the pain of the cross. But if you know the scriptures, you know Christ resisted that temptation. And then we left off last week at point number six and seven, the proclamation of the gospel and the commission of the twelve. To show you that they were proclaimed or commissioned to preach the gospel of what? The kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is at hand because the message that was preached was about the arrival of the king.

Him bringing his kingdom. And so therefore they preached the kingdom. They proclaimed the kingdom. They taught us to pursue the kingdom. They taught us to petition the kingdom. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. Everything was about the kingdom of God. And so we ask the question, did Israel know that Jesus was the king? As they lived in anticipation of their coming king and his kingdom. And so as you begin to connect the dots and we're giving you a snapshot of the New Testament to show you exactly what it is they would have heard, what it is they would have seen.

So let me move on to point number eight. Point number eight is this. The presentation of the kingdom parables. The presentation of the kingdom parables. If you got your Bible, turn to Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13. There's a presentation of the kingdom parables. Which is so important to the ministry of Jesus and the prophecy of Asaph in Psalms 78 verse number two.

This is so unique because the question comes, if Jesus is the king, where's the kingdom? If Jesus is the king, where is the kingdom? They couldn't understand it. Pilate couldn't grasp it. The religious leaders couldn't grasp it. And so the Bible says in Matthew chapter 13, these words.

That day, verse one, Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea and large crowds gathered to him. So he got into a boat and sat down and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. He spoke many things to them in parables. These are the kingdom parables. There are seven of them. And the parables were, in a very simple definition, earthly stories with a heavenly meaning. Parables are earthly stories, very common to the people, to his audience. So they all knew everything about his earthly story because they would understand the agriculture of the day.

They would understand the economy of the day. They would understand the stories of the day because they were earthly stories that they all knew. But they all had a heavenly meaning. So Christ spoke in many, many parables. And the Bible says these words as he gave the parable about the soil, verse number 10.

And the disciples came and said to him, why do you speak to them in parables? Why would you do this? And Jesus answered them saying, to you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. Why? Why would they not be granted the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven if he's the king? Why would they not understand the kingdom message if he's the king? It's in fulfillment of prophecy. He says in verse 12, for whoever has to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance.

But whoever does not have even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In other words, oh, they see and they hear. But they refuse not to see and they refuse not to hear that which is absolutely obvious. So in their willful rejection of the Messiah, he confirmed them in that rejection with a judicial rejection. Because they hardened their hearts to the Messiah, he then in turn would harden their hearts toward him.

All in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, Isaiah 6, 9-10 which says, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled. Which says, you will keep on hearing but you will not understand, you will keep on seeing but you will not perceive. For the heart of this people has become dull with their ears they scarcely hear. And they have closed their eyes otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears. And understand with their heart and return and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear.

For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desire to see what you see and do not see it. And to hear what you hear and do not hear it. And then he explains it in the parable of the sower and the soil. That is how it is God's word will be spread in the kingdom age. That is the church age, the age where God's message of the kingdom is preached. And how the majority of people will reject the word but there will be a few that will receive it. Embrace it because they've heard the truth and it brings forth fruit.

Others, Satan will snatch it away, some will fall on rocky soil, some on thorny soil. But when the stress and difficulties come with the cares and riches of this world, those seeds are choked out and those people look like they're saved but they're not. And then he gives the parable about the wheat and the tares because if they look like they're saved and they're not, then how do we tell the difference? And he says, well, during the kingdom age there's going to be tares sown among the wheat. And you can't tell the difference until the end of the age.

And the angels will separate them. But you're not going to be able to tell the difference. That's why when you go to church, you don't know who's saved and who's not saved. Because we all look alike. We all talk alike. We all pray alike. We all have the same Bible alike. It doesn't mean that everybody in the room is saved. Some are. Some are not. And we might not necessarily know who they are until the end of the age. Because Satan is a master what? Counterfeit. He's able to counterfeit the original so precisely, so incredibly, it fools even our own self into thinking that we are saved.

And that's why Christ gave the Sermon on the Mount about the kingdom. When many will say to me that day, but Lord, did we not do this in your name? Prophesy in your name? Cast out demons in your name? He says, what? Never knew you. But they thought they knew him. They thought they did, but they didn't. That's why it's so crucial to examine your heart. That's why he gives the kingdom parables. So the Word of God will be sown, sown in soil. And tares will be sown among the wheat, because that's what Satan does.

And then he gives a parable about the mustard seed, which talks about the extent of the kingdom. Then a parable about the leaven that talks about the influence of the kingdom throughout the church age. And then he gives the parable of the hidden treasure and the costly pearl, because once you know how valuable the kingdom is, there's absolutely nothing you will do or nothing you will hold on to that will keep you out of the kingdom you want to be there so badly. Then he gives the parable about the dragnet, showing at the end of the age how it is God's going to separate the wheat from the chaff, the good from the bad, and pass judgment upon them.

But before he says that, listen to the words of verse number 35 of Matthew 13. So insightful. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet. Verse 34 says, all these things Jesus spoke to the crowds of parables. And he did not speak to them without a parable. Well, why? Because to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Asaph in Psalm 70, verse number 2, I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world. Asaph predicted that the Messiah would come, speak in parables as an act of judgment upon the nation of Israel, and he would reveal to believers his truth, and to unbelievers he would conceal that truth from them.

To let you know that everything about the Messiah's message about the kingdom was right on course. Because it fulfilled the prophecy of Asaph in Psalm 78, verse number 2. See that? So you have these kingdom parables, and then when it's all said and done, and this is so beautiful, listen to what it says. Verse 51, have you understood all these things, Jesus says to his disciples?

They said to him, yes, we get it. We get about how the words are going to be sown in the kingdom. We get about the tares being sown among the wheat. We understand about the extent and the expanse of the kingdom. We understand about the influence of the kingdom. We even get the whole fact that the kingdom is so costly, so beautiful, that you'll stop at nothing to obtain it. We get that. Yes, Lord, we get it. Now listen to what he says. Therefore, every scribe, he calls them scribes, teachers of the law, who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven, a learner of my kingdom, is like a head of a household who brings out of his treasure things new and old.

He says, listen, you are now like scribes, because you're a learner in the kingdom of heaven. You know so much about what's going to happen. And you're like the owner of the household who has all these treasures, both old and new, both Old Testament and new, and you're able to unveil it before people. If you were with us on Wednesday night, I shared with the people on Wednesday that this was a very, very sad, sad week. Because Stephen Hawking died at 76 years of age. Having contacted ALS at 21, he lived an abnormal life, because people with ALS don't live much past 18 months to 2 years, maybe 3 after they have been diagnosed with ALS.

He lived over 50 years with ALS. And that was because of the grace of God in his life, to allow him, in his search for the understanding of the universe, to come to know the true and living God. But he never did. And here was a man who wrote a book, A Brief History in Time, in 1988, which was on the best sellers list for 5 straight years as number one.

No other book in the history of keeping records of books has that ever happened. 12 honorary doctorates. A brilliant astrophysicist. The leading mind of the 20th and 21st century, as people have stated. Having all that knowledge, yet to die and wake up and realize, he knew nothing that mattered. Nothing. And now he knows. How sad is that? How sad is that? And you, you know more about what matters than he could ever dream of knowing. You know more by being here today about what matters than he did.

And he is acclaimed around the world as a brilliant mind. And Jesus says to his men, you're like scribes.

Because you're learners of my kingdom. You're like a household manager, the head of a household, who has all the treasures needed for his house and can distribute them at will, because now you know. Imagine living a life never knowing the origin of the universe. How dumb do you have to be? Can you imagine living your life not knowing how the universe is going to end? How dumb do you have to be? When we have it right here in our hands. How it all began. How it's all going to end. You see, the parables of the kingdom, when Christ presented them to his men, he opened them up to a wealth of biblical knowledge that would help them understand, once he would leave, how they would present the gospel of the kingdom and the kingdom age.

So powerful. So did they know about a coming king and his kingdom? Did they not know Psalm 78? Remember, I'm a Jew. I grew up in a synagogue. I read through the Bible every day. I was taught the law of God. Don't you think that I would know about the prophecy of King Asaph and the coming of the Messiah and what he would do when he arrived to conceal the mysteries as a judgment upon Israel? Did I not know Isaiah 6? That came as a prophecy of their judgment in Babylonian captivity as a first fulfillment, but a second fulfillment in terms of the arrival of the Messiah when he would no longer let them see, no longer let them hear.

See that? You move to point number nine. Point number nine simply is the transfiguration on the high mountain. The transfiguration on the high mountain in Matthew chapter 17. So if you were in Matthew chapter 13, all you have to do is go over to Matthew chapter 17 because the transfiguration on the high mountain is all about the kingdom of God. Remember verse 28 or verse 27? Christ says, For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father and his angels and will then repay every man according to his deeds.

Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Wow! Some of you standing right here, Christ says to his disciples, are not going to taste death.

You're not going to die until you see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Well, who's that? That's Peter, James, and John. Verse 1 of chapter 17. Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here.

If you wish, I will make three tabernacles here. One for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Can you imagine? He was like, wow, this is so good! This is tabernacle time. Why? This is kingdom time. Why? Because Peter knows that the feast of the tabernacles, according to the prophet Zechariah, 14th chapter, will be celebrated in the kingdom. Peter knows that. That's why he says, hey, let's build three tabernacles. Let's build one for Elijah, because he is the law protector. Let's give one for Moses, because he's the law giver.

So we have the giver of the law. We have the guardian of the law. And then we have the God of the law. Jesus will build one even for you. Three tabernacles, because he believes the kingdom is upon them. And when the disciples heard this, they fell face down. Excuse me, verse 5. While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. And when the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.

And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, Get up, do not be afraid. And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. Why? Why? Wait a minute. We just got a glimpse of the kingdom. We saw Moses, we saw Elijah, we saw Jesus in all of his glory as he unzipped his flesh, and the bright light was shining all around us. And this was just a glorious time.

We've got a glimpse of the kingdom. Now we can't tell anybody about the king's kingdom? And we're to preach the kingdom of heaven? Is that hand? How do you figure that, Jesus? Why not? Don't say anything until the Son of Man is risen from the dead. Why? Well, that's point number 10. The ambition of the Galilean Jews. Turn with me to John chapter 6.

John chapter 6. This is why Jesus says don't tell them. Remember in John 6, there's a feeding of the 5,000? Only miracle recorded in all four Gospels? The reading of the 5,000? If you've been with us over the years, you know exactly the importance of that miracle and what it actually says and what it means as you understand the power of the living God. So he feeds the 5,000, which is 5,000 men. They only counted the men in those days. Sorry, ladies. It doesn't mean the ladies weren't there. It doesn't mean the children weren't there.

They were. So you have probably between 20,000 and 25,000 people that Jesus feeds with a few fishes and a few loaves of barley. Okay? He feeds them all. Bible says, verse 13, So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Therefore when the people saw the sign which he had performed, they said, this is truly the prophet. Who's the prophet? The prophet is the prophet of Deuteronomy 18, 15 to 18, which is the prophet that will be greater than Moses, which is the Messiah.

They're saying this is the prophet who is to come into the world. The ambition of the Galilean Jews is this. This is the man. This is the guy. How do we know that? Next verse. So Jesus perceiving that they were intended to come and take him by force to make him, what's the next word? King. Did you not think that the Jewish people looked at Jesus as a king? Oh no, they did. We're going to make him king. Because they knew, listen, that the prophet, Messiah, would be the king of Israel. They knew that.

And so this must be that prophet, the prophet. Jesus knowing that they intended to take him by force to make him their king. Why would they do that? Why would they want to make Jesus their king? Because Israel, just like you and me, nothing changes. It is enamored with the physical and the temporal. They're enamored with the fact that Jesus can feed them. It's all about food. If Jesus could do this, we'll never go hungry. We can overthrow Rome and never be foodless. We'll always have enough to eat.

If he does this with 25,000 people, just think what he can do with all of Israel with more food. This has got to be the guy. Nobody can do what the prophet of Israel can do. This must be the king. So they wanted to take him by force to be their king, and so he would slip away because the time for his kingship had not arrived. They didn't understand that the son of man must die. They didn't understand that the king had to die. See, even today, Jews can't wrap their brains around the fact that their prophet, priest, and king, Messiah, would die.

But he had to. And that's what the writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 2, 5-18, which we will get to not today or not next week or the following week because that's Resurrection Sunday, but the following week after that. We'll get to that. To show you how he logistically and systematically proves why the king had to die because he maps it out unlike any other author does in a very unique and special way. So you have the ambition of these Galilean Jews who want to make him king because they see him as a physical deliverer.

They never saw him as a spiritual deliverer. They never did because they didn't want that. They didn't want Jesus to take care of their spiritual needs because they didn't need to have that because they're okay with God. They're good with God. They're descendants of Abraham. Everything's good. We're good. No problem. We can make it. We're descendants of Abraham. And yet they were sinners separated from their God in desperate need of a Savior. And Jesus was that Savior. Not just a physical deliverer from Roman oppression, but a spiritual deliverer from Satanic oppression because they were in Satan's kingdom.

That's why he said to them, You are of your father, the devil. And that's the beautiful thing about the whole doctrine of adoption, right? The whole doctrine of adoption where we are adopted into the family of God, right? To be adopted, listen, into the family of God, you are taking a person that's already been born into another family, right? And so when Christ adopts us, he takes us who were born into the family of Satan, adopts us into this family because we've been transferred by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Our Lord, we've been purchased. We've been bought with a price. Isn't that just wonderful? Isn't that so great? And so here are these Galilean Jews who are thinking, Wow, man, Jesus fed us. He must be the prophet. He must be the king. Let's set him up as our king. And they're thinking, Boy, we've got to take him by force to make it. He knows that. Jesus knows everything because he's God. Don't think for one moment that the Jews did not know that Jesus was a king. They do. They knew. And that's why we're going through all this with you to prove it.

So you go from the ambition of the Galilean Jews to point number 11, which would be the rejection of the multitude. The rejection of the multitude. Now we're moving our way quickly now toward the end of his ministry. In Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19. He's leaving Jericho. Those of you who have been to Israel, you know where Jericho is located there at the base of the mountains in the Judean wilderness. He's making his trek up from Jericho up to Jerusalem, which is a 17-mile journey. And by this time, toward the end of his life, end of his ministry, everybody's moving to Jerusalem for Passover.

There are scores of people following Jesus. Thousands of them. He heals the two blind men in Jericho. Talks to Zacchaeus in Jericho. Zacchaeus, I'm going to your house today because a stunted man came to seek you to save that which was lost. Right? And then it says this in verse number 11 of Luke 19. While they were listening, listening to what? About things pertaining to the kingdom. Jesus went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.

Now, why would they suppose that? Why would they suppose that the kingdom of God is going to appear immediately unless Jesus is king? Unless Jesus is their king, see? They're thinking as they go to Jerusalem, Jesus is going. And as he's going, all these thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people are now making their trek to Jerusalem for Passover. They're all on the Jesus train. And they know that Jesus is the prophet. And they know that he must be their king. So that means the kingdom of God is going to come when Jesus gets to Jerusalem.

What better time for it to happen than at Passover? That's what they're thinking. And Jesus knows that, so he gives them a parable. Jesus is so incredibly over the top smart. He gives them a parable because he wants them to understand about the noblemen because you remember, earthly stories with heavenly meaning, right? He gives them a story that they're all familiar with. But how the king would come and go off to a distant country? That's what Herod did. That's what Archelaus did, who ruled in Jericho.

They know these stories, see? So when Jesus gives a parable, don't think that, wow, what does this mean? The Jews all knew exactly what he was saying. They just didn't understand the heavenly meaning behind it because their eyes had been shut to that. And he gives them a parable. Why? Because in that parable, he talks about how these people do not want this kind of king, verse number 14, to rule over them. So he gives them a parable before he ever gets to Jerusalem. You don't want this kind of king, you don't want me to rule over you because I'm going to give you a parable because this is exactly what you're going to say.

We don't want this man, this king to rule over us. And sure enough, at the end of Passover, at the end of that week of passion week, what do they say? We have no king but Caesar. We don't want this king. He's not the king we bargained for. This is not the king that we want. We want a king that's going to heal my marriage. We want a king that's going to give me food. We want a king that's going to help my family. We want a king that's going to give me money. We want a king that's going to take care of every physical, temporal need that I have.

But my greatest need is a spiritual need. I'm a sinner. And I'm separated from the true and living God. And I must be reconciled to him. The king had to come. And the king had to die. They just didn't get it. But did they know he was the king? Absolutely. Absolutely. Because of the next point. What's the next point? The next point is simply the acclamation in Jerusalem. Luke 19, verse 28. After he had said these things, he was going up to Jerusalem. When he approached Bethpage and Bethany near the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, Go into the village ahead, and of you, as you enter, you will find a coat tied on which no one yet has ever sat.

Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, why are you untying it? Say, The Lord has need of it. So those who were sent away and found it just as he had told them, as they were untying the coat, its owner said to them, Why are you untying the coat? They said, The Lord has need of it. They brought it to Jesus. And they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. And as soon as he was approaching near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. Matthew's account says, Hosanna. Save now. Do you think for one moment they did not recognize him as their king? Oh, they did. They wanted him to be their king. They wanted Jesus to be their king. That's why they took off their garments and laid them down in front because it signified what? Take all of me. I'm yours. That's what laying the garments down in front of a king signified. It symbolized that all that I have, all my possessions are yours. Take them.

I'm at your disposal. Now, there are so many people in Jerusalem at Passover at this time. You can imagine the scene. It was a mob scene. And Jesus is on the backside of a donkey, which is fulfilled with Zechariah 9, verse number 9. The Messiah would be on the backside of a donkey at the praise of the daughter of Zion. That's exactly what they're doing. Again, he is fulfilling exactly what they already knew. Because they knew their Old Testament. He's doing exactly what he said he was going to do.

And they're hailing him as their king. But notice, they hailed him as their king for what? All the miracles he had done. It doesn't say they hailed him as their king because of the message he proclaimed. Because they didn't like the message. In fact, they wanted nothing to do with the message. They just loved the miracles. They loved the healing stuff. They loved the blind guys seeing, the lame guys walking, the paralytics walking, the diseased healed, no food, lots of food, the walk on the water thingy.

They liked all that. They loved that. It was the greatest show on earth. And yet, they hated everything he said. Everything he said, they couldn't stand it. Because in John 6, when they wanted to make him their king by force, the very next day, they wanted to know where Jesus was. But Jesus, where you been? Where'd you go? And Jesus says, you're here because you want breakfast.

That's the only reason you're here. You saw, you were with me yesterday, and you had dinner, and now it's morning, and you want breakfast. And he goes on to get the whole dialogue about manna from heaven, and he being the bread of life. Remember that? He says, unless you drink my blood and eat my flesh, you have no part with me. And they left him. They wanted no part of his message. These are like the miracles. Because the message said, you must repent. The message said, you must give your life to the king.

You must submit to the king. The message said, bow down and worship me as your king, and do everything that I say. The message said, I am the king. Will you follow without question? They wouldn't. But did they know he was their king? They did. They did. So when the writer of Hebrews writes, he's writing to Jewish people who know that Jesus was a king. But why did he die? He's a king. Why kill the king? Come back next week. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, for your word. It's so enlightening.

Helps us understand exactly what you're doing. You have a plan. It runs right on course. Never alters. Never falters. It's a perfect plan. You are amazing, Lord. We go back and we read it. We begin to see how it all unfolds in a very systematic, logical kind of way. You accomplished your purpose. You came to die. You came to atone for the sins of man. You came to be our substitute. You came to die in our place. You came to take the penalty. Do us on yourself. For that, Lord, we will be eternally grateful.

We will sing your praises throughout all eternity because, Lord, it's you who saves us from our sins. And we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.