Now as we come to the Word of God this morning, I want you to turn back to Mark 11. This is what is familiarly called Palm Sunday, and it’s the beginning of Passion Week, as we think back to our Lord’s arrival in Jerusalem and then His crucifixion and resurrection. As we come to Mark 11, we have Mark’s account of this wonderful, wonderful week. Obviously, Matthew, Luke, and John also treat the Passion Week in detail; but for this season this year, we’re going to look at it from Mark’s perspective.

We come to the final week of our Lord’s public life and ministry. On Friday of Passion Week, He goes to the cross. On Sunday, as you know, He rises from the dead. So this is the end of His ministry on earth.

It begins with His arrival in Jerusalem at the Passover season. And He’s not alone. There are estimates anywhere from 600,000 to 2.5 million people in the land of Israel in and around Jerusalem at Passover season. And one of the things that leads to that high number of, say, 2.5 million is that there’s a census in a ten-year period after our Lord’s death, ten years later. There was a census that was kept, that was found, that indicated there were 260,000 sacrifices made, with an estimation of 1 animal per 10 people. That would put the crowd at over 2.5 million. We can’t be certain about that number, but we can be certain it was a massive amount of people, as the Jews came from everywhere to celebrate Passover.

When we think about this event we usually think about it in the language that is used to describe it: the Triumphal Entry. In reality, it was not triumphal—far from it. It was not a true coronation, not at all. It was not a coronation ordained by God. It was not even an honest coronation by the people who were throwing the accolades at Jesus. It is a very strange event, easily misunderstood if you’re not careful. The praise the people gave was short-lived and fickle, and it wasn’t long until they turned on Him and cried for His crucifixion.

This was not a legitimate coronation by the population of Israel, neither was it the true coronation of God Himself. Whatever it appears to be to you, if you don’t understand the reality of it, you miss the entire point. It is a strange, you could even say a bizarre experience, and certainly unlike any other coronation. It is not at all what it appeared to be, and it is full of irony.

Coronations are not humble. Coronations are not unexpected. Coronations are not spontaneous. Coronations are not unofficial; neither are they superficial or temporary. But this coronation was all of that. Nor are coronations fake or false, only to be reversed in a few days. One day, exalted and praised; and a few days later, rejected and executed. That is what this event set in motion. This is no real coronation.

Now having said that, I want to quickly say Jesus is the true King. He is deserving of all exaltation, all praise, all worship, all adoration. So it is a true King who was offered a false coronation.

The true and actual coronation of our Lord in heaven is described in Philippians chapter 2, verses 9 to 11, where Christ ascends to heaven, is given a name above every name—the name Lord—and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God on high as King of kings and Lord of lords. That’s the heavenly coronation. The earthly coronation will come, and it’s described in Revelation 19 and 20, when Christ returns in the future and establishes His millennial rule on earth.

So this is neither a heavenly coronation or an earthly coronation. It is not even like a coronation. There are no dignitaries; there are no formalities; there is no regalia; there’s no fanfare. It’s more like His birth, which is featuring a donkey bringing His mother to Bethlehem; and this features the colt of a donkey bringing Him into Jerusalem. It’s simple, it’s humble, but it isn’t a true coronation. He is, however, the true King.

No monarch in history, in all of human history, remotely compares to this true, eternal King. None is so magnificent, powerful, wise, sovereign, just, pure, holy. None is divine. Even though kings have attributed to themselves a divine authority, it doesn’t belong to them; it belongs only to Christ.

So if this is not a true coronation, what is going on? And we’re going to find that out as we look at this text. Let’s begin at verse 1 of Mark 11. This is a comment that sort of sets the platform in place.

“As they approached Jerusalem”—now that indicates Jesus, the apostles, and the disciples who had been coming from Galilee down the eastern side of the Jordan River, coming to Jerusalem for the Passover season. They’d come down the east side of the Jordan River to the town of Jericho. Jesus went through Jericho. You remember, He healed two blind men and also forgave the sins of a hated and despised tax collector by the name of Zaccheus—two of the things that happened as He came through Jericho. And the entourage that followed Him, His apostles and disciples, as well as massive crowds coming from everywhere, ascending to Jerusalem, then would go up the hill headed for the city.

He didn’t come to reign; He came to ransom. He didn’t come to reign; He came to redeem. This is not the time for coronation; this is the time for salvation. Before He comes to reign, He has to come to die. This is a premature coronation, and a superficial one at that.

And let me just make something clear: Up to this point in His ministry of three years, He had never allowed such a spontaneous public event to happen. Never had He allowed a massive crowd to come together collectively to declare or affirm that He is the Messiah. In fact, when anything like that even began to develop, He disappeared to make sure it did not happen. This is the only occasion in His entire ministry that He allowed for this to take place. Massive crowds of people hail Him as the Messiah.

Why now? Why does He do this? This is what you must understand. This is designed by God, not as a coronation, not at all. This is designed by God, not has a legitimate expression of national faith on the part of Israel, because that is just not true. This is designed to do one thing, and that is to inflame the enemies of Jesus. This is to frighten them, to terrify them about His potential power, as seen in the hysteria of the crowds, which then motivates them to move fast to get Him executed. This is to precipitate, literally to motivate the execution of Christ. That had to happen, and it had to happen that week by divine design, and it had to happen by Friday so that He would die on the cross at the very moment that all the Passover lambs were being slain. God designed Him to be the true Passover Lamb.

So it’s a crucial time. He allows the crowd to hail Him as Messiah, understanding what this will cause among the leaders. In fact, in John chapter 11, the last verse of John 11 is very interesting in this respect because the leaders are frightened of Jesus. But it says this in John 11:57: “Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.” The leaders wanted Jesus arrested. They wanted Him arrested even before this event. Wherever He might be, they wanted to know.

What had precipitated that? The resurrection of Lazarus, which had stirred the crowds, and it escalated the popularity of Jesus; and so the leaders said, “If you know where He is, tell us so that we can arrest Him.”

They didn’t do that, obviously. But that shows you the attitude of the leaders. And when the crowd did the very opposite of that, the motivation of the leaders reached its fever pitch, and they began to move in the direction that God ordained for them to move, so that they would have Jesus—in the plan of God—on a cross by Friday.

This is the end, as I said, of His earthly ministry. A little quick chronology. Six days before the Passover, which would be Saturday, six days before the Passover, according to John 12, Jesus was in Bethany with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, having raised Lazarus from the dead.

You remember, Mary had anointed Jesus’ feet, and Judas had objected at the waste of the ointment. Likely, the next day would be Sunday, of course, and so likely the next day is the day when John 12:9 says a large number of Jews came to Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus, “whom He [had] raised from the dead.” So they arrive in Bethany at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus on Saturday. On Sunday, crowds pour into that small little village, two miles east of the city of Jerusalem down the slope of the Mount of Olives. They come to see the man who was raised from the dead. That fact, John says, caused the chief priests to take counsel to kill Him. They want Him seized at the end of John 11. Early into John 12, they want Him dead. This is why our Lord allowed this entire event to happen: to terrify His enemies so they would move in God’s plan and have Him on the cross when God wanted Him there.

So in reality, it’s Monday when He actually comes into Jerusalem. We call it Palm Sunday; it was actually a Monday. He comes from Bethany, and as He’s approaching the Mount of Olives, comes up to the top of the Mount of Olives. Once you crest a little bit of that, you see the Temple and the city of Jerusalem before you. In approaching Jerusalem, the crowd begins to gather.

Back to verse 1, He comes, approaching Jerusalem from “Bethphage and Bethany”—Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus; and Bethphage, a very small, little nearby village that plays an important role you’ll see in a moment—“near the Mount of Olives.” As they approach, there is a very important fulfillment of prophecy that must take place. The prophet Zechariah prophesied something very, very specific.

Listen to this, Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah prophesied that when the Messiah came into the city, He would come riding on the colt of a donkey. That was the prophecy. And it is here fulfilled.

Look at verse 2: Jesus “sent two of His disciples, and said to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. If anyone says to you, “[What are you doing, or] why are you doing this?” you say, “The Lord has need of it”; and immediately he will send it back here.’” Now it’s Monday, and it’s time for Him to come into the city.

Also, Mosaic Law required that sacrificial animals for the Passover be selected on the tenth day of Nisan, the first month, kept in the house until the fourteenth, which was the day of sacrifice. And so in perfect harmony with that, the Lord comes as the sacrifice on Monday the tenth, to be the sacrifice on the fourteenth, on Friday. He is the Lamb on Monday who is slaughtered on Friday.

Now as we look at this a little more closely, we just need to think of three things: the arrival, the approval, and the appraisal. The arrival, as I said, very simple. He comes to “Bethany, near the Mount of Olives,” and as He moves in the direction of the city, there needs to be the fulfillment of the Zechariah prophecy; and that’s exactly what you have.

Now omniscience is in play here, obviously. You remember back in John 1 that He knew Nathanael before He ever saw Nathanael. You remember back in John 2 that He knew what was in the heart of man. He didn’t forfeit His omniscience in His incarnation. And so He says to them, “You’re going to find a colt tied there, a colt that has never been ridden; untie it, and bring it here.” Again, this is omniscience in place.

There’s some indication in the Old Testament that an unworked or unridden animal had a special role to play, sometimes, in sacred uses. But in this case, it’s the most sacred of all uses: to become the vehicle to transport the Son of God into Jerusalem. And so the request is made for the animal, and the request is met.

Verse 4, “They went away, found a colt tied at the door”—just as they were told—“outside in the street; they untied it. Some of the bystanders were saying to them, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’ They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them”—the disciples did—“and they gave them permission.” No other explanation. Don’t know the reason why, but they gave permission. And so “they brought the colt to Jesus,” in verse 7, “and put their coats on it; and He sat on it.”

Just those verses to indicate how precisely the plan of God operates. When God says something will happen, it happens. There’s a foal of a donkey, a colt of a donkey, as the prophet said, for the Messiah to ride; and that’s exactly what happened—a display of divine knowledge. There was an appropriate time to put a royal person on an animal, but the colt, the foal of a donkey would be the lowliest of all animals possible to ride—far from the white horse which Jesus will ride in His Second Coming coronation. This is five hundred years before the event, that Zechariah declares precisely what will happen.

And so Jesus proceeds in the direction of the city. He didn’t come to reign. The disciples were hoping He would. I mean, all the way along they hoped that He would set up His kingdom. In fact, when our Lord talked about suffering, they fought back a little bit. Peter said, “Don’t let that happen; it's not going to be so.” And that’s when Jesus said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not considering the things of God.”

They were hoping for a kingdom, I mean, from the beginning. Once they knew He was the Christ, the Son of God, they were hoping for a kingdom because they wanted all that that kingdom would produce and bring. And that’s reasonable—all the promises to David, all the promises to Abraham, all the promises to the prophets. And as Jesus moved in this humble fashion, they weren’t sure just exactly what to make of it. In John 12:16 we read this: “These things His disciples did not understand at first,” they did not understand; “but when Jesus was glorified”—after He had gone back to glory—“they remembered these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.”

This takes into account Luke 24. You remember after the Resurrection, Jesus met the disciples on the road to Emmaus and went back to the Old Testament and told them all the things in the Old Testament that He had to fulfill; and that would have been one of them: the colt, the foal of a donkey as the animal bringing Him into Jerusalem. They didn’t understand things until they began to understand the Old Testament, and that was the greatest moment in the disciples’ education. Post-Resurrection Jesus went back through the Old Testament and explained all the things concerning Himself. Look at it in Luke 24; it’s repeated twice: verses 25 to 27 and 44 to 46.

But at this point, they don’t understand what’s happening. They want Jesus to set up the kingdom. So for them, this looks like, perhaps, the start of their fulfillment of anticipated glory.

And by the way, just another note. In Daniel 9, Daniel says that the Messiah would enter—the Messiah would reveal Himself 69 weeks after the decree of Artaxerxes. That was in 445 BC—69 weeks, or 69 sevens, 69 times 7 years: 483 years. Four hundred and eighty-three years from the decree of Artaxerxes to the arrival of Jesus in AD 30 is exactly the time. Four hundred and eighty-three years after Artaxerxes’s decree, Jesus comes into the city of Jerusalem, revealing Himself as the Messiah. So this is the arrival.

Secondly, look at the approval, verses 8 to 10: “And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.” And we know from the other gospel writers that those were palm branches, which were used to symbolize salvation. You find that in Revelation 7 and verse 9, when you see the people that are saved from every tongue and tribe and people and nation in the Tribulation. They’re also waving palm branches and crying, “Salvation to our God.” So there was some connection between palm branches and the celebration of deliverance or salvation.

So as Jesus rides in on this colt, the people began to throw their coats in the road, “and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.” What is the significance of this? This is submission. This is a symbolism of submission: “We lower ourselves.” This is not just honor and respect; this is, especially, submission: “We place ourselves under Your feet. We place ourselves under Your authority.”

They’re ready. They’re ready to bow to the Messiah. Their hope is that Jesus is the Messiah. This is, perhaps, not the entourage that they expected, but the history of our Lord’s three years of miracles and the convincing punctuation point, exclamation point, the resurrection of Lazarus, had them hopeful that He was perhaps their Messiah.

Luke says that as soon as they reached the Mount of Olives, when the city came into view, Luke writes, “the whole crowd [and all] the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice because of all the miracles they had seen.” They’re all aware of those miracles; they’ve been going on for three years. The crowd has swelled, and they begin to catch the fever of this miracle worker who has just raised Lazarus from the dead. It escalated. Enthusiasm leads them to throw down branches, to throw down garments, symbolizing their submission. It’s getting very emotional. They have no consideration for the fact that the chief priests had said, “If you know where He is, tell us so we can arrest Him.” They’re ready to crown Him king and to receive from Him everything they think they have a right to receive.

Just look at verse 9 for a minute; it gives you kind of a picture: “Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting.” So Jesus is engulfed. He is in a mob. He is crushed on all sides by this massive collection of humanity. And they’re all shouting. They’re all not an indiscriminate rabble, but they’re shouting specific statements: “Hosanna!” which means, “Save now! Save now! Save now!” That would have been the chant.

And they’re also shouting, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”—reference to the Messiah. They’re shouting Psalm 118, verse 26, a psalm of salvation, the conqueror’s psalm, something that had been shouted actually a hundred years earlier at the arrival of the Maccabeans, when it was assumed that they might be a fulfillment of Messiah because they defeated the Syrians. But Jesus had come not to conquer, not to reign, but to die and to rise.

But nonetheless, they’re ready for the kingdom: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Verse 10, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew adds that they said, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” the most common messianic expression.

They’re ready for the kingdom. And Luke adds that they also shouted, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” In other words, this is it. Heaven is going to be at peace. Heaven is going to be settled. This is the end of trouble in the world and trouble in heaven. It’s all coming to the conclusion. This is the messianic moment when all God’s promises come true. The peace will be so great, it will not only settle things on earth but in heaven.

Now let me say, they were right about everything they said, absolutely right. He is the Savior. He is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, as Psalm 118 says. He is the one who brings the kingdom. They have the right one; no question about that. Everything is absolutely accurate. He is God’s King; He is worthy of praise—but it’s just not the time for Him to reign.

And by the way, this is a superficial crowd, superficial approval. The crowd is so fickle, and that becomes apparent in Jesus’ response. Look at verse 11: “Jesus entered Jerusalem”—crushed in this mob shouting all these things—all the way “into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left.” That’s telling. That’s telling.

Now we go from the approval of the crowd to the appraisal of Christ. He looks around, and He’s not looking for a throne. He looks around, and He leaves. Amazing moment. “He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.” He just left. This may seem a strange response.

Wouldn’t you assume that He would grab the moment? Wouldn’t you assume that He would let them elevate Him? This would be what He deserved. This would be certainly what everybody assumed was God’s design and God’s plan. But “looking around . . . He left.” This was not time for a coronation; He left. “He left for Bethany,” verse 11, went back to stay with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus for the night “because it was already late.”

And then notice verses 12 to 14: “On the next day,” Tuesday, “when they had left Bethany”—heading back to Jerusalem again, back to the Temple, where He would interact with the leaders—“He became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He [could] find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the seasons for figs. He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again!’ And his disciples were listening.” This seems like something so obtuse, so strange. The next day, they head to Bethany. He sees a distant fig tree, finds it has nothing but leaves, and He curses it.

And by the way, it was an effective curse. Go down to verse 20. The next day, “As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Being reminded, Peter said to Him, ‘Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.’”

What is this? This is a symbol of the horrific corruption of Judaism and Temple religion. This sets up His assault on a corrupt system. Amazingly, ironically, the Jews wanted to make Him a king so He would attack their enemies. Instead, He rejects the coronation and attacks them. The symbol of the fig tree is fulfilled in Israel, a corrupt nation—selfish, superficial, and cursed.

To make that crystal clear, come to verse 15: “They then came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple.” He had done this at the beginning of His ministry; here He is, three years doing it again—three years later. “Overturned the tables of the money changers, seats of those who were selling doves.”

Now all of that business was related to the sacrificial system—people selling animals for sacrifice and exchanging coins so the appropriate coin for the Temple tax could be rendered. But obviously, they had corrupted it all. And so He literally, by Himself, takes control of that Temple courtyard, and He drives everybody out who is buying and selling, throws over the tables of money changers, seats of those selling doves. Doves were common because of the poor people who could only afford a dove to purchase for sacrifice.

Verse 16, “He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple.” They had turned the Temple into a thoroughfare instead of a place of worship. It was just a place to walk through, take care of whatever business you were involved in; no sense of the sacredness of it.

And in verse 17, “He began to teach and say to them, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”? You have made it a robbers’ den.’”—words from Jeremiah and Isaiah: “You’ve turned it into a robbers’ den.” “The chief priests and the scribes heard this”—and here’s the point of everything—“and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.”

That was exactly what God intended to happen: to stir up the leaders and make them speed up their destruction, get Him to the cross. He has all the credentials of the Messiah, but they had their own desires and designs, those people. And Jesus knew that their feigned homage was corrupt, and so He assaulted them. It wasn’t the Romans He attacked; it was His own nation.

What is the lesson of all of this? They wanted what they wanted when they wanted it. They didn’t need a Savior; they wanted a king and a kingdom. In fact, it was because Jesus denounced them as corrupt and sinful that they hated Him. They didn’t hate Him for His miracles; “they hate Me because I tell them their deeds are evil,” He said.

They didn’t want a Savior; they didn’t need a Savior. They were the people of God. They were the children of Abraham. They were the people of promise. They were the people waiting for the kingdom to come. They were ready for that kingdom. They wanted it; they wanted it now. They thought this: “If He is the man, this man will bring it to us”—and they were so wrong. The kingdom was far away from them, far away. And for that whole generation, there never would be a kingdom.

It’s amazing how sinful hearts can be interested in religion, isn’t it? It’s amazing how sinful hearts can be interested in Jesus if Jesus delivers what they want. That’s why the prosperity gospel is so damnable. It lies. It promises the sinner what the sinner wants, and what the sinner wants is not what God wants for the sinner. People are told to come to Jesus and He’ll give them whatever their heart desires, whatever they want, whatever they wish, whatever they have the faith to believe into existence.

There are people who have extreme interest in religion as a pathway to get whatever they think the supernatural powers will deliver to them. There are masses of people who are interested in Jesus only because somebody told them they can get from Him what they want. As long as Jesus would meet their desires, they would hail Him as king. But you know the story, right? It’s only a few days, and they were screaming for His blood: “We will not have this man to reign over us. Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” When you tell people that Jesus will give them what they want, you set them up to turn on Christ, to turn against Him if He doesn’t deliver.

You know it’s true that this kind of coronation goes on all the time, all the time, goes on every day—people coming to Jesus for healing, for success, to eliminate their problems, to give them what they want, what they desire, seeking blessing. And when it doesn’t happen to them in the way they want it, when they want it, they turn on Jesus. That’s why I talked about this a few months ago. We have so many defectors from Christianity, so much “deconstruction”—people who tried Jesus, and when He didn’t deliver, they turn on Him. And this crowd did exactly that.

What you as an unregenerate sinner want, what you long for and desire to fulfill the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not what God wants for you. You don’t come to Him with your wants and have Him give you the fulfillment of all of those carnal longings; you come to Him bankrupt, empty, broken, sinful, asking nothing, but lifting out an empty hand and saying, “Take hold of me, and rescue me from sin and death and judgment.”

The Jesus that gives you what your flesh wants is expendable if He doesn’t deliver. This was the massive, massive error of Judaism and is of all false religion, all religion even that identifies itself in some way as Judaism or Christianity—that God exists to fulfill what you want, when the truth is, God exists to save you from what you want and give you a heart for what He wants.

No, there’s coronations of Jesus, fake ones, going on all the time. They’re delusional. And when the sinner doesn’t get what he wants, Jesus becomes an enemy, or at least someone to be discarded. They will eliminate Him from their lives; and that’s exactly what the population of Jerusalem, the nation of Israel and its leaders did. Amazing. Amazing how passionate, hysterical, direct, the approach to Jesus can be, such as in this case, and yet it be false.

The question behind all of that approval is, What are you wanting from Him? If it’s what you want in your flesh, you will turn on Him because He’s not going to give you what you want in your flesh. He wants to save you from your flesh and give you what He knows is best for you. The blessings are there. You can be blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, but you come with an empty hand, and you say, “I want only what you want for me,” knowing that He gives only good and perfect gifts.

Our Father, we thank You again for the privilege of opening Your Word and coming to understand truth, divine truth, life-transforming truth, saving truth, truth that brings eternal life to those who believe it. Thank You for the power of Your Word, which is life-giving, life-transforming. I pray, Lord, for everyone here who is attracted to Christ, to understand that what the sinner wants will destroy him; what the sinner needs will save him. That’s why Jesus said, “If you seek to save your life the way you want it, you’ll lose it. If you lose your life and give it up for the way He wants it, you’ll save it.”

I pray, Lord, that You might open the heart of sinners who perhaps have been attracted to Jesus for selfish reasons. May they come and find that though He does not give them what their carnal flesh longed for, He gives them far more than that, and joys unspeakable and full of glory, blessings they never could have imagined. Fill our hearts with joy in the goodness that is expressed to us through the grace of salvation, we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.