One of the most remarkable incidents in the life of King David led, a thousand years later, to the Triumphal entry of the Son of David, the promised Messiah through the gates of Jerusalem on the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday. You might even say, “the story of Palm Sunday began in the heart of David with his allegiance to his God.” 2 Samuel 7 tells us that after David took Jerusalem, built his palace on the high ground, and moved the Ark of the Covenant (God’s throne) there, he said to himself, “It’s not right that Yahweh should have a tent (the tabernacle) while I live in a cedar palace.” David wanted to build a house for Yahweh. But God’s answer was, “No, David, I don’t want YOU to build MY HOUSE. I am going to build YOUR HOUSE.” God says,
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom… I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever…. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever (vs 12-13, 16).
Though we associate Jesus’ arrival on a donkey with children and palm branches, those actually with Jesus who shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” saw his arrival as the coming of the promised Messianic King who would fully and finally overthrow their enemies. This episode is devoted to better understanding the nature of Christ’s kingship and kingdom, which was not only misunderstood by the crowd and his disciples but is misunderstood by many Christians today.
David and his kingdom are a physical type pointing to spiritual realities just as Hebrews tells us the earthly tabernacle and earthly priesthood “serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Heb 8:5). The Palm Sunday crowd not only connected the Messiah to David as his descendant but connected his coming kingdom to David’s kingdom, as well. Those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mk 11:9-10). Let’s examine three themes from the establishment of David’s kingdom that parallel Christ’s Kingdom and can illuminate our understanding of it.
THEME #1—THE DEFEAT OF SATAN & HIS KINGDOM
A. David defeated Israel’s earthly enemies in the power of the Lord. David knew that according to God’s Covenant mediated by Moses, God would defeat their enemies if they obeyed God but allow their enemies to subjugate them if they violated the covenant sanctions. Here are some of the words from Scripture that he, no doubt, meditated upon while keeping his father’s sheep.
And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you ….The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways…But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you….The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them (Dt 28).
David knew and modeled two truths. 1) The battle is the Lord’s. Goliath came at him with sword and spear and javelin, but David said “I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied…. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.” 2) Israel’s failure was not a failure of MILITARY MIGHT but a failure of MORAL MIGHT. Remember David’s words in Psalm 1:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
God gave David military success for Israel wherever he went but that went hand in hand with turning his nation back to covenant faithfulness to God. Israel’s true enemy was the kingdom of darkness.
B. Ezekiel’s remarkable prophecy of the “son of David” to be Israel’s Messiah, given 580 years before the birth of Jesus, reveals that the Messianic King would defeat the kingdom of evil. Ezekiel 37. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions….My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. Right in the midst of Ezekiel’s remarkable prophecy was that the real subjugating power that needed to be overthrown for Israel was not Babylon or Rome but Satan presenting himself as a false god in the form of an idol.
C. Jesus’ Triumphal Entry. In Luke’s account we see that, perhaps unknowingly, the crowds proclaimed that this messiah would bing a cessation of hostilities in heaven. The whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! PEACE IN HEAVEN and glory in the highest!” Heaven is often used in Scripture to describe the place surrounding God’s throne where there is no sin. But it is also used to describe the place where the battle between the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Righteousness takes place. For example, we read in Revelation 12:7-8. Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
The expression, peace in heaven, proclaimed by the crowds on Palm Sunday is only found one other place in the NT. That text, Colossians 1:20, also talks about Christ making peace in heaven. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in HEAVEN, MAKING PEACE by the blood of his cross. Only Messiah Jesus can bring about peace in heaven, because only he can vanquish the Evil One and his angels. The Apostle, John, tells us that overthrowing Satan was central to Jesus’ mission, The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8b). Paul’s version of the same truth is stated in Col 2:15) He (Christ) disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them at the cross (Col 2:15).
D. Our Mission. The Palm Sunday story reveals that Jesus’ mission is to destroy Satan’s work. As followers of Christ, we need to ask ourselves, “What are we doing to fight Satan?” Spiritual warfare is not just for church leaders and Charismatic Christians; it is fundamental to our calling as Christ-following men. The great Ephesians 6:10-20 passage on spiritual warfare can be summarized: BE STRONG IN THE LORD in 2 ways:
- (vs 11-17) Defensively, we are to stand against Satan’s assault by putting on our armor.
- (vs 18-19) Offensively, we are to fight through prayer for righteousness to prevail, in the hearts of our loved ones, and over the planet.
Here are practical ways to fight spiritually in prayer for those you care for:
- Pray for them to resist specific temptations they might face. Pray then like this….lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil (Matt 9, 13).
- Pray for them to be spiritually strengthened. May he grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being (Eph 3:16).
- Ask for specific spiritual fruit to be produced in them. “Lord, empower Jim with self-control today.” “Lord, please produce the fruit of joy in Sally’s heart today.” If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples (John 15:7-8).
- Pray for believers to have the winsome boldness to share their faith if the opportunity arises. Paul wrote, Pray….also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel (Eph 6:19).
THEME #2—THE DEFEAT OF SIN THROUGH CHRIST’S ATONEMENT & ASCENSION
In order for sin to be ultimately defeated, it had to be atoned for, and the Second Adam had to retake Adam’s throne ascending to the right hand of God providing the spiritual authority and power by which Christians can make disciples of the nations. This defeat of evil, including atonement for sin, is pre-figured by David, alluded to in Ezekiel’s prophecy, and portrayed in Jesus’ triumphal entry riding on a donkey. John tells us in Revelation 1 that Christians are a kingdom of priests.
A. David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and built a rudimentary tabernacle for it, reinstituting the offering of sacrifices as atonement for sin.
And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house (2 Sam 6:17).
B. Ezekiel’s prophecy is amazingly clear about Yahweh’s role in defeating sin both in making atonement for and giving them power to overcome their backslidings.
But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them.
Compare this with Romans 5:1, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
C. Jesus’ Triumphal Entry. At the beginning of his final week, Jesus deliberately instructed his disciples to borrow a donkey colt for him to ride to fulfill Zechariah’s Messianic prophecy, which was widely known, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). The crowd had added the powerful miracles they’d seen Jesus perform to his decision to deliberately fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy and concluded that he was the promised king from David’s descent, the long-awaited Messiah who had finally come to overthrow Rome and establish his kingdom. They expected a military/political kingdom. Yet, in the details of the triumphal entry, were clues about the true nature of their enemy and his kingdom.
Some suggest that riding a donkey instead of a warhorse implies that the King’s arrival was bringing peace. The crowd’s shouts must have proclaimed “peace on earth” as well as in heaven because a few minutes later, Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying “Would that you, even you, HAD KNOWN ON THIS DAY THE THINGS THAT MAKE FOR PEACE! The only true peace that can be achieved in the human race is through the eradication of sin. Scripture tells us, The works of the flesh are ….enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy (Gal 5:20-21). Jesus wept for the citizens of Jerusalem, because they did not understand this truth. Their enemy was not Rome but their own sinful hearts that had blinded them to the truth of their sin and to who Jesus really was.
D. Our Mission. Harmony comes from aligning life with God’s design, given in his moral law. Harmony in human relationships is the fruit of Jesus overthrowing sin, ascending to heaven, and sending the Holy Spirit to indwell his people, to root out the works of the flesh and produce the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. That is the formula for peace and flourishing--shalom! But such fruit is only produced by abiding in Christ. Jesus said to his followers, Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
THEME #3—EARTH IS RESTORED & PREPARED TO BE THE LOCATION OF YAHWEH’S ETERNAL THRONE
A. David defeated the Jebusites and made Jerusalem the capital city of Israel. The battle to take this ground appears to have had everlasting consequences. In John’s Revelation vision of the final return of Christ, he wrote,
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God… And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (Rev 21:2-3,22).
B. Ezekiel 37 prophecy. Notice that this prophecy is linked to specific land (promised to Abraham) on which God would one day locate his throne, the same reality portrayed in Revelation 21. David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Chapter 37).
Too many Christians today think that when we die, we go to heaven to spend eternity there. This half-truth goes right along with the half-truth that Christians should separate from “this world” by withdrawing from contact with non-Christians. This is a flat denial of our call in Genesis 1 to shape the culture of planet earth FOR the high king and of Jesus' command to make disciples of the nations, not just Christians within the nations. The truth is that when we die our souls go immediately into God’s presence, but we will spend eternity on earth, which right now is being restored and prepared to be the location of Yahweh’s eternal throne. The gospel is not that WE go to HEAVEN for eternity: it is that HEAVEN comes to EARTH for eternity.
C. Jesus Triumphal Entry. The truth that the gospel is more than a ticket to eternal life is a fundamental part of the Palm Sunday story, but it is often missed. When the crowds started to chant, “Glory to God in the Highest,” some Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke his disciples. Jesus answered, “I tell you, IF THESE WERE SILENT, THE VERY STONES WOULD CRY OUT.” What did Jesus mean? The curse upon the ground because of Adams sin was about to be reversed at the cross and creation itself redeemed! Listen to Paul’s explanation. The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now (Rom 8:19-22). The gospel is that Adam’s kingdom, earth, subjected to God’s curse because of Adam’s sin has been set free from the curse by the Second Adam who has ascended to take over earth’s kingdom and is fixing everything broken by sin.
D. Our Mission is to put on display the Kingdom of Christ as it invades, transforms, and fixes earth. Here are a few examples of fixing what has been broken by sin.
In South Central Los Angeles FCM Baptist Church began training volunteers to work in the neonatal intensive care unit of the overburdened and underfunded Martin Luther King Hospital. After completing their training, these “Rock n’ Hold” volunteers began to spend hours in the hospital nursery, holding the twitching, afflicted babies who had been born addicted to the crack that their mothers consumed. Rocking and holding the babies, some of whom were born with AIDS, they love them, sing them lullabies, and show the hospital staff Jesus.
Tenth Presbyterian Church located in a part of downtown Philadelphia with numerous gay bars and homosexual meeting areas began running a two-line advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Homosexuals and Lesbians can change,” followed by a phone number to this outreach ministry arm, Harvest. Besides some crank calls, hundreds of people called Harvest, where they have received tender love, and real hope, some coming to faith in Christ.
Kingdom disciples display Christ’s kingdom, which overcomes the kingdom of evil and the brokenness that sin has brought. That is the message of Palm Sunday!
For Further Prayerful Thought:
- What stood out to you from David’s foreshadowing, Ezekiel’s prophecy or Jesus’ triumphal entry that emphasized our calling to fight Satan?
- What stood out to you from David’s foreshadowing, Ezekiel’s prophecy or Jesus’ triumphal entry that emphasized our calling to battle our sinful nature and strive for godly attitudes?
- What stood out to you from David’s foreshadowing, Ezekiel’s prophecy or Jesus’ triumphal entry that emphasized our calling to join in Jesus restoration of everything on planet earth broken by sin?
