Bethel Baptist Church of Tillamook, OR
March 29, 2026
  • Hosanna
  • Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)
  • Jesus Messiah
  • When I Survey The Wondrous Cross

  • Context:

    The capital city of Jerusalem, once the seat of God's very presence in the earthly temple, has now served as a seat of pagan corruption for centuries prior to Jesus's kingly claim as Messiah.
    Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 586 BC. Then for more than 400 years, Jerusalem remained the property of one world empire or another, until the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanies pushed Gentile occupation too far. In 175 BC he banned all Jewish sacrifices in the temple, outlawed all Jewish rituals and festivals in Jerusalem, then he required all Jews to worship Greek deities. Any priest refusing to conduct pagan sacrifices he had killed.
    Then in 167 BC, Matthias, a priest serving in Modein, refused to compromise even when threatened with death. When one of his neighbors stepped forward to sacrifice to another god, Mathias drew his sword and killed him, then killed the general who ordered the sacrifice, sparking the Maccabean revolt.
    About a year into the rebellion, as he lay on his deathbed, Matthias charged his sons to “show zeal for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of our ancestors...” His son Judas known as Judah the hammer led Israel to several victories over the Seleucid armies and retook Jerusalem. When the priests reentered the temple to restore sacrifices and relight the lampstand, they discovered that all the sacred oil had been defiled... save for one container, a single day's worth. In faith, they lit the lamp stand... and it burned for eight days, enough time for the priests to prepare more oil for the temple. This was the beginning of the Feast of Dedication or Feast of Lights -- Hanukkah.
    When Judas died in battle, his brother Jonathan led the nation. He, however, deviated from the devotion of his father Mathias. He did not trust God to help keep the Seleucids out of Jerusalem, but accepted the treaty and declared allegiance to an invading Seleucid general in exchange for his confirmation as high priest thus appointed by Gentile authority -- the first time in the history of God's temple a religious leader assumed the role of high priest on the authority of a Gentile ruler rather than by divine authority.
    Simon, the brother of Jonathan, takes over after Jonathan's death and ruled as high priest by order of the Seleucid king and later was made king by Jewish aristocracy and priests in all but name “until a trustworthy prophet should arise.” Simon betrayed his benefactor by seeking the protection of Rome in 139 BC, opening the door to increasing Roman control.
    By the 1st century AD, a Roman procurator occupied the King's palace and Caesar's puppet priests ruled the sanctuary of the Almighty. As long as the rulers of Jerusalem kept a lid on popular unrest, what could go wrong?

    1. Preparation for the King Coming in the Name of the LORD, 19:29-34.

    The gospel of John tells us that Jesus stayed with Lazarus and his sisters in Bethany, on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, about 2 miles from Jerusalem. The location of Bethany is known, but not Bethpage, although it is called by one Mishna the eastern edge of Jerusalem.
    Jesus sends two disciples ahead on an errand to seek a colt that has never been sat on. This is not a horse but a foal of a donkey ( ). Horses are associated with war, Psalm 33:17; Proverbs 21:31; Isaiah 43:17. This colt will be connected to peace and humility. A colt that has never been sat on is suitable for a sacred purpose and worthy of a king, Zechariah 9:9; cf. 1 Kings 1:32-35.
    Jesus is very specific as to where they will find the animal, that it is tied, and that they are to untie it and bring it to where Jesus is. He even tells the two how to respond if anyone questions what they are doing. “The Lord has need of it” is Jesus as a king claiming the divine right to conscript animals from his subjects.
    Everything was just as Jesus said. Some have suggested that Jesus prearranged this; I think it was Jesus as a prophet foretelling this situation for the sake of His disciples.

    2. Revealing of the King Coming in the Name of the Lord, 19:35-40.

    The colt was brought to Jesus. The disciples put their garments on the colt, which served as a makeshift saddle, then they threw their coats on the road in front of Him. Note there is no mention of palm branches by Luke, but John mentions them in John 12:13
    John 12:13 NASB95
    took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”
    By spreading their coats on the road, they were doing a similar act to when Jehu was welcomed as a king in 2 Kings 9:13 The details point to Jesus’ royalty. This was not done by just the twelve for the text indicates there is a “whole crowd” of disciples who were most likely part of the pilgrims from Galilee and other places.
    2 Kings 9:13 NASB95
    Then they hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”
    As they begin their descent to the city before them, Their voices began to raise in praise of God for the mighty works they have seen. Only disciples could make this acclamation. They recognize God's power working in Jesus and that Jesus had been chosen by God. However, they may not see that the days of the miracles are over.
    They were shouting blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord emphasizing the royalty of Jesus yet that royalty does not limit his kingship to a political entity the scope of his kingship embraces heaven yet that phrase is no less defiant to the Roman establishment and he who entered the city as proclaimed king of the Jews is later executed as the king of the Jews “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord” is an echo of Psalm 118: 26
    Psalm 118:26 NASB95
    Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
    This is shouted from the disciples, not from the people of Jerusalem nor the house of the Lord, that is, the temple. Jerusalem and its temple were spiritually desolate and soon to be physically desolate. When they rejected the king, they ultimately reject God. Those who are shouting the praise of God speak of peace in heaven and glory in the highest. For Jerusalem, she will have no peace or favor because of the rejection of the king appointed by God.
    There were Pharisees in the crowd who shouted out to Jesus to rebuke your disciples. By calling him “Teacher,” the Pharisees are suggesting that He take responsibility to silence what they considered sacrilege. Jesus answered them: “I tell you if these become silent, the stones will cry out.” see Psalm 96:12-13; Isaiah 44: 23; 55: 12.
    Psalm 96:12–13 NASB95
    Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy Before the Lord, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.
    Isaiah 44:23 NASB95
    Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For the Lord has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His glory.
    Isaiah 55:12 NASB95
    “For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
    The king entering into Jerusalem is so momentous an event that it requires a response and it will not negate that Jesus is king nor will it derail God's purpose.

    3. Consequences of the failure to recognize “the time of your visitation,” 19:41-46.

    Jesus's response in verse 41 is telling; He saw the city and wept over it. The word “wept over” has the picture of audible sobbing. This is a picture of grief that overwhelms Jesus. Compare Jeremiah 9: 1; 13: 17; 14: 17, also Paul in Romans 9: 1-5.
    Jeremiah 9:1 NASB95
    Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people!
    Jeremiah 13:17 NASB95
    But if you will not listen to it, My soul will sob in secret for such pride; And my eyes will bitterly weep And flow down with tears, Because the flock of the Lord has been taken captive.
    Jeremiah 14:17 NASB95
    “You will say this word to them, ‘Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow, With a sorely infected wound.
    Paul’s own testimony for His people, Rom. 9:1-5
    Romans 9:1–5 NASB95
    I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
    Verse 42 “if you had known in this day” refers to “the time of your visitation.” Jesus states that they did not know and could not see the things which made for peace. They could not see because they have been hidden (passive tense)—these things which make for peace have been hidden from them as part of the divine will. Romans 5:1 –
    Romans 5:1 NASB95
    Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
    This is what was being offered —peace with God plus external concord. But the leaders of the people ignored the light and are responsible for the fall of Jerusalem (see Acts 13:27).
    Acts 13:27 NASB95
    “For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.
    Question: Will their eyes be opened?  Note the experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:16, 31.
    Luke 24:16 NASB95
    But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.
    Luke 24:31 NASB95
    Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.
    Paul’s statement in 2 Cor. 3:14-16
    2 Corinthians 3:14–16 NASB95
    But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
    Only coming to Jesus will allow them to see clearly.
    Because they have minds that are hardened toward Jesus, He then foretells what awaits Jerusalem in the near future. The language describes the taking of a city by siege. Jesus gives gruesome details as to how the city will be destroyed. The leaders in their arrogance rejected Jesus when He came in peace. Later, the leaders act foolishly by revolting against Rome. As a result, Rome brings the destruction of the city, the temple, and the killing of its people, which bordered on their extermination. It was a severe, total destruction. Why? They “did not recognize the time of [their] visitation.”
    This phrase re: visitation is seen in the OT and refers to the coming of God. His coming was either to rescue (Gen. 21:1; 50:24-25; Exod. 3:16; 4:31; 13:19; Jer. 15:15, Psalm 106:4)
    Genesis 21:1 NASB95
    Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised.
    Genesis 50:24–25 NASB95
    Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.”
    Exodus 3:16 NASB95
    “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
    Jeremiah 15:15 NASB95
    You who know, O Lord, Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach.
    Psalm 106:4 NASB95
    Remember me, O Lord, in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation,
    . . . or for judgment (Isa. 10:3; Jer. 6:15; 10:15).
    Isaiah 10:3 NASB95
    Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth?
    Jeremiah 6:15 NASB95
    “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
    Jeremiah 10:15 NASB95
    They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish.
    The visitation is Jesus in their midst, the very presence of God the Son coming to Jerusalem as Lord. Their rejection of Jesus is tantamount to rejecting God, whom they would declare vehemently that they serve. That is a great irony.
    Now one of the first things Jesus does, as Luke writes, is to clean out the temple. Luke equates what happens here to what will befall Jerusalem. In other words, Jerusalem’s fate will be the temple’s fate. Luke here gives the barest details of Jesus’ actions in the temple in cf. to Matt. 21:10-22 and Mark 11:11-25.
    Luke does not give more details probably because of his assumed readers. He points out that Jesus’ actions are directed against merchants. Luke reports this to his Greco-Roman readers so that they would not interpret this as defiling the temple, which would was considered in their culture a serious offense.
    Jerusalem is not living up to its calling as the city where God dwells among His people. The temple is no longer living up to its high and holy calling as a house of prayer, but is seen by Jesus now as a robber’s den (or cave),
    Jer. 7:4, 12, 14.
    Jeremiah 7:4 NASB95
    “Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’
    Jeremiah 7:12 NASB95
    “But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.
    Jeremiah 7:14 NASB95
    therefore, I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.

      • John 12:13NASB95

      • 2 Kings 9:13NASB95

      • Psalm 118:26NASB95

      • Psalm 96:12–13NASB95

      • Isaiah 44:23NASB95

      • Isaiah 55:12NASB95

      • Jeremiah 9:1NASB95

      • Jeremiah 13:17NASB95

      • Jeremiah 14:17NASB95

      • Romans 9:1–5NASB95

      • Romans 5:1NASB95

      • Acts 13:27NASB95

      • Luke 24:16NASB95

      • Luke 24:31NASB95

      • 2 Corinthians 3:14–16NASB95

      • Genesis 21:1NASB95

      • Genesis 50:24–25NASB95

      • Exodus 3:16NASB95

      • Jeremiah 15:15NASB95

      • Psalm 106:4NASB95

      • Isaiah 10:3NASB95

      • Jeremiah 6:15NASB95

      • Jeremiah 10:15NASB95

      • Jeremiah 7:4NASB95

      • Jeremiah 7:12NASB95

      • Jeremiah 7:14NASB95

  • Hallelujah, What A Savior
Bethel Baptist Church of Tillamook, OR
revrlcasper@gmail.com
(503) 842-5598
https://bbc-tillamook.faithlifesites.com
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