LUKE: YEAR OF OUR LORD (WEEK 41) - What They Got Wrong…

Have you ever been in a situation where you really needed some help? A situation just got out of hand. It was too difficult, too painful, you were trapped and there was nothing you could do about it. You really needed someone who could come into your situation and make things right.

Now imagine a situation when help DOES come - but you don’t recognize the help! I’m SURE you’ve heard the story of a guy who was stuck on his roof with rising floodwaters all around. A raft comes - nope, God’s gonna save me; a boat comes - no thanks, God’s gonna save me; a helicopter - go save someone else, God’s gonna save me… then he dies. “Why didn’t you save me?” “I sent a raft, a boat, and a helicopter - what more did you want?!?”

Israel was in constant need of help. So many enemies throughout their existence: the Amalekites, the Moabites, the Philistines, the Midianites, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians. Then after the Old Testament came the Syrians and the Greeks and finally the Romans.

Much of the Old Testament prophets’ message was about how God would one day bring about a once-and-for-all rescuer, a deliverer and Savior. He would be the anointed one, the Meshiach, or in our language “messiah” who would come to save. And throughout the centuries God’s people held onto that hope. 

Wouldn’t it be ironic if the help finally DID come - but they missed it?

As we read the Gospel accounts, we see as Jesus begins His ministry, confirmed by all sorts of signs and wonders: miraculous healings, teaching that illustrated the heart of God, there were those who obviously saw in Him the promised deliverer. But not everyone was convinced. Especially those who didn’t feel like Jesus was doing it right, wasn’t on the right side of the theological arguments.

And there were those who THOUGHT they had found the guy - but would eventually waver in their support because in the end, Jesus didn’t seem like the King they had been looking for.

This morning we are going to look at a remarkable event. Luke records this in chapter 19, starting in verse 28. This is the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, one of those significant events that all four gospel writers include in their narratives.