L’ENTREE TRIOMPHALE DE JESUS A JERUSALEM

CHRIST THE ROCK CONGREGATION

APRIL 11^TH 2025

Sermon by Pastor Marc Simeon

THE TRIUMPHANT ENTRY OF JESUS TO JERUSALEM

A SHORT GLIMPSE OF KING JESUS ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM

INTRODUCTION

• People who are accustomed to fame and glory usually have a lot of difficulties to adjust to the humble settings of commoners.
• For 33 years, Jesus the incarnate God walked the surface of this earth without receiving any distinguished or fitted honor.
  • He was the Son of a peasant mother
  • His trade was carpentry
  • Education degrees: none
  • Prestigious clubs affiliated to: None
    • Not a Scribe
    • Not a Pharisee
    • Not a Zealot
    • Not a Sadducee
• Material possessions: None
• Specific Address: None (no place to lay his head)
• Marital Status: Single

THE HUMILITY OF JESUS

• Jesus voluntarily clothed Himself with humility to accomplish the mission of the salvation of mankind.

Philippians 2:5-8

5  Ayez en vous les sentiments qui étaient en Jésus-Christ,

 6 lequel, existant en forme de Dieu, n’a point regardé comme une proie à arracher d’être égal avec Dieu,

 7 mais s’est dépouillé lui-même, en prenant une forme de serviteur, en devenant semblable aux hommes;

 8 (2:7) et ayant paru comme un simple homme, (2:8) il s’est humilié lui-même, se rendant obéissant jusqu’à la mort, même jusqu’à la mort de la croix.

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

• No one would believe that Jesus could have succeeded in accomplishing His mission on earth in three short years, but He did.
• Because of Jewish restriction, Jesus has to wait until He was 30 years of age to begin His pubic ministry.
• In three years span:
  • He had to flip the old system upside down to establish the new.
  • He had to create his own platform of influence
  • He had to convince enough people that He was the Sent one, the long awaited for Messiah.
  • He had to move out of his parents’ house and out of His hometown to the ministry field
  • He had to choose disciples to carry on with the movement after His departure.
  • All odds were against Him to succeed due to His humble beginning.

THE LAUNCH OF JESUS’ MINISTRY

• In the time appointed by God Jesus went down to Galilee to be baptized by John the Baptist.
• Jesus waited for the approval of the Father before starting His ministry

Lu 3:21-23

21 ¶ Tout le peuple se faisant baptiser, Jésus fut aussi baptisé; et, pendant qu’il priait, le ciel s’ouvrit,

 22 et le Saint-Esprit descendit sur lui sous une forme corporelle, comme une colombe. Et une voix fit entendre du ciel ces paroles: Tu es mon Fils bien-aimé; en toi j’ai mis toute mon affection.

 23 Jésus avait environ trente ans lorsqu’il commença son ministère.

Lu 3:21 ¶ When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.

 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

 23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age.

• Jesus waited for the infilling and the endowment of the Holy Spirit before heading to the field.
• Jesus waited for the lead of the Holy Spirit before He began His ministry.

Lu 4:1 ¶ Jésus, rempli du Saint-Esprit, revint du Jourdain, et il fut conduit par l’Esprit dans le désert, (LSV)

 1 ¶ Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (NKJV)

• Jesus spent 40 days in fasting to be tested and to subdue the enemy before launching His ministry.
• The great task at hand and the 3 years time frame to accomplish it, seemed to indicate that Jesus wasted too much time in front end of His ministry in non-essential duties.
• Most of us would omit the 40 days fasting to planning and canvassing the prospected ministry fields.
• Jesus taught us a secret of ministry that we often forget.

Mr 3:27 Personne ne peut entrer dans la maison d’un homme fort et piller ses biens, sans avoir auparavant lié cet homme fort; alors il pillera sa maison. (LSV)

 27 “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. (NKJV)

THE HUMBLE BEGINNING

• The loner Missionary was finally ready to hit the field.
• Who would follow Him?
• Jesus picked 12 commoners as the spine of his movement.
• His controversial message,
  • His boldness, His conviction,
  • His meekness, His great love for people,
  • His straightforwardness,
  • His clear teaching,
  • His great wisdom,
  • His great power,
  • His embrace of women, poor and foreigners gained Him a lot more disciples along the way.

THE GREAT DEEDS OF JESUS

• The mighty acts and the teachings of Jesus caused Nicodemus the Doctor of the law to come by night to inquire of Jesus.
• The deeds of Jesus caused a great division among the observers.
  • Who else could calm a raging sea with one command?
  • Who else could stop a funeral and bring the dead person back to life?
  • Who else could say one word and heal a sick person distances away?
  • Who else could feed 5000 out of 5 loafs of bread and two little fishes?
  • Who else could cast a legion of demons out of a lunatic and cast them on a swine?
  • Who else could know the heart of a person before the person has the chance say one word?
  • Who else could speak the Scriptures with such authority?
  • Who else could refer to God the Father the way Jesus was referring to Him?
  • Who else knew future as perfectly as Jesus did?
  • Who else could rebuke the Pharisees and the religious rulers the way Jesus did?  
•  “Could He possibly be the Messiah?” most began to ask.

THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS CLIMAXED THE POPULARITY OF JESUS

• No one could slow down the expansion of His reputation.
• The resurrection of Lazarus pushed Jesus out of the closet.
• There was no more doubt in the mind of most that Jesus was not an ordinary prophet.
• In fact, no prophets of old and recent had done as great deeds as Jesus did.
• The crowd of pilgrims that came for the feast of the Passover was seeking to see Lazarus and to see Jesus.
• While the religious leaders were still at odds with Jesus, the King, the Prince of God, The Messiah was finally identified.
• Jesus took the mask of humility off for a short period and allowed the people to see Him as He was, the Messiah and the Son of the Living God.
• The glimpse of his approach called for worship and jubilation, but only the pilgrims felt the need and the disciples felt the need.
• The fitted welcome of a king will be served to Jesus this time and this time only.
• The acclamations of a great hero will be delivered with songs of exaltation.

Joh 12:12 ¶ Le lendemain, une foule nombreuse de gens venus à la fête ayant entendu dire que Jésus se rendait à Jérusalem,

 13 prirent des branches de palmiers, et allèrent au-devant de lui, en criant: Hosanna! Béni soit celui qui vient au nom du Seigneur, le roi d’Israël!

Joh 12:12 ¶ The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”

• The donkey, the beast that Jesus rode upon was not fitted for the occasion, but the humble King chose it on purpose.
• Jesus did not lose sight of the challenges that lied ahead and the ultimate sacrifice of His body to be happening in that same week.
• He kept a tight schedule to instill as much instruction as possible into the minds of his disciples.
• On the next day after the Triumphant Entry to, Jesus was found at work cleansing the Temple.

CONCLUSION

As we pounder upon this historic Sunday in Christendom, I would like to ask a few questions.

• If you were living in the time of Jesus, which character would you like to play in the Triumphant Entry to Jerusalem?
• Would you have liked to be one of His disciples?
• Would you have liked to be one of those who were laying palm branches and clothes over the road to welcome Jesus?
• Or, would you have liked to be the donkey upon which Jesus sat?
• Although we can play all three roles today in our devotion and gratitude to God.
• Let us lean toward the role of the donkey.
• Let us allow Jesus to use us as he will.
• Let us carry Him through the unpaved and rocky roads where no one has heard of Him before.
• Let Him be upon us when they neglect Him and reject His message.
• Let Him be upon us when they stone Him as well and let us share the outrage with Him.
• And at last, my hope is that he will be found riding upon us in the Great Day of Acclamation to the Triumphant Entry to the New Jerusalem our eternal home.

AMEN!