Jesus - King, Prophet, & Priest (Matthew 21: 1-17)
· 26.03.2024 · 19:05:08 ··· ··· Tuesday ·· 2 (2)
Knox Church Waterdown We continue in the gospel of Matthew, but skip ahead to chapter 21, seeing as it is Palm Sunday. Don’t worry we will come back and cover the chapters we skipped over for the Easter season. Pastor Grant’s prayer this Easter is that it is a chance for our weary souls to slow down and remember a God who is for humanity in all its forms. His hope this Easter is that we would be open to the possibility for God to speak to us, remind us who He is and who we are created to be in Him. In this chapter of Matthew, we see Jesus picking up the mantle of three titles… Jesus as King, Jesus as Prophet, and Jesus as Priest. Chapter 21 begins with Jesus riding a donkey and her colt into Jerusalem. Crowds throw their cloaks and tree branches on the ground. They shout, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Jesus enters Jerusalem as King. This is in stark contrast to the majority of His ministry. After performing a miracle Jesus would often say, “Say nothing. It isn’t my time yet.” Now in chapter 21 we see that Jesus’ time is here! He arrives as King and claims to be King. He is living fully into this title and all that would come because of it. And He is not just a king, but the King. He is the Messianic King, the Son of David, the King of Kings, the one we have been waiting for, the Saviour King. In this moment Jesus is being bold, but He is an unexpected King. He is the Servant King riding a donkey, not a war horse. When Jesus enters Jerusalem some in the city ask, “Who is this?” The crowds answer, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” He enters the temple courts and drives out all who are buying and selling there. He overturns the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. He continues to be bold. He steps into the role of Prophet by pronouncing judgement. He points out where the people have gone wrong and calls them back to God and what they should be doing. He says, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.” To call Jesus Prophet is to admit there is a need for judgement against human sin. This buying and selling in the temple courts is disrupting and distracting to true worship. He is calling us to repent and wake up because the Kingdom of Heaven is here. Finally, Jesus assumes the role of Priest. One who restores life and life abundant where there was brokenness. He heals the blind and lame that come to Him at the temple. Children are shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The chief priests and the teachers of the law are indignant. Palm Sunday confronts us with a choice. We can accept Jesus as all three (King, Prophet, and Priest) or become indignant towards what accepting all of Jesus calls us to give up/change/surrender. It is all or nothing. It is hard and humbling work. What tables need to be overturned in your life? Anger, resentment, bitterness, worry, fear, control, jealousy, lust, impatience? The hope of Palm Sunday is that Jesus has turned His full attention to the cross and the brokenness of humanity. He is laser focused towards what comes next!
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