“The Empty Temple”
Pastor David Moore
Old Testament reading: Zechariah 9:9-13 (NIV)
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword.
Psalm 118:22-29 (NIV)
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
New Testament reading: Mark 11:1-11
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, He sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“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!”
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Theme: Today we are examining the start of the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. We will compare King David and Jesus’ coronation as the King of the Jews. And then we will highlight what Jesus does as He goes through the crowd of people calling out around Him.
David rides in a processional in Jerusalem as a great war-hero to punish himself to the priests. Jesus rides on a donkey or a colt to the temple in Jerusalem.
David’s coronation Jesus’ coronation
-Anointed with oil -Anointed with perfume by a woman
-Crowned the king -Crowned with a crown of thorns and beaten
-Publicly proclaimed by the priests he is king -Publicly tortured and killed on the authority of the priests
What happened to Jesus as He goes through the crowd calling out around Him in Jerusalem.
The crowd coming into Jerusalem are yelling for what was sung and yelled when David was becoming king. (From Psalm 118:27) This was also recited during Passover. The people are using a Psalm that was a praise to God, to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the King. ~D. Moore
-He (Jesus) was arrested at the temple when no one was around.
-He (Jesus) withdraws to Bethany 2 miles away.
-No one to receive, anoint, crown as He (Jesus) is declared king, He is being ignored.
-The temple is empty.
Jesus became aware that to become the King was going to be hard, He knew the pain and torture that was to come later in the week. And by taking on the punishment, He overcame death and giving freely grace to mankind as the consequences of man’s sin which fell on Him. ~D. Moore
This week: Think about Jesus’ last week, think about how David’s life was preparing the way for Jesus. Think about if you were one of the disciples or Mary Magdalene during that last week. And lastly, we can only become sin free by asking Jesus to become the Lord over our life and then we will be able to be with the Savior (Jesus) in eternity.
God bless. Looking forward to Easter.