In pastor David Platt's recent book Follow Me, he shares the story of one of his church members who went to Thailand to serve the Lord in missions. This American was once invited to see a movie with one of his Thai friends while in the country, but before the movie started there was a video about the Thai king. As the video of the Thai king played, all those in the theater arose to their feet and sang and wept with great emotion. The short video ended and everyone returned to their seats to watch the movie. The American man could not help but ask his Thai friend why everyone was so emotionally moved by the earlier video of their king. This Thai man responded that they dearly loved their king because he was a very good king and would often leave his palace to visit their villages and identify with them. This American then shared with the Thai man about how Jesus was a King who left His heavenly throne to visit mankind and that He identified with us by going so far as to take our sins upon Himself on the cross and rose again three days later.
In the account of the triumphal entry, the gospel writers each describe the way Jesus entered Jerusalem astride a donkey's colt and given a royal welcome. Luke shares with us two very different perspectives on Jesus' approach to Jerusalem; that of his disciples and that of the Pharisees and Jews. The crowd of Jesus' disciples are those who had followed his miracles and welcomed him with worship and praise. Although these disciples enjoyed Jesus' ministry among them and welcomed him properly into Jerusalem with the shout of Psalm 118:26, John shares with us how even they were confused as to His future crucifixion that await him only days away. These were the same fickle people who rushed to make Jesus King in John 6:15 and would soon cry out, "Crucify Him". Nevertheless we see Jesus accepting their praise and worship. No other individual in the Bible accepted worship from men, except King Herod who was then eaten by worms. The angels even rebuked those who attempted to worship them, saying they were only servants as well. But what does Jesus say when the Pharisees cry out, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples"? He not only does not obey them, but He indeed rebukes them, saying, "I tell you, if these were silent the very stones would cry out" (Luke 19:39-40). Stones don't cry out verbally, but Jesus declares that His worship is so essential that all of creation itself will burst out into worship and praise if men do not give the King of creation His due glory. The interesting thing is that Jesus had just shared a parable earlier in Luke 19 that was intended for the Jewish people who had rejected His being Messiah. Just like those in the parable who cried out, "we don't want this man to reign over us", so the Pharisees and Jews did not want Jesus as their king and much more reflected the cry of Israel in the Old Testament for an earthly king when in fact God was their King. In the scene just followed Jesus' triumphal entry we see Him weeping over the city of Jerusalem and declaring that they didn't recognize the time of God's visiting them, even pronouncing judgment upon them for this.
Before you think to yourself, "You go Jesus! Show those pesky Pharisees whose boss! Send those Romans to destroy that city of Jerusalem because they didn't welcome you as King of kings!", let me invite you to examine your own heart. We're so quick to condemn those in the Bible who did not properly respond to Jesus, but we often fail to properly understand our condition before God. The Bible actually leaves us all in the position of these Pharisees and Jews. From the preacher to the people to the president God's Word declares that we have all been born into this world as enemies of God and hostile to His commands (Col. 1:21, Rom. 8:7-9). We are not only born sinners, but we choose to sin and rebel against all God's commands. As far as any spiritual life within us, there is none (Eph. 2:1). We have all joined in with the crowd who cried out, "Crucify Him". We agreed with the Jews, saying, "We don't want this man to reign over us!" (Lk. 19:14). As C.J. Mahaney once said, "Until we see the cross as something done by us, we cannot see the cross as something done for us".
You may be thinking, "I have always been a God lover and I have always been a Christian". If you think this is so then congratulations because you're the only person on the face of the planet who has ever been born a God lover and a Christian. Regretfully you are mistaken if you believe you have always loved God. God's Word declares just the opposite. We each have set up our own kingdoms in direct opposition to God's Kingdom. We would rather dictate our own plans and pleasures than God. We don't want God reigning over us at all because their is no place left on the throne of our hearts, for we alone occupy it. The good news is that God was gracious enough to visit us. The King was kind enough to identify with us. On Good Friday, about 2,000 years ago, an Israelite man climbed a hill in Jerusalem with a heavy wooden crossbeam on his back in great agony. This same man was nailed to a piece of wood and hoisted above the bystanders. This same man was barely recognizable as a man since He had endured flogging with a Roman torture device intended to leave one at the very front door of death. This same man cried out in agony amidst the darkness of the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!"
Colossians 1:13 reads, "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son". If you have never surrendered your heart and life to Jesus, you have been announcing your defiance of His Kingdom. Those who fail to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus' Person and work on the cross to atone for them are enemies of God today and will face a punishment eternally worse than that of a city being destroyed. Stop resisting King Jesus and welcome Him with repentance and faith. If Jesus is your King already because you've been born again, don't let the rocks cry out before you. Let your life be so lived that others would see you have a King who has identified with you by taking your sins on Himself and give Him the daily welcome that He so rightly deserves in your life.
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