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After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, \u201cGo to the village ahead of you, and 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, \u2018Why are you untying it?\u2019 say, \u2018The Lord needs it.\u2019\u201d Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, \u201cWhy are you untying the colt?\u201d They replied, \u201cThe Lord needs it\u201d (Luke 19:28-34).

We begin Lent with Jesus\u2019 grand entrance into Jerusalem. Yesterday, Pastor Anthony reflected on that verse in chapter 9 of Luke in which Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem. Now, 10 chapters later, he arrives. And it is very unlike Jesus to allow this kind of hype about himself. Up to this point, he had discouraged people from drawing attention to Him.

Let me give some examples. When Jesus was preaching in Capernaum a man possessed by a demon cried out at the top of his voice, "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" "Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly (4:33-35).

A little later Luke makes this editorial comment "demons came out of many people, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!' But [Jesus] rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Christ" (4:41).

When he healed a man who had leprosy, Jesus said "Don't tell anyone..." (5:14). Likewise, after he had healed their daughter Jesus ordered Jairus and his wife "not to tell anyone what had happened" (8:56). Even after Peter had confessed that Jesus was 'The Christ of God', "Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone" (9:21).

But Palm Sunday is different. Jesus takes a unique approach, making arrangements to enter Jerusalem as a king. Reading the story, we are left with the impression that this colt ride was pre-arranged. Two of His disciples are sent into the opposite village to bring him a colt no one had ridden. Among the Jews there were two things that unridden colts were used for: for sacred purposes and to transport a king. Jesus needed it for both.

Jesus wanted this particular animal, evoking the prophecy in Zechariah 9, \u201cRejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey\u201d (9).

He came to bring God\u2019s kingdom, but that kingdom could only take root if he now embodied it in himself. He had spoken this kingdom with his word; he had lived the kingdom by touching the outcast; he had shown the kingdom with his miracles. But none of that would matter if he didn\u2019t fulfil his final act, his great sacrifice.

The living God was at work to heal and save, and the forces of evil and death were gathering to oppose him. Pharaoh and his armies had failed in their efforts to prevent Moses from leading Israel out of Egypt. This is the moment of God\u2019s new Exodus, God\u2019s great Passover, and Jesus must celebrate it and offer himself as the final Passover lamb. Jesus\u2019 time had come. For this, the son of man had come to earth. All eyes need to be on him.

As we journey with Jesus to the cross, we too must choose. Do we want a Saviour who fixes only the symptoms of the problem: sickness, loneliness, and physical death? Jesus went to the cross to deal with the problem: our bondage to sin. Will we follow him all the way to the cross? Will we receive forgiveness there and new life?