I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 11. I thought it might be helpful for us through this Passion Week. Today being Palm Sunday and then Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, to really use Mark's gospel as a basis to look at these wonderful events at the end of our Lord's life. As you're turning there, I've decided to call today's message Deity on a Donkey. Mark chapter 11. We'll read down through to verse 11. As they approached Jerusalem at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, go into the village opposite you and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there on which no one yet has ever sat and tie it and bring it here. If anyone says to you, why are you doing this? You say, the Lord has need of it, and immediately he will send it back here. They went away and found a coat tied at the door outside in the street, and they untied it. Some of the bystanders were saying to them, what are you doing untying the coat? They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. They brought the coat to Jesus and put their coats on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy palm branches, which they had cut from the fields. Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting, Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David. Hosanna. and the highest. Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple, and after looking around at everything, he left for Bethany with the 12, since it was already late. This reads the word of God. It didn't seem at all like Palm Sunday. In fact, no one there thought of it as Palm Sunday, though it was. April 9th, 1865. What an unusual day for those people who gathered together to celebrate quietly, not flaunting it, but deep down inside, gratefully relieved. Others with hearts breaking because of the years of bloody sacrifice and struggle until finally the day arrives. This was a day that was a mixture of humiliation and defeat, blood, sweat, tears, and victory, triumph, and freedom. Robert Edward Lee was meticulously dressed in his well-pressed gray uniform. The stars on his collar were highly polished. He had arrived on Traveler, the horse, the muscular mount. He walked up the steps of the McLean house and took his place in the parlor. He looked every bit the part of a commanding general, deep red silk sash hanging from his chest with his shiny silver sword at his side. You wouldn't know it by looking at him that he had just completed another bloody battle. He's awaiting the arrival of Ulysses S. Grant, Lieutenant General. He's on his way also on horseback. He's more than a little late, but let him tell it, he's right on time. And what a contrast between General Lee and Lieutenant Grant. Fifteen years younger, three inches shorter. Biographer Jay Winnick in his work, April 1865, says Lee was tall and stately. Grant was stubby and grumpled. Grant arrived swordless, wearing a private's shirt. Interestingly, one biographer said that one of Grant's buttons were in the wrong place. His boots and trousers were muddy from the ride. His hair was uncombed and matted. He looked nothing like the commanding general of the Union Army, as he and Lee faced each other for the first time in two decades, having fought in Mexico years earlier. But this time was different, because now the fight was over. There was a new sheriff in town. even though he didn't look like much. Grant represented victory. Lee represented surrender. Both stood stern-faced as they had business to do at the table. And Lee, as you know, surrendered the Army of Virginia and ultimately the Confederate Army. April 9th, 1865. Palm Sunday. The beginning of the end of the Civil War. Victory and surrender. And all of that led to a death six days later. A death would occur that would stun the world. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln. If you and I journey much, much further back, you and I would encounter a scene very much like this one. Yes, it occurred in another place far, far away where people spoke another language and the circumstances were somewhat different. And talk about a contrast. Some were staring, they were shell-shocked. Others were praising, putting their palm branches on the road. Some understood, others were at a loss. Interestingly, whether in 1865 or back in the first century, both scenes were scenes of victory and surrender, and both occurred on Palm Sunday. I wonder, if Jesus were to ride into our city, would we recognize him? Or would it be like when Ulysses S. Grant rode into town, that's who? Riding on what? Why? Because when we think of the kings or queens of the world, we think of coronations as events of immense pomp and circumstance. They would be as grandiose as possible. There would be public ceremonies of honor. They would likely be raised on a shield or raised on a sacred throne or presented with a spear or a sword or a crown or a robe of distinction or a suit of armor, always in the sight of all the people. There would be religious features along with historic features, military features. Perhaps you remember in 1838 when Queen Victoria was inaugurated as the Queen of England. The crown that was given to her was quite amazing. It has rubies and sapphires and pearls, and the crown was capped with a 309-carat diamond. And then she was given a royal scepter, and at the top of the royal scepter was a 516-carat diamond called the Star of Africa, one of the most magnificent stones the world has ever seen. Now, what's the point of all this? The point is that coronations and events were full of grandiose splendor, and the expense was unlimited so that the glory of the earthly king could be proclaimed. But see, in our text this morning, we have a very different kind of coronation, don't we? It kind of leaves you scratching your head. You sort of don't know how to feel, I mean, this is our Lord, and this is his triumphal entry, and yet we know the end of the story. One of my seminary professors said that the triumphal entry is misnamed as such, but rather should be titled, here's a long one, the prophetic fulfillment of Israel's humble Messiah who rides on in silence to redeem, not to rule. One of the first assignments we had in seminary as we were working through both the Old and the New Testament was to do chapter titles. And they were limited to six words each. He broke his own rule right here. But you know what? He's right. He says, if you want to read about the real triumphal entry, read Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19. Because see, this coronation is marked by humility, not glory. It was a somber coronation in many respects. There would be triumph and tears. And even though this is the king of kings, and thus he alone has the right to rule and to reign, here we see him as the humble king who rides on in silence to redeem. That's our bottom line. Jesus is the humble king who rides on in silence to redeem. In other words, he's a paradox of sorts. Hence why I've titled the message Deity on a Donkey. For this is no ordinary king and therefore this is no ordinary coronation. It's the paradox of Palm Sunday. We might even call this a very bizarre event. It is a false coronation of the true king. This is why it is such a strange event. This was unlike any other coronation in the history of the world, because not only will the crowd turn on him in a matter of days, all of this was said to fulfill scripture. Right before this, Jesus says in Mark 10 in verse 32, that this is why they were going up to Jerusalem. He says in verse 33 that he took the 12 aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him, saying, behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. Verse 34, they will mock him and spit on him and scourge him and kill him. And three days later, he will rise again. That's the plan. He laid it out. And that's how Mark begins this final week. Jesus was not planning to take the throne. He was not planning a coronation. He came to die. Before he will ever come to reign, he had to come to die to redeem. And this is the week, Palm Sunday. Now, in order to capture what's going on this morning, I want to give you my outline up front to help you sort of follow the flow. Let's look at the prophetic arrival, the ironic approval, and then the tragic appraisal, the prophetic arrival, the ironic approval, and then the tragic appraisal. Let's look at the prophetic arrival. Verse one says, and as they approached Jerusalem at Bethphage, Bethphage means house of figs, And Bethany, which means house of affliction, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples. Verse two says, and he says, go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. Verse three. And if anyone says to you, why are you doing this? You say, the Lord has need of it. And immediately, one of Mark's favorite words, he will send it back here. You ask the question, how does Jesus know all this? How does he know that? He knows all this and he knows all that because he is God. This is his omniscience on display. He knows every donkey, every colt, every hare in their mane, every post, everything that can be known that exists, he knows. He knows everything there is to know all the time for all eternity, unless, for his own purposes, he restricts his knowledge, as he did on occasion in his incarnation, as well as referring to the timing of a second coming. This is evidence of Jesus's omniscience He even knows what the unnamed man will do when the disciples go to take the donkey. Verse three says again, and if anyone says to you, this is a first class conditional, which means, and they will say this, why are you doing this? You say the Lord has needed it. And immediately they or he will send it back here. See, Jesus knows that whoever owns this animal knows who the Lord is. This must be a believer or a group of believers. This must be someone who has put his faith and trust in the Lord. No explanation needed. Just say the word. Just say the Lord has need of it and immediately he will send it back here. He knows how he will respond. He knows where the animal is. He even knows where the man is. He knows what the man believes and he knows what they will do. That's divine omniscience. You know, the disciples needed to know that as well because it would be more than a little awkward stealing somebody else's animal off the street willy nilly. Verse four says, they went away and found a coat tied at the door outside in the street and they untied it. Verse five, some of the bystanders were saying to them, what are you doing untying the colt? By the way, just as a footnote, Jesus probably told the disciples about the significance of a colt being tied to a wooden pole. Write this verse in the margin next to the phrase, you will find a colt tied there. Here's the verse, Genesis 49, 11. Which says, speaking of the Messiah, who would come from the line of Judah, that he ties his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine. What does this mean? This means that everything is happening according to plan. This is the dawn of the messianic age. And as a result of this rain, in the end, there will be such an abundance of grapes that the Messiah will tether his donkey to his grapevine with no concern as to how much the donkey will eat. In other words, the vine will be so strong that you could tie a donkey to it. There is coming a day when donkeys will be hitched to grapevines. And Jesus is saying this to his disciple so as to signal to them that the day, that day is drawing near. But before he ties his donkey to the choice vine, he himself has to be tied to the wooden post, the wooden post of the cross. And so verse six, says, then they spoke to them just as Jesus had told them and they gave them permission. Does this register at all with you, what just happened? Jesus said that such and such would happen, this is what they would say and this is what they would do. Don't worry though, tell them the Lord has need of it and they will gladly let you borrow it. This is divine omniscience. Let me just stop right here and ask this question by way of application. Do you find comfort in God's divine omniscience? If you're like me, you may not at times find much comfort in the doctrine of omniscience. Maybe you're like me and from childhood you have known all too well that God knows every little thing that you do. You see, it was only later that I understand that God's omniscience is a great benefit for the believers. For example, it's comforting to know that in the vastness of the universe, I am not lost in the crowd. That while God has every single person who's ever lived to be worried about, he has every single second, every single bit of his attention on you and on me. God knows me personally and everything about me. David understands something of this when he writes in Psalm 56, eight, you have taken account of my wanderings. You've put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? See, God not only knows what's going on in your life, but he cares about what's going on in your life. And God's not like us. He doesn't close the books at the end of every month like we do. He misses nothing. His eyes are on your life and His ears are attentive to your prayers. He not only sees, but He also never forgets. He is eager to show up in your life and always at just the right time. He's never early, but He's never late. He's always on time. Do you believe that? Life's unexpected jolts, they sort of grip us with such fear that we can scarcely go on, don't they? We even tend to get like that when we see it coming from a mile away. That's because we live in a culture that regularly confuses humanity with deity. The lines get blurred. It's the kind of what I like to call sloppy theology that suggests God sits on the edge of heaven thinking to himself, wonder what they'll do next. How absurd is that? No, God is omniscient. He's all-knowing, and this implies clearly that God never learns anything, that nothing ever surprises him. From the moment we are conceived to the moment we die, we remain safely within the frame of his watchful gaze and his sovereign plan. And so what did the disciples do? Verse 7, they brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it and he sat on it. This would be like putting a blanket on the back of an animal to provide some comfort. Why is this here? Is this just to give us a little tiny footnote on the deity of Christ? I mean, didn't David ride a mule in 2 Samuel 13, 26? Or how about his son Solomon in 1 Kings 1 during his own coronation? And what about Absalom? Is this supposed to connect Christ with David and Solomon showing Jesus to be the true king? No doubt he is that, but in my mind, that's not the main point. All this was to fulfill scripture. What scripture? Matthew 21.4 says, this took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet. What prophet? Zechariah. 500 years before, Zechariah 9.9 says, rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem. This is where we get the idea of triumphal entry. He says, behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Jesus comes into the city in fulfillment of prophecy. That's why we're calling this the prophetic arrival. He comes to fulfill the prophet's words, just as Zacharias said he would. This is not his true coronation, but this is that event. He comes humbly on a donkey's colt, because he comes not to reign, but to die in order to redeem us from our sins. He is just, and he is endowed with salvation. And this isn't spontaneous. This is all part of God's sovereign plan. Picture this, Jesus, your savior, the savior of the world, riding into the city on the back of a young donkey on his way to the cross. What a lowly, humble scene as Jesus comes into Jerusalem. Where's the chariot? Where's the noble steed or the white war horse? A donkey. This is a three-year-old donkey. And remember, donkeys are not tall animals. And a coat is even shorter than the donkey itself. This is a three to four-foot, three to four-year-old donkey. Here's the picture. Jesus is riding into the city, feet probably dragging on the ground, sitting on at least two of the disciples' coats to prop him up with thousands upon thousands of people looking on. Maybe you're like me and you're wondering, what's the donkey thinking? G.K. Chesterton wrote a poem about this donkey and what he was thinking. It goes like this. When fishes flew and forest walked, and figs grew upon thorn. Some moment when the moon was blood, then surely I was born. With monstrous head and sickening cry and ears like errant wings, the devil's walking parody of all four-footed things. The tattered outlaw of the earth of ancient crooked will, starve, scourge, deride me, I am dumb, but I will keep my secret still. Fools, for I also had my hour, once far fierce hours and sweet. There was a shout about my ears and palms before my feet. The donkey has a secret, and the secret is Jesus is the Messiah. Now you won't believe what happens next. Let's look at it. The ironic approval. Verse eight says, and many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. Why would they spread their coats in the road? For two reasons. One would be because this is an old ancient gesture or custom which said in effect, you can walk on me. You can step on me. I am below you. You can walk all over me because it's your right as the true king. Kings were always elevated and people were under their feet and this would be a way to symbolize that. It showed submission. It showed reverence. It showed humility. You see it in the coronation of Jehu in 2 Kings 9.13, which says, they hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps and blew the trumpet saying, Jehu is king. It says, I am absolutely submissive to you. It signifies that this is the true king. The garments were used as you could call them red carpets to create the illusion of a purple covered path. This is an affirmation. You are our king. We bow before you. However, what is so ironic is that the other reason you would place your cloaks or your coats down before someone would be during an execution, you know this, the stoning of Stephen. Acts 7.58 says, when they had driven him, that is Stephen, out of the city, they began stoning him and the witnesses, here's what they do, laid aside their robes, same word as used in Mark 11. The robes, the coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. They set their outer robes down so that they could be more accurate with the stones and throw them harder down on top of Stephen. The rows would be bulgy and baggy and it was hot and they didn't want to get blood on them. So they laid them at the feet of Paul. This also shows that they trust Paul, but also that Paul was in hearty agreement with it all. But how does this play into our understanding of the triumphal entry? because it shows the irony of the whole ordeal. Their hope for the king and his kingdom was really high. They had high hopes, but they had their own ideas of how it all was supposed to play out. Their hopes were superficial and earthly, not spiritual and heavenly. And so in an act of dramatic irony, they foreshadow their rejection. and stripping themselves in a sort of non-humorous irony, they prophesied that in less than a week's time, they will turn on Jesus. They will go from applauding him to accusing him, and yet they are the guilty ones. Mark is here showing us who the real guilty party is. They expected him to do what they wanted him to do, and when he doesn't, they turn their backs on him. They will go from shouting, save us, to kill him in a matter of days. Just a few days later, they will completely reverse their sentiments. Why? Because he didn't do what they wanted him to do. When Jesus came into Jerusalem, they were ready to hail him as their Messiah if he did for them what they wanted, but when he didn't, they turned on him so fast and began to cry out for his blood. I mean, didn't they know? Of his credentials as the Messiah? Of course they did. And yet, when Jesus doesn't deliver the goods, they turn right around and stab him in the back. Here's an implication for us. Because when Jesus doesn't do what the sinner wants him to do, the sinner will turn on him. And that applies to both believers and unbelievers, doesn't it? Can I tell you something? False coronations, change of hearts like this happen every single day. They go on all the time. We get caught up in all the hoopla about Jesus, and we may even cry, Hosanna, save us now, in a moment of desperation. But I will tell you, as soon as it's time to follow him as Lord, or when Jesus doesn't deliver the goods of a happier, better life, or whatever else we fallen sinners want, we will turn on him. Let me ask you a question. What will it take for you to turn your back on Jesus? Is it 30 pieces of silver? Is it persecution? Is it suffering? Beloved, to turn your back on Christ is a very deadly thing to do, a very dishonoring thing, a very dangerous thing. But see, what a true follower of Christ wants is what will glorify God. Honor Christ, not grieve the Holy Spirit. The sinful heart can be very interested in Jesus. It can be very religious even until push comes to shove and Jesus proves to be something altogether different than the wax, clay, nose Jesus that you can shape any way that you want. Instead, we should be saying this, reign in my life according to your will, not mine. And so the crowd shows their fickle, flip-floppy, felty approval of him by placing not only coats, but palm branches in the road. It says that some of them spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields, verse nine. Palm branches in scripture, can be symbols of salvation and joy as they are in Revelation 7 and verse 9, which says, after these things, I look and behold a great multitude, a crowd, which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the lamb clothed in white robes and palm branches were in their hands. They cried out with a loud voice saying, salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb. It was a symbol of victory. It was saying to God, you are our deliverer. You are our source of joy. It was a symbol of salvation. Thus the crowd was caught up in the hysteria, the drama, the emotion of the moment. And those who were in the front and those who followed did the same thing. They were shouting. They kept on shouting over and over, at least until Jesus passed by. And what did they shout? 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. This is not an indiscriminate rabble. This is not gobbledygook. This is Psalm 118, which we read earlier in the service. This is called the conqueror's song because 100 years before they were shouting it for Maccabeus because he was triumphing over the Syrians. They're shouting Hosanna, which means save now. It means, save us now. They're shouting, save now, Messiah. Save us, Son of God. Do it, Lord. But see, Jesus is the true conqueror, and he was going to save them, but not in the way they thought. This is mob hysteria. Now, everything that's shouted is true, scriptural even. And Jesus is the king, but their timing and theology is way off. This leads me to one final thought, the tragic appraisal. Verse 11 says, Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple, and after looking around at everything, he left for Bethany with the 12, since it was already quite late. That's a rather inconsequential end to a coronation, don't you think? and yet I believe it says everything about the sad state of affairs that Israel was in. That's because this isn't the true coronation, and he knows that he's not really their king. What is he telling us? I'll tell you what Jesus is doing, and I'll tell you what this text is telling us. Jesus is casing the place. He's planning his strategy for the next day. What happened the next day? Good question, I'm glad you asked. Then they came into Jerusalem and he entered the temple and began to drive them out. But I think there's something else here. I think there's more here than meets the eye. Because not only is Jesus casing the place as a symbol of God's judgment on Israel, but God in Christ is leaving the temple again, just like in Ezekiel 8. Ezekiel 8, 9 says, then he said to me, go in and see the wicked abominations that they are committing here. So I, Ezekiel, entered and looked, and behold, every form of crawling things and animals and detestable things with all the idols of the house of Israel were carved on the wall all around. And standing in front of them were 70 elders of the house of Israel. Verse 12, then he said to me, do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the rooms of his carved images? For they say, the Lord does not see us. The Lord has abandoned the land. And he said to me, yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing. And all of this continues in Ezekiel. until chapter 10 when God literally leaves the temple because God can't take it anymore. Verse 18 of Ezekiel 10 says, then the glory of the Lord departed from the temple. What does this mean? It means Jesus left the temple to signal that they've missed it. That's why this is a tragic appraisal. They missed it even though it was all there in the scriptures, standing right in front of them in the flesh. And yet, they had made God's house, the temple, a robber's den. What a shame. This is sad. Simply put, this is a tragedy. He had made his appraisal of the wicked corruption of their twisted religion. This is pagan idolatry. And these are Jews. But you know, as I thought about this appraisal, many of us Christians have defiled the temple too. I think of Ralph Kuyper's story about the guy who went into the cathedral and he wanted to worship at a certain shrine. And there was a sign hanging around the idol's neck that said, do not worship here. This shrine is out of order. There's a whole lot of us Christians who should have that sign around our neck. Do not worship here. This shrine is out of order. We have turned God's temple into a den of robbers, which by the way is where Satan lives. I mean, doesn't John 10 one call him a thief and a robber? This leads me to ask you a question. If Jesus were to show up today, What would be his appraisal of you? What would be his appraisal of Calvary? Would it be etched in stone for all eternity? Do not worship here. This shrine is out of order. Would it be that while there's a lot of hustle and bustle, there are really no signs of life? If he stopped and had a look around, would he rush out the door of your heart because you have made his father's house into a shrine to some idol, be it your religion, be it making money, your career, your marriage, your kids, sex, you name it. I was listening to a sermon, and at the end of it, the pastor was saying how he was struck. He got to spend some time with an older pastor that he venerated. that he looked up to and he asked the pastor, what are you praying for? And the pastor turned to him and said, I'm praying that I won't die a dirty old man. Are you going to die a dirty old man? Or maybe a bitter old woman? Unless we forget, the real triumphal entry is not here. It's in Revelation 19. Why don't we turn there as we close? Revelation 19, you can find it. Make a huge turn right, all the way to the back. If you see a bunch of words with a bunch of definitions, you've gone too far. That's a concordance. Revelation 19, verse 11. And I saw heaven opened and behold, a donkey, no, not a donkey, a white horse. And he who sat on it is called faithful and true. And in righteousness, he judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire and on his head are many diadems. And he has a name written on him, which no one knows except himself. I can't tell you the amount of times people ask me, what's the name? I don't know, no one else does either. Verse 13, he is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies, which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That's the triumphal entry. The picture here is of a Roman conqueror who is coming back in a triumphal procession. He's coming to a great battle to triumph and to enter into glory of that triumph. A general would ride to war on his white horse. He would come with his battle garb leading his tremendous battle troops, and they would engage in war. And when the war was won, he would then come to Rome up the Via Sacra and the main street of Rome to the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill. And there he would enter into his glory. Here, John sees Jesus no longer coming in humility riding on a colt, but in this case, he sees him as a conqueror. And white is not only the color of war chargers and an ancient Roman world, but it was a symbol of purity, a symbol of peace, of unblemished holy power. And in fact, everything in that imagery is in contrast to the humble foal of a donkey, which Jesus rode into the city. Where are you in this? I think it's safe to say that you're not Jesus. So that leaves you with two options. Either you are part of the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, following him on white horses, or you're one of the ones who will be crushed underneath his feet as he treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. What a scary thought. Look, you either have to crown him or you have to kill him. Either you have to accept him or reject him. And if you reject him, God have mercy on your soul. This is the returning Christ, the returning King. And this is the true triumphal entry. Has anyone ever seen this before? No, it's not Sancho Panza. This is a statue commemorating John Simpson. He enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force in August of 1914, popularly known as the man on a donkey. Simpson enlisted as a Field Ambulance Stretcher Bearer, a role given only to the physically strong men. Apparently, during his time in the Australian military, he used at least five different donkeys, but probably the most famous one was Murphy. Simpson knew no fear and moved unconcernedly amid rifle fire, steadily carrying out his self-imposed task. And he frequently earned the applause of the crowd and from many of his fearless rescues of wounded men. Private Victor Laidlaw with the Second Field Ambulance wrote in his diary of Simpson's death, another fatality I found out today. was a private in the first field ambulance. He had been working between the base and the firing line, bringing down the wounded on a donkey. He had done invaluable service to our cause. One day he was bringing down a man from the trenches and coming down an incline, he was shot right through the heart. It is regretted on all sides as this chap was noticed by all and everybody got to know him. One couldn't miss him as he used to always work with his donkey, cheerful and willing, this man goes to his death as a soldier. Now picture your king. coming to you in fulfillment of prophecy, gentle, meek, humble, riding on a donkey to rescue you, the wounded. Now to ride on a donkey is to take the position of a servant. And any general who rides into a battle on a donkey is going to be slaughtered. And Jesus Christ comes into the city, riding like a servant, standing between you and hell. And he was shot right through for you. He's not the man on a donkey. He's the God-man on a donkey. But see, the difference between Simpson and Christ, John goes to his death as a soldier. Jesus goes into death as your Savior. This is the gospel, don't miss this. Salvation, the gospel, is the king becoming the servant, rescuing wounded soldiers, and instead of afflicting wounds on a war horse, he takes them riding on a donkey. He bears them, Isaiah 53 5, by his wounds we are healed. And it's when you see him doing all of that for you, he will mean everything to you. You will worship him, you will serve him, you will love him. Jesus is the gentle king, the humble king, the king on a donkey. He's deity on a donkey. And if he comes into your life, he will turn you into a gentle, humble servant. And if that doesn't sound like fun, then hang tight. Because it's as that old rugged cross song says, on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross. the emblem of suffering and shame. And I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear. Then he'll call me someday to my home far away where his glory forever I'll share. So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down, I will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it someday for a crown. Keep clinging to the cross. Keep carrying your cross. And as you do, know you will exchange it someday for a crown. I want to close with a testimony. Listen to this. Because how Shakir became a Christian and entered full-time ministry is one of the most fascinating testimonies I've ever heard in my life. Pastor was riding with him in the car, and during a lull in the conversation with an Iraqi in the car whom he had known for several years, asked the meek-looking and mild-mannered Pastor Shakir how he had become a Christ follower and a pastor. Were you raised in a Christian home? I asked through our translator. No, he replied quietly. I was raised a Muslim. Really? I said a bit startled. What did you do before becoming a pastor? He said, I was a Jihad commander. I gulped. You don't say. I thought he certainly had my attention now. Please tell me your story. Shakir graciously agreed. He explained that he was born in 1975 to a devout Muslim family and that as he grew up, he became deeply religious. Even at an early age, he loved going to the mosque regularly, and by the age of 17, he had joined a secret radical Islamic movement. He studied hard and learned quickly, and before long, he was teaching the Koran in various mosques. My leaders, he says, then sent me to a military training camp where I was trained to lose light weapons, pistols, machine guns, and RPGs against the infidels, he told me. I was so excited because I wanted to do jihad for God, so I thought. I was fully convinced that the Christians were blasphemers, and that if I killed them, I would be blessed. After successfully completing Terrorism 101, one day, one of Shakir's radical Muslim disciples came to him and said that someone was distributing Bibles to everyone in the machine shop where he worked. The disciple was very angry and told Shakir that he had cursed out everyone in the shop, collected all the Bibles, and promptly destroyed them all but one. He brought one Bible, a New Testament, to me and said I should read it and see how to react and to counter it. So I took the Bible home and that night began to read the gospel according to Matthew. I read the book very fervently to find all the blasphemies and corruption, Shakir said. But I discovered the words starting to affect my mind, and my heart started changing. These were powerful words, not human words. They seemed to me like God's words. But I thought to myself, how could this be? Shakir became deeply troubled. He kept reading through Matthew, but was ashamed of himself because rather than finding fault with these Christian scriptures, he found himself completely intrigued. He had so many questions, but whom could he ask? He couldn't very well start discussing the life and teachings of Jesus with the members of the terrorist cell group he was leading. He couldn't very well ask questions of the terrorist leaders above him. He didn't dare seek out any Christians. So night after night, he kept reading the Gospels, searching for answers. The more he did, the more troubled and anxious he became. And this went on for several nights. One night, he said, I was really pleading with God fervently to show me the true straight path, and that night I had a dream. I find myself standing on the side of the road. There was a large crowd gathered on both sides of the road, and they were cheering and very excited, and I realized that they were awaiting a parade to go by. So I looked down the road to see who was coming. I saw many prophets riding on white horses coming towards us. Suddenly, David was riding by. and Abraham and Moses riding on high, strong horses. Everyone was cheering and then I was cheering. I was so excited to see these kings and these prophets. And I kept waiting. I kept waiting for Muhammad to come riding by as well, but Muhammad never came. He was not in the parade of the prophets. Instead, at the end of the procession, I saw another person riding, but he was riding on a donkey instead of a horse. He was wearing a white robe and his face was covered by a white shroud. When this person approached, for some reason, I heard myself calling out to him and asking, are you Jesus? But his face was covered by a white cloth, so I couldn't really see his face at that moment. But when he heard my question, the man pulled the cloth away from his face and smiled at me and said, yes. Something came from his face that filled me with a joy I've never felt in my whole life. I started shouting, I saw Jesus, I saw Jesus. But as soon as I woke up, I realized that my pillowcase and my sheets were all wet around my head. Because I realized that at some point during my dream, I had been crying. I had been sobbing in shame for all my sins, for all my hatred. He said, I felt a strong joy and I wanted to find my Muslim disciples and tell them that I loved them and that Jesus loved them. Shakir explained, after that dream, my life was completely changed. I was eager to evangelize, to tell people about the love of Jesus Christ. I couldn't contain that joy. The more I read of the gospels, the more I felt I had to tell people about this love of God, even the people that I hated. This was not easy. He said, I was mocked and persecuted by many. Once I was beaten by eight people. I was nearly assassinated three times, but it's okay. Why is it okay, Shakir? Since I came to know the Lord Jesus as my savior, I am ready to offer my life as a sacrifice for him. Look, your testimony might not be the same. No two testimonies are alike, but you better believe the change will be. Are you ready to offer your life as a sacrifice for Jesus? Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you that in it, our savior, Jesus Christ, is revealed. And whether we're studying Mark 11 or Revelation 19, we see Christ in all of his glory. Christ, thank you for the sacrifice. Thank you for your atoning death. Thank you for the cross to which we cling. Help us with eyes of faith and hearts full of repentance and trust to look to you, to cling to you, that our lives would be what Shakir's testimony was We saw Jesus. We've been with Jesus. We love Jesus. Christ, all this, this week, all of our lives, is a testimony to you. Holy Spirit, seal these truths in our hearts that the gospel would fall on good ground and bear much fruit for his glory. It's in his name that I pray, amen.