My House Shall Be a House of Prayer

Series: Stand Alone

Category: Hope, Gospel

Speaker: Jason Williams

In this sermon from Luke 19, we looked at how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey, fulfilling ancient prophesy and signaling to the Jews that their King had arrived to set them free. However, as soon as Jesus arrived, His intentions were misunderstood. The Jews thought Jesus was there to lead a revolt and set them free from the Romans and they were excited that God finally sent the King to bring political and religious freedom. Meanwhile, the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, thought Jesus was nothing more than a rebellious leader who would arouse the anger of the Roman government and they wanted Him silenced at any cost in order to protect themselves from a punitive response. Despite these misunderstandings, it’s clear in Luke 19:37-48 that Jesus didn’t arrive in Jerusalem to fulfill the desires of man; He was there to fulfill the prophetic desires of His Father. Jesus went to Jerusalem as the King of Kings, to tear down the old religious system (the Old Covenant) and establish a new way of having relationship with God (the New Covenant). No longer would God’s people need a priest to go into the temple and offer sacrifices. No longer would God’s presence be shielded from His people by a thick curtain. With His death, Jesus became the last sacrifice of the Old Covenant and, when He rose again on the third day, He inaugurated a New Covenant in which God would make His dwelling place with man again. Palm Sunday reminds us of Jesus’ willingness to suffer and die to give us access to a relationship with God.