“Glory From the East” 4-10-22

Overview

Glory From the East

Scripture is a book of details, and the Holy Spirit does not waste words. As Mark recounts the entry into Jerusalem in Mark 11:1-11, every detail matters: the unridden colt that fulfills Zechariah 9:9; Jesus' self-designation as "the Lord," the sovereign one who has need of it; the cloaks spread on the road, echoing the anointing of Jehu in 2 Kings 9:13; the leafy branches of festal procession; and the cry of "Hosanna"—"save us!"—which names the very work Jesus came to do.

But one detail is easy to miss. Verse 11 says simply, "Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple." To grasp its weight, we must travel back to the prophet Ezekiel. In exile, Ezekiel was given a vision in Ezekiel 11:23 of the glory of the Lord departing from the temple, rising over the city, and resting on the mountain east of Jerusalem—the Mount of Olives. The judgment was sobering: God's glory had left His house. Twenty years later, Ezekiel received a second vision, recorded in Ezekiel 43:1-5: the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east, entering by the east gate, and filling the temple again.

That promise is fulfilled in Mark 11. Jesus comes from Bethphage and Bethany, on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives. He descends from the very mountain where the glory had rested, enters Jerusalem from the east, and goes directly into the temple. He is, as Hebrews 1:3 declares, "the radiance of the glory of God." John 1:14 testifies, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory." The glory that departed has returned—in person.

And the story is not yet finished. Ezekiel's vision finds its ultimate fulfillment in Revelation 21:22-23, where the city has no temple, "for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb," and the glory of God is its light. As we walk through the details of Holy Week—the praise of Palm Sunday, the depth of Thursday, the darkness of Friday, the delight of Easter—remember that we worship a God of details. He knows every detail of our lives and every detail of our sin, and yet in love the Son came to die for all of it. The glory has come from the east for you.

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles please with me to the Gospel of Mark the 11th chapter? 2s

If you're using a Pew edition you'll find that on page 41, Mark the 11th chapter for 8s

our study today. 14s

Details. 19s

Details. 21s

The Scripture is full of details. 23s

It is such a magnificent book, is it not? 28s

There is no other book in all of history that has been studied as much as holy Scripture. 32s

Writeers that span the centuries, but one divine author. 42s

And as one opens up the pages of Scripture, the voice that one hears is God's voice. 49s

And contained in Scripture are a myriad of details. 61s

Sometimes the details are that which gives a fuller picture, perhaps of travels or events 68s

and sequencing them. 76s

Giving geography, giving a fullness for one's mind's eye as one reads Scripture. 79s

And then there are those details also that when you plumb them, when you mind them, when 89s

treasure. 108s

I want to look today at one such detail. 112s

Let's start our study in verse 1. 121s

The Scripture gives us a host of details. 125s

While there were approaching Jerusalem at Bethlehem and Bethany near the Mount of 129s

the Colves, he sent two of his disciples and said to them. 133s

Go into the village ahead of you and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied 137s

there a cult that has never been written, untie it and bring it. 142s

That's a detail. 148s

And that detail is the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy going back to Zechariah 9. 149s

We learn of more details. 156s

Going on in verse 3, if anyone says to you, why are you doing this? 158s

Just say this, the Lord needs it and we'll send it back here immediately. 163s

The Lord. 170s

Sometimes it's understood as surr, sometimes it's understood as master, but it can also 172s

be understood as supreme ruler, sovereign one. 178s

That's exactly how Jesus is using it here. 184s

That's exactly how he wants the understanding to be. 188s

More details. 195s

Verse 4, they went away and found a cult tied near a door outside in the street as they 198s

were untying it. 203s

Some of the bystandards said to them, what are you doing untying the cult? 205s

They told them what Jesus had said and they allowed them to take it. 209s

Then they brought the cult to Jesus and through their cloaks on it and he sat on it. 214s

They're making a saddle for Jesus, aren't they? 220s

But notice the next detail. 223s

Verse 8, many people spread their cloaks on the road and others read leafy branches that 225s

they had caught in the fields. 233s

That's a detail that goes back to when Yehu was anointed as king and the people. 237s

They took their garments and they spread them before Yehu, the waving of the branches, 248s

the detail in ancient day of what people would often do. 255s

When a festive processional was going by. 260s

And more detail. 267s

Verse 9, then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, Hosanna, blessed 269s

is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor 276s

David, Hosanna in the highest heaven. 283s

The detail of the word, Hosanna means, save us, save us precisely what Jesus had come 287s

to do. 296s

Details about the animal, details about the title, details about the spreading of the cloaks 299s

and the waving of the palms and the very word Hosanna being shared, detail after detail. 308s

And then there's this one, verse 11, then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. 319s

And when he had looked around at everything as it was already late, he went out to Bethany 332s

with the 12, then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. 340s

God does not waste words. 357s

So why is that detail there? 364s

Why is it there? 367s

For us to understand it, we need to go a long way back. 372s

A long way back to Ezekiel, specifically Ezekiel the 11th chapter. 378s

Ezekiel was a priest, he was a prophet and he was a prophet during the darkest darkest time 386s

with regard to Judah. 395s

God had exercised his judgment and the Babylonians were going to be the tool of judgment 398s

upon the people, the Babylonians swept in and the exile began. 405s

597 years before Jesus Christ was born, Ezekiel was among those that were exiled, exiled away from the homeland, 414s

exiled away from Jerusalem and it was there in exile that Ezekiel became a prophet. 426s

For seven years, Ezekiel prophesied that Jerusalem was going to fall. 434s

And God gave him a vision, it's recorded in the 11th chapter of Ezekiel. 446s

And the glory of the Lord ascended from the middle of the city and stopped on the mountain 454s

east of the city. 463s

And the glory of the Lord ascended from the middle of the city and stopped on the mountain 467s

east of the city. 473s

This prophet of God here receives this vision of God and the vision communicates the departure 478s

of the glory of God from the temple. 486s

The departure of the glory of God from Jerusalem. 491s

And the glory of God then leaves the temple that leaves Jerusalem and Ezekiel sees the glory 498s

of the Lord resting on the mountain as it leaves and goes east. 508s

So, what's the mountain just to the east of Jerusalem? 519s

It's the Mount of all of us. 531s

So we see the picture here, right? 536s

He is exiled here and he is prophesying and he's prophesying about the fall of Jerusalem 546s

and he says, the glory of the Lord is going to leave the temple and it's going to go 552s

east and it's going to rest on the Mount of all of us. 559s

Back to our text verse 11. 568s

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. 574s

What's the connection then between the detail in verse 11 and the detail given in chapter 583s

11 of Ezekiel. 593s

What's the connection? 596s

Let's do a little more slew thing here. 600s

Let's back up to verse 1 of our text. 604s

When they were approaching Jerusalem at the Bethlehem and Bethany near the Mount of 608s

all of us. 615s

Bethlehem and Bethany there were little villages. 618s

On the east side of the Mount of all of us. 622s

When they were approaching Jerusalem at Bethlehem and Bethany near the Mount of all of us. 631s

So that tells us something, doesn't it? 638s

It tells us that when Jesus came into Jerusalem, Jesus came from the east, right? 640s

Because geographically we've got him placed. 648s

He's going to come from the east and he's going to go through the east gate. 651s

Hebrews 1 chapter tells us that Jesus is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint 659s

of God's very be. 671s

So the reflection of God's glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is going to come from 678s

the east. 687s

He's going to come from the Mount of all of us. 689s

Where does he go? 696s

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. 700s

He ultimately came to Jerusalem to go to the cross. 708s

But the first place. 715s

The reason why he had entered into Jerusalem was to go to the temple. 718s

Why is the detail there? 729s

Because the glory of God that had departed from the temple and gone east and rested on the 734s

11th chapter of Mark, you have the glory of God on the Mount of all of us coming from the 747s

east and going where in the temple. 757s

The glory that had left had now returned. 766s

But wait, there's more. 782s

The second chapter. 787s

This is 20 years after the vision of Ezekiel 11. 790s

After the vision, 20 years later, after that vision of which the glory of the Lord had departed the temple and gone east. 795s

Now this is 20 years later and this is another vision that Ezekiel is given. 803s

And in the 43rd chapter of Ezekiel, we read this. 810s

Then he brought me to the gate, the gate facing east. 815s

And there the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. 822s

As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the spirit lifted me up and 831s

brought me into the inner court and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 839s

Now remember, this is 20 years after the vision that he had of the glory of the Lord departing. 846s

This is 20 years later. 852s

And now he's got this other vision and what's showing up again. 855s

It's that east gate again, right? 858s

What's showing up again? 860s

It's the glory of the Lord coming from the east and filling the temple. 861s

Okay, so logically we would say, ah, well this is a blueprint. 867s

For when the people are returned to the homeland, it's the blueprint of how they should rebuild the temple. 872s

Only problem with that. 882s

It's not how they built the temple when they returned. 887s

So if it was the blueprint, it didn't follow it. 892s

And when you go into the internals there, if it was the blueprint, it would have been geographically impossible for them to build this. 900s

So the vision of the temple in Zikil 43 isn't a vision of the temple for the people to rebuild 50 years later after 910s

Zikil 43, it couldn't be it. 919s

So what is it? 922s

It's the vision of the Messiah who comes from the east, comes from the east to dwell with his people. 926s

John tells us in John 1, and the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory. 943s

The glory as of a father's only son full of grace and truth. 955s

Is he 11? 964s

The glory leaves to the east, mark 11. 966s

The glory returns from the east and fills the temple once again. 970s

Zikil 43, 20 years later says, the glory is going to come from the east and it's going to fill the temple. 976s

And what is the temple that is filled but the church of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah once again comes from the east. 985s

But wait, there's more. 1005s

The ultimate fulfillment of Zikil 43 is Revelation 21 and 22. 1009s

That's the ultimate fulfillment. 1021s

It's the beauty of heaven itself where there is no temple. 1024s

There is God and the Lamb. 1031s

The vision to John 21 chapter. 1036s

I saw no temple in the city for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 1041s

And the city has no need of son or moon to shine on it for the glory of God is its light. 1048s

And its lamp is the Lamb. 1057s

The one who keeps coming from the east with his glory. 1064s

When they were approaching Jerusalem at Bethlehem and Bethany near the Mount of all of us, he sent two of his disciples. 1079s

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. 1091s

And those details point all the way back to Zikil and all the way ahead to Revelation as the glory. 1100s

The glory of the Messiah comes from the east. 1118s

Filling the temple, filling the temple of the church and replacing the temple in the glory of heaven. 1128s

We enter this week. 1150s

We enter this week into the details of Palm Sunday. 1156s

The depth of Thursday. 1163s

The darkness of Friday. 1167s

And the delight of Easter. 1171s

And we worship a God of details who knows all about the details of our lives. 1178s

All about the details of our sin. 1187s

God knows our sin better than we know our sin. 1192s

All of the details of the thoughts, all of the details of the words, all of the deeds of the actions. 1196s

All of the deeds of that which was done and left undone and God knows it all down to the most minute of points. 1206s

And yet this, the Father's Son and Holy Spirit loves us so much that the Son comes to die for all of the details of our sin. 1216s

For giving us dying and rising and redeeming us. 1233s

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. 1248s

And the glory has come from the east for you. 1260s