(Pt. 1)
“They brought the donkey and the colt, laid
their clothes on them, and set Him on them. A very great multitude spread their
clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on
the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out,
saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of
the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”-Matthew 21:7-9.
The
triumphant entry is the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem on what we know as
Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Jesus’ crucifixion. It is one of the incidents
in Jesus’ life that is captured within all four Gospels.
The
story is unusual in that it was totally out of character for Jesus to draw that
kind of attention to himself. Typically he told people things like “Go and tell
no one” or “My time has not yet come.” However, this occasion was special. It
was going to initiate a sequence of events that would ultimately lead to his crucifixion;
not his coronation, as many would hope.
In
Matthew 21:2 Jesus gives his disciples some very specific directions:
“Go into the village opposite you, and
immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and
bring them to me.”
This
was done to fulfill what was written by the Prophet Zechariah:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter
of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your King is coming to you; He
is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of
a donkey.”-Zechariah 9:9.
Jesus
purpose for riding into Jerusalem on a donkey was to make public His claim to
be Israel’s Messiah and king in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. It is
evident in the behavior of those who were with him that day, that they
recognized the significance of the event,
as they began laying their cloaks and branches down in front of him as
an act of homage towards the king.
Unfortunately,
the praise that many lavished on him, although genuine, was misguided as they
did not recognize him as their Messiah (Savior), but rather welcomed him as
their deliverer; expecting him to set them free from Roman bondage. Although he
came to save them, it would not be in the way they anticipated.
His
journey into Jerusalem led him to the temple where he encountered and witnessed
once again the abuses that were taking place inside the temple and once more he
overturned the tables of the merchants and money changers.
The triumphant entry is a foreshadowing of
Christ’s second coming. Jesus will one
day return to the earth, east of Jerusalem, to the Mount of Olives; from there
he will enter the Eastern Gate and travel to the temple mount where he will
judge the abuses that he has witnessed for generations.
Before
Jesus came into the Temple to judge the second time, however, he revealed
himself as Israel’s Messiah; exposing his true identity to the hearts of men.
How would they respond? Would they ignore him, crucify him, or worship him?
Pastor
Scott Burr
Dayspring
Community Church
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