This year during the season of Lent through Easter Sunday morning we are continuing what we started during our Advent season, that is we are looking at some of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, passages including His life, trials, suffering and crucifixion and finding the New Testament passages that confirm their fulfillment in our Savior, Christ Jesus. Today we take a look at Jesus’ Triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which we will celebrate on Sunday.
By inspiration of God, both Zechariah and Isaiah foretell of the events of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Zechariah writes, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). And Isaiah writes, “Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him’” (Isaiah 62:11).
Jesus is king, but not in the sense of being an earthly king. No where in scripture are we given any indication of Jesus’ kingdom being an earthly kingdom. His is and always has been a heavenly kingdom, an eternal kingdom. In the Garden of Eden God’s promise was always a promise of forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven. To Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and to all of Israel His promise was always pointing to the ultimate fulfillment of heaven.
And so, as king, Jesus comes riding into Jerusalem, humbly, mounted on donkey, a symbol of peace. Jesus riding into Jerusalem in peace looks forward to the events about to take place, events which bring true peace, that is the peace of sins forgiven and eternal life in heaven.
Thus, Jesus enters to die, to bring our recompense. Indeed, the very reason Jesus came to earth, entered human history, and was born was for this purpose, to fulfill God’s promise of a Savior, a Messiah, One who would pay the price for sin, the sin of Adam and Eve and for all people. Jesus was born to restore the broken relationship between God and man.
In his account of the fulfillment of these prophecies John writes, “13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ 14And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written.” (John 12:13-14a). As we have said before, there were those in Israel, especially the Pharisees and teachers of the law who had given up on or had forgotten the promise of a Savior from sin and were simply looking for a new social political Savior as they had witnessed in their past history. And there were those who are still looking for a Savior from sin and thus recognize Jesus as their Savior and came to welcome Him into Jerusalem and praise Him.
Of course we would understand that it was not of their own recognition, but by the power of the Holy Spirit those who gathered to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem recognized Him as the King of Israel. And again, Jesus comes in peace. He does not come into town as a conquering King, although that will be His ultimate triumph as He rides into Jerusalem for the last time in order to go to the cross to pay the price for sin and ultimately to rise again defeating sin, death and the devil.
In his account of these events the Gospel writer Matthew gives a fuller account as he writes, “1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord needs them,” and he will send them at once.’ 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5‘Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”’ 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ 10And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’ 11And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.’” (Matthew 21:1-11).
From Matthew’s account it would seem likely that Jesus had prearrange the events as He instructs His disciples where to go to find the donkey and her colt, what to say to the people, perhaps as a password and what to do. It may be that these disciples had some apprehension as to His instructions, but certainly having seen Jesus perform many miracles they believed His word and followed His instructions.
As Jesus begins riding into Jerusalem the crowds begin to gather and follow after Him. He rides in, not as a conquering hero, but as one who comes to bring peace. Jesus has been teaching and preaching for three years and those who heard His message and those to whom He has given faith and understanding are there recognizing Jesus as the one long expected promised Messiah. The people spontaneously began to take their cloaks and to cut palm branches and spread them on the road, much like a “red carpet” in our world today. They welcomed Jesus and sang praises to Him.
The crowds spontaneously begin to sing parts of the great Hallel, the doxology used on great festivals. The Holy Spirit stirred in the heart of the people to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and King, as the crowd openly confessed, “This is the prophet Jesus.” “He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
What does this mean? Once again, as always, we see that God’s Word is efficacious, that is it effects, it does what it says. Here we see that God said it and God brings it to fruition. God spoke by the prophets, Zechariah and Isaiah and God brings their word to fulfillment as rehearsed by Matthew and John.
As we hear of this Palm Sunday event and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with praise, and as we will later move to Thursday, Maundy Thursday and Friday, Good Friday of this Holy Week and the chant of the crowd to crucify Jesus we might get the idea that this is probably not the same crowd that gathered on Good Friday. Although, knowing and understanding sinful human nature, there may well have been some or even many in this crowd who were there with the crowd on Good Friday as well. Even as we see happening in our world today, a mob crowd and a riot or quite dangerous. People get caught up in the mod and riot so that they no longer can think or speak for themselves.
Here it needs to be said and reiterated, Jesus came willingly and gave Himself. His life was not taken from Him. Here we see what great love our God has for us, a love so great that He did not spare His only Son, but gave Him up for us all. Greater love can no one have than that they would lay down their life for another. And while we were yet sinners, in our sin, fighting as enemies of God, Jesus came to give His life for ours.
Once again we are reminded that Jesus is our prophet, priest and King. Today, as our King, we see Him riding into Jerusalem for the last time, riding humbly, riding ready to go to the cross, ready to give His life for ours. We see Him being given the praise He so well deserved and the recognition of being the Son of God.
Jesus comes into town to complete the work He began. He came preaching repentance and forgiveness. He came bringing comfort, healing, casting out demons, raising from the dead. He came demonstrating that He is true God in human flesh. He came to fulfill what we are unable to do. He came to do what Adam and Eve could not do, what all of Israel could not do, what we could not do, live in perfection. And He came to take all our sins upon Himself and to suffer and die to pay the complete price of eternal death and hell for us in our place. And He did. He earned and He gives the forgiveness He earned and with forgiveness is life and salvation. He gives faith, forgiveness and life.
God said it and that settles it. God said the price for sin would be death, but knowing that we would sin, He promised that He would take care of our sin, which He did. Today He continues to move and stir in us to repent, to be given forgiveness and to share that forgiveness and His words of salvation to others. He stirs in us to rejoice and say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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