As we continue on our journey to Easter, we now come to the day of Jesus’ triumphant ride into Jerusalem. A day filled with joyous praise. This was the day after He had the meal with His friends and disciples. It was now time for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem as was foretold in Zechariah 9:9. He would not ride in on a white horse as in Revelation 6:2. In Revelation 6:2 He comes as a conquering King, in Matthew 21:7-11 He comes as one bringing peace. He comes as the Messiah.
Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of a donkey.”
Revelation 6:2 “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”
In Matthew 21:1-7, Jesus sends two of His disciples to go to the village and there they will find a donkey and her colt. They are to lose them and bring them to Him. If anyone asks what they are doing they are to tell them that “the Lord hath need of them.” They obeyed and brought the donkey and colt back to Him. When they returned with them, they took their outer garments and spread them on the colt. This was a common way of showing respect for the one riding the colt. This would have been very different from anything Jesus had done before. Before this, Jesus and His disciples had walked everywhere they went. I’m sure the disciples were excited when Jesus quoted Zechariah saying, “Behold the King cometh.” Now, they thought they would see their Messiah as their earthly King.
Matthew 21:1-7 “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man says ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.”
This entry into Jerusalem would signify the impending end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He was riding into Jerusalem revealing His identity as the Messiah. As mentioned earlier this was foretold by the Old Testament prophet Zechariah. The King they had been waiting for was riding into their city on a donkey, coming in peace to offer them redemption which would allow them the opportunity to reconcile themselves to a Holy God.
There was a great multitude watching and participating as they saw this man Jesus coming. They had seen and heard of His miracles, of His gentleness, and forgiveness to those who sought Him. They had heard His teachings in the temple and on the hillside. Now, He was before them as their Messiah. They spread garments in the pathway as He entered the city. This was a symbol of honor to Him.
Matthew 21:8-11 “And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
They shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” They laid palm branches before him in the street, they were excited to see Him and welcomed Him with all the accolades fit for a King. Yet, in a few days, they would deny Him and betray Him. Was it all a show? Was this praising and show of honor just an outward show of emotion? What was really behind what they did? Only God knows the motives of their hearts. However, their actions that followed revealed their worship was not from a heart that loved Jesus more than anything else. Otherwise, they would have stood by Him and continued to follow Him.
It is very easy to get caught up in the moment, when people are praising God, singing, and worshiping. It is easy inside the church for us to declare our love for God and proclaim He is first in our lives. It is easy to be part of a crowd and enjoy the music and the message on Sunday, but what will you do on Monday? On Palm Sunday will you remember the loud shouting proclaiming Him as the Son of David, the Messiah? Will you remember the sounds of praise that quickly faded into silence? A silence that was so deafening that it allowed our Savior to die on a cross for our sins. He was alone and no one dared to defend Him. It didn’t take long for the cheering to cease.
As you prepare for these events of Easter how much of you does God truly have? Will things go back to your daily routine of sleeping until the last possible minute before you must get everyone ready for the day, or will you set your clock so you can spend time with Jesus? Will the events of Easter leave you tired and glad it’s over because you spent more time on the things of Easter than the person of Easter? Don’t deceive yourself, or cheat yourself, by having Jesus as a part of your life instead of Him being your life.
