Matthew 9-21:7 NIVUK
[7] They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. [8] A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
I was born in a sport-crazy city, divided between two dominant football/soccer teams with a legendary rivalry: Rangers and Celtic. A man who once played for and managed one of these teams, Graeme Souness, is quoted as saying that in Glasgow you’re a hero for one side and a villain for the other, but you can never be a hero for both.
And there is an element of truth in that. Good news for one team is bad news for the other, and vice versa.
Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem exemplified this precisely.
Around Him there was an ecstatic outpouring of joy, almost as if something suppressed for three long years was now receiving its ultimate expression; as if a dam of pent-up joy had burst.
But for the Jewish authorities, there was not much joy. The symbolism of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was too rich; the gathering too out of control.
This celebration for them was highly problematic.
And the Romans?
For them, Jerusalem was constantly a powder keg waiting to explode. I am sure some of them would have wondered if this was going too far, if they should intervene to put an end to it. The fact they did not shows to me that this explosion of happiness was not seen by them as a threat.
Unlike the priests and the teachers of the law. For them it was a threat. And a huge one at that.
Which is why they were so keen to silence it (Luke 19:39-40).
But what was it about this seemingly beautiful event that was so threatening for the Jewish leaders?
I believe it was who this event showed Jesus to be – and that it was deliberate, intentional and accurate.
Three aspects of Jesus’ identity are shown here.
The first, and perhaps the most controversial, of these is that He is the King.
This detail is pulled out mostly by John, who notes:
John 16-12:14 NIVUK
[14] Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written: [15] ‘Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’ [16] At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realise that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.12.14.NIVUK
So we have the record in all four Gospels that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey – a foal. But He could easily have walked – as He did many times before. On this occasion, and on this occasion only, He rode a donkey.
Only John tells us why: Jesus was fulfilling an ancient prophecy from Zechariah:
Zechariah 9:9 NIVUK
[9] Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. https://bible.com/bible/113/zec.9.9.NIVUK
So just by riding a donkey through the gates of Jerusalem, Jesus was making a coded statement to the Jews that He was a king.
But there is more to it than that. Zechariah 9:10 shows that Jesus is more than any old king: He is the Messiah. This explains what happens later on.
Riding that donkey through the gates of Jerusalem was a highly significant act. It might have been one the disciples didn’t quite grasp until later (John 12:16). However, the scholars and teachers of the law – in particular the Pharisees – would not have missed it.
There is another aspect to the significance of this event. By setting Himself up as a king, Jesus was immediately a threat to the Roman Emperor. He was, in essence, a rival. Yet He was a different kind of king: not one that relied on earthly pomp and power, but one that was gentle and humble; not relying on military muscle, but on heavenly power.
His entrance likely caused the Jewish leaders to be alarmed, but likely puzzled and perplexed the Romans. Amidst all the outbursts of joy and celebration, I’m not sure they knew what to make of this, which likely explains their inaction.
But Jesus is more than a king. The people also proclaim Him to be a Saviour.
And this, again, is something that is a little coded and only apparent when we understand a little Hebrew. In fact, I have to be honest, I read this passage for many years before I spotted it.
It comes through the use of the word ‘Hosanna’. I had no idea what this word meant. Yet it is derived from two words used in Hebrew in Psalm 118:25. Essentially, it is a cry for salvation – the word that basically means ‘Oh, save!’.
It is also a cry for the hearer to succeed.
So this cry was a cry for help and a plea for that help to be successful.
But who were these people seeking to be saved from?
This is where we realise just how controversial the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem really was.
We realise who they were looking to be saved from when we read this, much later on, from two travellers on the road to Emmaus:
Luke 21-24:19 NIVUK
[19] ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘About Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. [20] The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; [21] but wehad hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
By ‘redeem Israel’, these men meant rescue Israel from under Roman occupation. It had been attempted before, and these attempts had failed (see Acts 5:34-39). Zionist thinking at the time was that the Messiah would rid Israel of her occupiers and set her free from pagan domination.
So this cry for salvation was likely more nationalistic than it was spiritual.
And that noisy cry for salvation from the Romans would likely have been one of the reasons why the Jewish leaders tried to shut this celebration down.
However, whatever the reasons, we see here that the people fully believed Jesus could save them, and that Jesus Himself made no attempt at all to silence them. In fact, when the Jewish leaders became annoyed at what was being shouted, He tells the Jewish leaders that if He silenced those children, the very rocks would cry out (Luke 19:39-40; see also Matthew 21:15-16 for how even the songs children were singing in the Temple annoyed them).
So we see Jesus proclaimed as King and Saviour.
Although He did not save the Jews from their Roman occupiers. Instead, He came to save us from our sins:
Matthew 1:21 NIVUK
[21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’
Lastly, we see Him proclaimed as Healer:
John 19-12:17 NIVUK
[17] Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. [18] Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. [19] So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’ https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.12.17.NIVUK
This was the final straw for Jesus’ opponents.
They might have been able to counter any rumours that He was a King or a Saviour, but a Healer? When people who had been driven insane by demons or to poverty through illness or even ended up lying dead on a slab were now wandering about Jerusalem, restored to full health?
That was something they could not refute.
This all reminds me of a most treasured moment from Israel’s history.
Plaguea descend upon Egypt: the plagues of blood and frogs. For Pharoah, this is not a big deal. His own magicians did the same (Exodus 7:22 and 8:7). But as the
plagues increased in their ferocity, the magicians soon realised Moses was greater than them. And all it took was a plague of gnats (Exodus 8:16-19). They realised, even if Pharoah did not, that God was at work.
And that was precisely the Pharisees’ problem: a man claiming to be a king or a Saviour they could refute.
But a man who performed miracles: who set free the demonised, made the lame dance, the deaf hear, the mute sing God’s praises, and who raised the long dead to life again?
That was something for which they had no answer.
And people from His own province, who had seen it for themselves, were spreading it like wildfire through all of Jerusalem. They were accidental, unprompted evangelists. Their only qualification was that they had seen what Jesus had done. But that was all they needed.
And the Jewish leaders could not silence them.
You see, we may have well laid our arguments to prove that Jesus is our King and our Saviour, but there will always be those who refute these.
But no-one – absolutely no-one – can refute what Jesus has done for you.
Oh they can try to explain it away. And they will. But they cannot refute it.
They may even try to silence you. But as Peter and John said:
Acts 4:20 NIVUK
[20] As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’ https://bible.com/bible/113/act.4.20.NIVUK
We are not called to be expert apologists or wise debaters or the best of theologians.
No, our call, first and foremost, above all else, is to tell people what Jesus has done for us.
So we see that this passage does not just describe a parade or a procession. If it did, it would not be unique or worth recording. I’m sure the Jews would have seen many such parades in their lifetime.
No, this passage describes a declaration: a declaration that Jesus is the Messiah; a declaration that He is King, Saviour and Healer.
It’s a declaration that reminds me somewhat of Psalm 2:
Psalms 12-2:1 NIVUK
[1] Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? [2] The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, [3] ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’ [4] The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. [5] He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, [6] ‘I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.’ [7] I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father. [8] Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. [9] You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’ [10] Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. [11] Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. [12] Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. https://bible.com/bible/113/psa.2.1.NIVUK
This is a declaration that brings a deep and impregnable division.
On one side are those who receive and believe this declaration with ecstatic, unquestioning joy and faith.
On the other side are those who see it as catastrophic, tragic, offensive and a challenge to their authority to live their lives on their terms.
Triumph and tragedy in the same event.
Tell me, Christian: how do you see it?
How do you receive the Saving, Healing King? With joy because of what He has done for you?
Or with fear for what He could do to you?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I rejoice to see Your coming. I long for you to come into my life as my Saviour, and Healer, and yes, as my King, and the One to whose authority I will submit. I do so willingly and joyfully. Amen.
Questions
1. How can such an apparently joyful event be seen as both triumph and tragedy?
2. Why were the Jewish leaders so keen to silence the joy of the Triumphal Entry? What was so offensive for them?
3. How do you receive Jesus into your life: with ecstatic joy, or with deep concern over what it might mean for you?
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