11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Horsham: 27th February 2025
The moment has arrived. Having walked hundreds of miles from Caesarea Philippi, down through Galilee, Perea, and into Judea, Jesus and the disciples eventually arrive at Jerusalem.
The arrival of Christ into Jerusalem was spectacular. Riding the colt of a donkey, seated on a makeshift saddle of the coats of his closest friends, at the head of a procession of his disciples and followers, Jesus arrives at the incredibly busy city. The normal population of Jerusalem would have been around 25.000 people. When Jesus arrived on this occasion, there would be many hundreds of thousands of people crammed into the narrow streets within the city walls.
‘No incident so shows the sheer courage of Jesus as this does. In the circumstances, one might have expected him to enter Jerusalem secretly and to keep hidden from the authorities who were out to destroy him. Instead, he entered in such a way that the attention of every eye was upon him.’ (Barclay, Loc 5429)
The symbolism of his Kingship would have been glaringly obvious. Excitement builds quickly in a crowd, and the noise, reverberating off the buildings in the narrow streets must have been intense. We can imagine people joining and following the procession, shouting joyfully.
Riding a Donkey… The familiar prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 is part of a wider web of prophetic writing which led the people of Israel to anticipate the coming of the King of Israel on a donkey.
‘Deeply rooted in the Jewish consciousness of the Old Testament was the hope of the King who would enter Jerusalem as their coming Messiah while riding on a donkey.’ (Sproul, p251)
Coats Laid on the street… Around 850 years earlier, in the days of Elisha, a man called Jehu , an army officer, was anointed King of Israel (2 Kings 9). When his anointing became known, ‘they all took their coats and spread them before him on the steps […] and proclaimed ‘Jehu is King’. Jehu became a powerful King, who brought to an end the notorious rule of Ahab and Jezebel. Jehu was a great King, but he was not the Messiah.
Palm Branches: The people cut palm branches to welcome Jesus. Coats were spread on the ground, as they were before King Jehu. Palm branches, symbolising joy and praise were cut and waved before him as they had been when Judas Maccabaeus arrived as King 200 years earlier (2 Maccabees 8-10). Judas Maccabaeus was a victorious king, but he was not the Messiah,
Worshipping Jesus: ‘Hosanna’ – correctly translated as ‘Save Now!’. Along with the phrase ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’, the crowd are shouting Scriptures at Jesus. They called him ‘Son of David’. God had promised David a Kingdom to be ruled over by his descendants (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Again, this cry affirms Christ as the King of Israel. They are declaring Christ as the King. They are proclaiming him as the Messiah. This is less an act of street theatre – this is an act of worship.
Keep these people quiet!: In Luke’s version of this Scripture, the Pharisees call on Jesus to silence his followers. They see him as undeserving of the acclaim he is receiving. ‘If they stopped shouting,’ says Jesus, ‘even the stones themselves would start to sing!’ (Luke 19:39-40). This is a crowd which will not be silenced. This is a move of God which will impact the whole of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, the whole of the world.
Get the Picture?: Here comes Jesus, riding on a donkey, followed by a joyful and worshipping crowd, laying down their coats, waving palm leaves.
End Piece: Imagine for a moment that you were tasked with the risk assessment. Jesus, celebrity rabbi and leader of a faction oppositional to the Jewish leadership, decides to visit Jerusalem at the height of the Passover feast when the population of the city is swollen to bursting and policed by an edgy and potentially violent garrison of Roman soldiers. What would you recommend?
You might reasonably argue for a ‘low key’ approach which would minimise the risk of hostility from the Pharisees or the Romans. You might reasonably look for the quietest route into the city, and advise Jesus’ followers to make their own way into town in small groups, dispersed amongst the crowd. This approach was not on Christ’s agenda.
He has walked many hundreds of miles to reach Jerusalem, and told his followers (at least three times) that his arrival would lead to his death.
‘Jesus came to Jerusalem to die, and he desired that all Jerusalem should know it.’ (Ryle p166)
His approach was to take the central role in a powerful and deeply meaningful scene, where no-one could miss the symbolic references. In this scene we see Jesus as the coming King of Israel. He is the Son of David. Be in no doubt, this Jesus truly is the Messiah.
Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK