Introduction: This is good cinema stuff. It would and no doubt has made it onto the big screen with shouting, palm branches being waved, people tearing off their outer garments for the ‘red carpet’ which isn’t there, people shouting out great religious slogans. But there is much fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and ‘salvation story’ as planned by God!
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying 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. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
“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.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And 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!” – Comment: A point of confusion! Some people, as I’ve read, read that there were 2 donkeys – mother and colt, then get uptight about how Jesus could ride 2 donkeys. I suggest that He didn’t. The colt was young, had never been ridden before and mummy was brought with the colt to placate him, until Jesus sat on and immediately mastered Him. Also to fulfill scripture (Zech 9:9). Was Jesus a King? You can give several answers to this and all are right enough in the proper context. In the OT He is presented as the Messiah as sitting on the Davidic Throne as the everlasting Ruler. He was marked as King of the Jews officially by the Judean Roman leader when he had written on His Cross above His crowned head ‘The King of the Jews’. In the words above which follow in this passage, the shouting crowd recognized Him as the ‘Son of David’, surely a kingly title! So here we see the King, riding into His capital city, riding on an unbroken-in donkey colt, with the royal carpet made of used clothes and tree branches as decoration – riding in Majesty to His throne on a Cross before taking His seat in Heaven as the King of all Kings!
1. Ride on, ride on in majesty;
hark, all the tribes Hosanna cry.
O Saviour meek, pursue thy road
with palms and scattered garments strewed.
2. Ride on, ride on in majesty;
in lowly pomp ride on to die.
O Christ, thy triumphs now begin
o’er captive death and conquered sin.
10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” – Were they ashamed to, in the midst of the religious rulers, proclaim Jesus with His Royal Title and only named Him as the Galilean (country kid) prophet? Certainly in the next few days of teaching Jesus showed Himself Master of the situation. We shall look at a couple of His teachings as we head to the Cross on Friday.
Zechariah 9: 9 – 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.
Prayer: Thank You, thank You Jesus for being YOU!
As I read it! 