A TEMPORARY CELEBRATION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Starting today, I am taking a break from our study of Zechariah to cover what is known as Passion Week, the week beginning with Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Sunday, the day of Jesus’ glorious resurrection. I pray the messages will be a blessing for you as you walk along with Jesus through His final week of earthly ministry.

You’ll recall that yesterday, we looked at these words of prophecy from Zechariah that foretold the events of what has been referred to as Jesus’ Triumphal Entry:

“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.” Zechariah 9:9

Note that this prediction doesn’t attach a time to when it will happen. It just assures the Israelites that it will happen and as we now turn to the 21st chapter of Matthew, we find the long awaited time had indeed come, the time for Israel’s new King, the King of all kings, to come and bless God’s people. Let’s look again at these words detailing Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem:

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”  Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus was traveling with His disciples and others from the east toward Jerusalem. Six days before the Passover, Jesus had already traveled through Bethany where he visited with His beloved friend Lazarus and his daughters, Martha and Mary.

Note: The Passover was observed by Jesus and His disciples on Thursday of the Passion Week which would place His visit with Lazarus and family the Friday before the Triumphal Entry.

Having left Bethany behind, Jesus came to Bethphage which the scriptures tell us was on the Mount of Olives, an elevated area which offered a spectacular view of Jerusalem as one stood on the mount and looked out across the Kidron Valley. Of interest, the village of Bethphage is never mentioned in the Old Testament and is only mentioned in this account within the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

God’s word from Matthew tells us that Jesus had sent two disciples ahead to secure two donkeys for Him, one being a colt on which Jesus would ride into Jerusalem. The other was the colt’s mother who is assumed to have traveled behind Jesus as female donkeys would often follow closely behind their young. As we already know from the prophecy in Zechariah, the colt was of critical importance in order for the foretelling to happen just as God said it would.    

And so “the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them” and “brought the donkey and the colt, placing “their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on”. The disciples weren’t the only ones present because the scriptures tell us that a “very large crowd” had also gathered, some spreading their cloaks on the road before Jesus while others cut branches from the trees and paved the road with them.  

The crowds then went ahead of Jesus, shouting the following words of praise as He moved toward Jerusalem:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

It was quite a procession, one typically reserved to honor royalty, and we read where it had an impact on Israel’s holy city as all the people within were stirred as they wondered who was coming with such fanfare. Sadly, even the crowds did not truly know who Jesus was, proclaiming Him as merely being a “prophet from Nazareth in Galilee”.

If they had only recognized that He was the Messiah who had been prophesied over and over again by the prophets, one who was coming to save the Israelites for good.

If only the people in Jerusalem who waved palm branches and cried Hosanna, really knew that this man riding in was God’s one and only Son who had come to save them.

If only the people had recognized Jesus as the Savior of all, the Lamb of God announced by John the Baptist who had come to take away the sins of the world?

If only they knew, then this wonderful celebration on Palm Sunday would have sustained and endured.

But that’s not what happened. Because many of the people who were shouting, “Hosanna!”, on Palm Sunday would be yelling, “Crucify Him!”, in just a few days. The celebration we read of on Palm Sunday, the Triumphal Entry of Jesus, was only temporary. For as we will see tomorrow, Jesus didn’t take long to start to set things straight in Jerusalem as He went about His Father’s business and set course for the cross.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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