HOLY WEEK SERIES: THE ARRIVAL OF THE KING OF KINGS

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In Christ, Mark

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

As Jesus and His disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into that village over there,” He told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’”

The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and He sat on it.

Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of Him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around Him were shouting,

“Praise God! Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest Heaven!”

So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple.

Mark 11:1-11 NLT

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

It was a Sunday unlike anyone that had come before and there would never quite be one like it afterwards.

This is because on the day referred to during Holy Week as Palm Sunday, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords came riding into Jerusalem for what would be His final week of life before being crucified. It was a triumphal entry that fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah who said:

“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

This was God speaking through His messenger, Zechariah, and we know that whatever God speaks in prophecy will happen in the future, just as He said it would.

With this, we join Jesus and the Twelve, fresh off of their dinner at the home of Lazarus the day prior, the dinner where Mary anointed Jesus feet with expensive nard in a beautiful display of adoration, dedication, and honor. We know that get together was in Bethany and afterwards, Jesus and the disciples started out for Jerusalem.

First having to pass through the village of Bethphage, Jesus dispatches two of His disciples to get Him a young donkey. He shares that they would find the donkey tied up, adding that it had never been ridden. He adds that is anyone challenged them taking the donkey, they were to simply say:

“The Lord needs it and will return it soon.”

And so the pair went into Bethphage and the scriptures tell us they “found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door”. As they were “untying it”, there were “some bystanders” looking on and they confronted the disciples saying:

“What are you doing, untying that colt?”

By all appearances, it looked like a sure act of thievery was taking place to the witnesses and Jesus already had known this would take place. This is why He had prepared his disciples as to what they were to say if challenged.

And so we read where the disciples said just what Jesus had told them to say and “were permitted to take it”. No confrontation or conflict. Just submission to the desires of the Lord Jesus. They took the donkey to Jesus and after placing their garments over its back, Jesus sat on it and the young colt offered no resistance. None.

Now, if you know anything about donkeys, you will know they are a stubborn lot and an unbroken, untrained, untamed donkey would be expected to quickly try to throw off anyone who would try and mount. But note that didn’t happen with Jesus. The spirit of the beast of burden was as peaceful as the man who rode it, the Prince of Peace who we know was Jesus (Isaiah 9:6).

To further expound on the matter of peace, we need to remember that there were many kings who had entered Jerusalem before Jesus did. Too many to mention but when they came, it would only be in a spirit of war or peace. When a king would come in a spirit of war, he would always ride into the holy city on a horse. At all other times, times defined by peace, the king would come riding on a donkey.

Don’t let this symbology escape you within the context of this special triumphal entry. For Jesus, the Prince of peace rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, signaling His Spirit of peacefulness. And going back to Zechariah’s prophecy, He rode in as a righteous and victorious King.

The scriptures convey to us that the turnout to welcome Jesus was impressive as a crowd lined the road he traveled and they were in a worshipful mood as they spread garments and leafy branches on the path in front of Jesus while shouting:

“Praise God! Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest Heaven!”

It was a scene filled with celebration and adoration, one that would make anyone wonder to themselves:

“What happened?”

For in less than a week, the cries of Hosanna and praise underscored by wishes of blessings on Jesus would be replaced with the call to crucify Him. As we move through this week, we’ll walk with Jesus to the cross and then to the tomb before He departs it in resurrection power.

As we move to darker times in the life of Christ, let’s not lose the spirit of rejoicing we find in the crowds who welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem. For just as He was then, He is indeed the King of kings and Lord of lords over all, reigning in full sovereignty and supremacy over all creation as He sits at the right hand of God, His Father and ours.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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