MATTHEW 21: 1 - 11 JESUS' TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

PALM SUNDAY
JESUS TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

MATTHEW 21: 1 - 11

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1) And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethpage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

2) Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her:  loose them, and bring them unto me.

3) And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

4) All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5) Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

6) And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

7) And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon.

8) And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9) And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David:  Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

10)  And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

11) And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.  King James Version (KJV) Public Domain

COMMENTARY

   To begin with, let me say this event was also recorded in Mark 11: 1 - 11, Luke 19: 29 - 40, and John 12: 12 - 19.

   Jesus had visited Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany six days prior to the Passover (John 12: 1 - 3).  He knew what lay ahead of Him and He must have taken comfort in the love of His friends.

   Then He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem through the East Gate.  Dr. John MacArthur surmises that He actually entered the city on the Monday before Passover, which would have fulfilled the Mosaic requirement that the sacrificial lamb be selected on the 10th day of the first month and kept in the household until the 14th, at which time it was to be sacrificed.  He was received by His people on the 10th, and crucified on the 14th, The True Sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world.

   He initiated His own coronation.  He sent His disciples to bring a donkey and her colt for His entry into the capital of the Jews, His chosen people.  No one else had been on the colt.  Being God, Jesus knew there would be a donkey and her colt there and the owners would gladly offer them to Him.  Since no one else had ever been on the colt, you can see that it had been reserved especially for Him.

Zechariah had prophesied about this event:  "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:  behold, thy King cometh unto thee:  He is just and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."  Zechariah 9:9  King James Version

   Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on the colt of the donkey.  There was a multitude of people in the City and they were all caught up in the excitement of King Jesus coming to set up His kingdom and put the Romans in their place.  The crowd were laying their garments in His pathway, symbolic of their respect for Him and their submission.  The palm branches were symbolic of salvation and joy.

   The crowd was crying "Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest!"   But they were to be proved to be fickle.  He came to conquer sin and death but they wanted a King to defeat Rome and take care of their desires and needs in this world.  Honestly, I don't see where any of that has changed today, do you?  I hear too many "preachers" preaching a "name it and claim it" doctrine.    I have to ask, what is more important:  your eternal soul or whether or not you drive a big, fancy car?

   The people wanted Jesus to conform to the kind of king they imagined.  They wanted Him on their own terms, and would not bow to Him any other way; even if He was the Son of God.  Woah!  But we are the same way today, are we not?  When He doesn't "perform" for us when we name it and claim it, we don't have any use for Him.  We have to stop believing this way!  Truly, I say, "if not God, then Who can you trust?  Who can be your God?  There is no other!"  Friend, trust Him now!  for more information on how to become a child of God,  click here:    https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.  There is peace and joy in belonging to Him, no matter what happens in this world!

   When the people asked who Jesus was, let me assure you, they knew.  They had been in the synagogues being taught about Him.  Today, we know who He is through being taught in church, on television, on the radio, etc.  They knew Him but rejected Him, they didn't need Him.  They surely didn't need Him to point out their sin and have them repent!  But if He wanted to conquer the Romans, that would be o.k.

What do you think?  Who do you say Jesus Christ is?  You are encouraged to leave a comment with your thoughts.  We would love to hear from you.

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