By Shirley Mitchell
“They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 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!’ ”
The Mount of Olives is a ridge about two and a half miles long on the other side of the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem. From this mount, Jesus instructed His disciples to find a donkey with her colt beside her. Scholars say the mother was most likely taken to calm the colt. The time had arrived for Jesus to enter Jerusalem, the “city of peace”.
Jesus had walked throughout Galilee and Jordan; yet, on this glorious day He chose to ride into Jerusalem to fulfill prophecy. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was nothing like a Caesar’s triumphal entry with fanfare and Roman guards that sometimes continued for two to three days. A Caesar or a conquering general would ride on a chariot of gold pulled by stallions. Officers would display the banners from the defeated armies. At the end of the procession, slaves and prisoners in chains would be forced to march through as the spoils of victory. Jesus’ entry was nothing like that. His followers were the lame, the blind, children, Galileans (of all things!), and the peasants. However, His entry did declare that a king was coming. When ridden by a king, the donkey was an animal of peace. However, when a king rode a horse, it was an animal of war. Jesus was presenting Himself in Jerusalem as the Messiah while His earthly ministry closed down.
Jews traveled to Jerusalem for the weeklong Passover feast. The road was filled with Jews on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The custom of their day was to spread out cloaks on the ground ahead of royalty like a royal carpet. The people cut down branches from the trees to wave in welcome. They shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”, and “Hosanna in the highest!” Hosanna is made by two Hebrew words:
1. Hosha – “to save”
2. Na – “help, please”.
The people were shouting, “Save us, please”. Most people believed Jesus would now set them free from the oppression of Rome. They expected Him to be a national ruler who would exalt the nation of Israel and restore it to its former glory. The nation’s highest hope for centuries now filled the air. Tears must have run down the women’s cheeks. The men were so happy they weren’t sure if their hearts were going to keep on beating. Maybe they were skipping, leaping, patting each other’s shoulders, shaking hands, and hugging each other.
The Jewish leaders did not miss the significance of Jesus riding the previously unridden colt into Jerusalem. They knew He was fulfilling the Zechariah 9:9 prophecy. Yet, the Jewish leaders rejected the Messiah. They must have cringed at this unbridled spectacle. This mob could turn against the authority of the Roman rule and bring the Roman sword against the city.
Jesus saw through the crowd’s infectious enthusiasm. He knew what would happen in just one week. Therefore, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. The Greek word for wept is klauso which means “to weep, wail, lament, implying not only the shedding of tears, but also every external expression of grief.” Klauso is weeping from the pit of one’s soul. It is much deeper than the tears that Jesus shed in the story of Lazarus. When He saw Jerusalem, He wept loudly and demonstratively. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Jerusalem, the “city of peace”, did not recognize the “Prince of Peace”. The truth was hidden from the people.
I never want the truth to be hidden from me! I want to recognize what He brings in my life that will bring me peace. Don’t you?
Pray with me: Oh, Lord, my God, I join the crowds who rejoice in the coming of my Savior. I know the peace Jesus brings. I know the wounds He heals. I know the freedom of the chains that He has broken. It makes me want to skip, leap, and celebrate. Help me to recognize what will bring me peace. It’s in the Name above all names and the Name that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.
Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study
“They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 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!’ ”
Matthew 21:7-9
The Mount of Olives is a ridge about two and a half miles long on the other side of the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem. From this mount, Jesus instructed His disciples to find a donkey with her colt beside her. Scholars say the mother was most likely taken to calm the colt. The time had arrived for Jesus to enter Jerusalem, the “city of peace”.
Jesus had walked throughout Galilee and Jordan; yet, on this glorious day He chose to ride into Jerusalem to fulfill prophecy. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was nothing like a Caesar’s triumphal entry with fanfare and Roman guards that sometimes continued for two to three days. A Caesar or a conquering general would ride on a chariot of gold pulled by stallions. Officers would display the banners from the defeated armies. At the end of the procession, slaves and prisoners in chains would be forced to march through as the spoils of victory. Jesus’ entry was nothing like that. His followers were the lame, the blind, children, Galileans (of all things!), and the peasants. However, His entry did declare that a king was coming. When ridden by a king, the donkey was an animal of peace. However, when a king rode a horse, it was an animal of war. Jesus was presenting Himself in Jerusalem as the Messiah while His earthly ministry closed down.
Jews traveled to Jerusalem for the weeklong Passover feast. The road was filled with Jews on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The custom of their day was to spread out cloaks on the ground ahead of royalty like a royal carpet. The people cut down branches from the trees to wave in welcome. They shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”, and “Hosanna in the highest!” Hosanna is made by two Hebrew words:
1. Hosha – “to save”
2. Na – “help, please”.
The people were shouting, “Save us, please”. Most people believed Jesus would now set them free from the oppression of Rome. They expected Him to be a national ruler who would exalt the nation of Israel and restore it to its former glory. The nation’s highest hope for centuries now filled the air. Tears must have run down the women’s cheeks. The men were so happy they weren’t sure if their hearts were going to keep on beating. Maybe they were skipping, leaping, patting each other’s shoulders, shaking hands, and hugging each other.
The Jewish leaders did not miss the significance of Jesus riding the previously unridden colt into Jerusalem. They knew He was fulfilling the Zechariah 9:9 prophecy. Yet, the Jewish leaders rejected the Messiah. They must have cringed at this unbridled spectacle. This mob could turn against the authority of the Roman rule and bring the Roman sword against the city.
Jesus saw through the crowd’s infectious enthusiasm. He knew what would happen in just one week. Therefore, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. The Greek word for wept is klauso which means “to weep, wail, lament, implying not only the shedding of tears, but also every external expression of grief.” Klauso is weeping from the pit of one’s soul. It is much deeper than the tears that Jesus shed in the story of Lazarus. When He saw Jerusalem, He wept loudly and demonstratively. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Jerusalem, the “city of peace”, did not recognize the “Prince of Peace”. The truth was hidden from the people.
I never want the truth to be hidden from me! I want to recognize what He brings in my life that will bring me peace. Don’t you?
Pray with me: Oh, Lord, my God, I join the crowds who rejoice in the coming of my Savior. I know the peace Jesus brings. I know the wounds He heals. I know the freedom of the chains that He has broken. It makes me want to skip, leap, and celebrate. Help me to recognize what will bring me peace. It’s in the Name above all names and the Name that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.
Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study
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