The Triumphal Entry

“And when they drew near to Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying unto them, ‘Go into the village that is just ahead of you, and straightway you shall find a donkey tied, and a colt with her: untie them, and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them’; and immediately he will send them.’ Now this is to happen that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, meek, and riding upon a donkey, and upon a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ’ And the disciples went, and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey, and the colt, and put on them their garments; and He sat thereon. And most of the crowd spread their garments in the road; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the road. And the crowds that went before Him, and that followed, cried out, saying, ‘Hosanna [save now!] to the Son of David: Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.’ And when He was come into Jerusalem, the entire city was stirred, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the Prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.’” (Matthew 21:1-11)

The incident we just read comes on the Sunday of the last week in the life of Jesus Christ prior to His crucifixion that Friday. This is obviously a very important event for it is recorded in all four Gospels, but if the reader is not careful he will miss the great significance and lessons being brought forth in its message. But the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is brimming with treasure to be gleaned from its study. One of the first things that strikes the reader is that we have evidence of the supernatural powers of Jesus put on display. Jesus, as King, sends two emissaries into Bethpage to retrieve the animals, a donkey and its colt, that He would ride as He entered into His city. This is not something that had been planned in advance, for when the owners see the emissaries untying the animals, Jesus instructs His them to inform these men, “The Lord has need of them.” The owners were obviously disciples of the Lord Himself, for when they hear the phrase “the Lord,” they unquestioningly allow the disciples to take the animals with them. We also see how Jesus has supernatural power over the animals themselves, for Mark 11:2 tells us that the animal He chooses to ride, the colt, has never been ridden by a man before. It is not without significance that the colt made no resistance to having to carry the Lord on its back, proving once again that Jesus is Divine, having acknowledged power over nature itself, just as God did when He opened the mouth of the donkey to speak in Numbers 22:28 and when He sent the whale to swallow up Jonah in the deep.

Although this very same crowd in just a few short days will turn on the Lord and cry out for His crucifixion, they nevertheless at this point acknowledge Him as the true King of Israel, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The people were moved to shout "Hosanna," a Hebrew word of exclamation and adoration which means "Oh save!" or "Save now!" May we never forget to acknowledge the Lord as our Savior and King!