TRIUMPHAL ENTRY TO JERUSALEM

 FINAL ENTRY OF JESUS TO JERUSALEM

1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them,

“Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”

4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

8Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

10And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

11And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

MATTHEW 21:1-11

COMMENTARY

The narrative of the last entry of Lord Jesus into the capital city of Jerusalem accounts as one of the events with more historical background than many other minor events.

It is narrated in a very similar way in the four canonical gospels, and a loud entry with participation with most of the local population could not be invented or treated as a fable.

Jesus had not long before, resurrected Lazarus from the dead (John 11), and He made it in public. Many saw it and his fame acquired limits not expected before. This time, there was not just a lepper being healed, or a blind given the sight back; or any kind of miracle which in the incredulity of the unbelievers, could be brought to doubt or attributed to magic (Matthew 12:27). The self-proclaimed Messiah had just resurrected a deceased person in state of decomposition (John 11:39), undeniably dead, and this made the whole population of Juda finally come to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Jesus knew what was going to happen this time. His own arrest and crucifixion (Matthew 20:17-19), but never the less, He still went there to fulfill his mission on Earth, the atoning sacrifice.

He got two of his disciples to get him a female donkey and her colt to enter Jerusalem. This was given to Lord Jesus on loan by a disciple of his, whom the gospel does not mention by name (Matthew 21:3), and was one of the messianic prophecies Jesus fulfilled in his lifetime, quoted here freely from Zachariah 9:9.

The prophecy was fulfilled, our Lord Jesus entered the Holy City, gentle as He always was, seating on the colt, while the mother of the young animal followed them (Mark 11:7; Luke19:35).

The people of Jerusalem came full of joy to welcome Jesus as their Messiah. They shouted : “Hosanna, meaning in old Hebrew ‘Save us’, Son of David, and they bless Him as the Envoy of God to Israel, and praise YHWH in the highest.

They probably expected the Messiah to come as a conqueror mounting a white horse in glory and flowed by an army; but He entered humbly, seating on a humble beast, without weapons and escorted by a few of his closest followers, all peaceful men.

However, these people expected a political leader and a liberation of Roman power, but Jesus came to rescue hearts from perdition, lost souls to salvation.

Many of these same multitude, a week later, were applauding the crucifixion of our Lord, because He did not fit their worldly expectations.   

Omar Flores.

 


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