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ON THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY |
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by
Doug Ward |
On March 24, 2013, Christian philosopher and theologian William Lane
Craig was a guest speaker at Oxford Bible Fellowship in Oxford, Ohio. March 24
was Palm Sunday on the traditional Christian calendar, and so Dr. Craig's text,
appropriately, was the account of Jesus' triumphal entry of Jerusalem in Mark
11:1-11.
Dr.
Craig prefaced his remarks by observing that we have two independent accounts
of the triumphal entry-one that appears in the Synoptics,
the other in John's Gospel-which supports the historical veracity of the event.
All four Gospels agree that Jesus was hailed by a crowd of people as he entered
Jerusalem.
Mark's
account begins, "And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives ...."
(Mark 11:1, KJV) Craig explained that it was several days before Passover in
the year of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Many pilgrims were
coming to Jerusalem for the festival, following the Roman road through Jericho.
Bethphage was on the western slope of the Mount of
Olives, Bethany on the southern slope. Bethany is not on the road, but it is
relevant to the story as the place where Jesus was staying during the Passover
season (Mark 1:11-12; John 12:1).
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A
Prophet Like Samuel |
Jesus was something of a celebrity at that time, especially as news spread of
the resurrection of Lazarus. People were going to Bethany to see Jesus and
Lazarus, and Jesus was attracting many followers (John 12:9-11). Consequently
there was excitement in the air as Jesus and his disciples approached
Jerusalem. Mark reports that Jesus instructed two of his disciples,
"Go your way into the village over against you: and as
soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt
tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say
ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him
hither" (Mark 11:2-3).
When
the two disciples went to the village (probably Bethphage),
they found the colt and were allowed to bring it to Jesus, just as Jesus had
indicated (vv. 4-7). Dr. Craig observed that in this passage, and later in Mark
14:13-16, we see Jesus' foreknowledge and control of events. The Gospels
portray Jesus as a true prophet, much like Samuel, who once gave King Saul
detailed instructions about three groups of people that he would soon meet (I
Sam 10).1 In the days leading up to his
crucifixion, Jesus was not taken by surprise. Instead, the Gospels show him to
be in sovereign control, directing events according to God's purpose.
Mark
does not mention the specific type of colt that was brought to Jesus, but
Matthew (21:2) and John (12:14) identify it as a donkey. This was a deliberate
choice on Jesus' part. Jesus sat on the donkey (the only time the Gospels
mention him riding on an animal) in order to carry out the prophecy of
Zechariah 9:9:
"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."
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A
King Like Solomon |
Riding the donkey was a provocative gesture in that setting. In those days,
Craig noted, Jerusalem was a "cauldron of unrest", as the inhabitants
of Judea chafed under the yoke of Roman rule. People longed for the coming of
the promised Messiah, and many were hoping that it would be Jesus. And so when
Jesus sat on the colt, the crowd recognized the import of his actions and
responded enthusiastically:
"And many spread their garments in the way: and others
cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them
in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying,
Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in
the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest" (Mark 11:8-10).
This
acclamation was reminiscent of that received by King Solomon when he was
anointed king and rode on David's mule (I Kings 1:38-40).
After
all the excitement on the road to Jerusalem, Jesus did nothing to provoke the
crowd further, which must have been puzzling and disappointing to some of those
who had shouted and spread palm branches. Mark 11:11 records only that Jesus
"looked round about upon all things" in the Temple area, then
returned to Bethany that night with his inner circle of twelve disciples. The
time for his arrest would not come until a few nights later (Mark 14:27-28).
Again, the Gospels imply that Jesus was orchestrating events according to a
predetermined plan.
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Two
Lessons |
Dr. Craig concluded his message by pointing out two lessons. First, Mark
11:1-11 proclaims the lordship of Jesus. Here he identifies himself as Messiah
and Lord over history. Any biblical theology of divine foreknowledge has to
take into account the detailed advance knowledge of events displayed by Jesus
in the days leading up to his crucifixion.
Second,
Jesus does not always meet our expectations. The crowd was no doubt
disappointed when Jesus made no effort to overthrow Jerusalem's Roman
oppressors. Some may have lost interest in Jesus as a result. Similarly, we are
sometimes disheartened by events in our lives. At such times, we should
remember that Jesus is Lord and does not have to satisfy our desires. He did
not promise us an easy road. He suffered, and he calls his disciples to follow
him.
1For
more on Samuel as a type of Jesus, see the article "Samuel and the
Gospel" in Issue 7 of Grace
and Knowledge.
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On 04 Jun 2013, 09:51.
