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by
Doug Ward |
All four canonical Gospels describe Jesus' dramatic arrival in Jerusalem about
five days before Passover in the year of his crucifixion and resurrection (Jn
12:1-12). As Jesus rode from Bethphage on a donkey, a crowd of pilgrims spread
cloaks and leafy branches on the road and hailed his coming with joyful shouts.
This event, traditionally known as the Triumphal Entry, is commemorated by
Christians each year on Palm Sunday.
Each
Gospel account contributes to our understanding of what happened. From John we
learn that Jesus had been in Bethany, two miles from Jerusalem, visiting his
friends Mary and Martha. There he raised their brother Lazarus, who had been
dead for four days, back to life (Jn 11). News of this miracle spread quickly,
attracting people who wanted to see Jesus and Lazarus (Jn 12:17-18).
Mark
11:1-11 and Luke 19:28-35 explain that when Jesus began the walk from Bethany
to Jerusalem, he sent two disciples to Bethphage, where they would find a young
colt that had never been ridden. They were to untie the colt and bring it to
Jesus. Matthew 21:1-7 adds the information that the colt was a donkey, that it
would be with its mother, and that the disciples were to bring both animals.
All three Synoptic Gospels agree that Jesus sat on the colt after his disciples
draped it with cloaks.1
Seeing
Jesus on the colt may have reminded onlookers of the reference to a donkey and
a donkey's colt in Genesis 49:11, or to Solomon's riding King David's mule when
he was anointed king (1 Ki 1:38-40). More importantly, as Matthew 21:5 and John
12:15 point out, Jesus' actions evoked the messianic prophecy of Zechariah 9:9:
"Behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
The
symbolism of the donkey was not lost upon the crowd. They waved and scattered
leafy branches, and they expressed their messianic hopes by shouting words from
Psalm 118:25-26: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the
highest!" (Mk 11:9-10) These are actions associated with the Feast of
Tabernacles, and more broadly with hailing a conquering ruler. Judas Maccabeus
received similar acclamation in 164 BC when his victories led to the
rededication of the Temple (2 Macc 10:6-8). So did Judas' brother Simon when he expelled the Syrian
forces from the Akra citadel in 141 BC (1 Macc 13:49-52).
This
rejoicing may have continued for some time. In those days, whenever someone in
a group of Jews shouted, "Blessed is he who comes," it was customary
for the others to automatically add, "in the name of the Lord!"
Scholar David Instone-Brewer has suggested that
children in the crowd may have enjoyed starting this cheer repeatedly in order
to get others to respond in the usual way. (Matthew 21:15 mentions children
cheering in the Temple area the next day.)2
Not
everyone in the crowd was comfortable with the celebration. Some Pharisees told
Jesus to rebuke his disciples. He responded, "I tell you, if these were
silent, the very stones would cry out" (Lk 19:40). His reference to stones
reminds us of some previous verses in Psalm 118: "The stone that the
builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is
marvelous in our eyes" (vv 22-23).
After
coming to Jerusalem, Jesus visited the Temple area before returning to Bethany
that night (Mk 11:11) Supporters of Jesus may have been disappointed that he
made no move to gather troops or call for the overthrow of Roman rule. However,
we should not conclude, as some have, that the crowd cheering Jesus during the
Triumphal Entry became the crowd that called for his crucifixion a few days
later. This second crowd was likely composed of an entirely different group of
people-e.g., Temple authorities who saw Jesus as a threat to their status quo.
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A
Fuller Understanding |
Jesus' disciples at first did not comprehend the full meaning of the Triumphal
entry, but their understanding grew in light of subsequent events (Jn 12:16).
This fuller understanding is reflected in the Gospel accounts. In riding a
donkey's colt that had never had a rider, Jesus demonstrated his authority over
creation and hinted at the coming of the "peaceable kingdom"
described in Isaiah 11:6-9. His actions pointed to the prophecy of Zechariah
9:9-11, which pictures the Messiah as one who brings salvation and peace to the
nations and whose rule will extend "to the ends of the earth."
Significantly, God declares in Zechariah 9:11 that "because of the blood
of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free ...." This
prophecy reminds us of Jesus' intention to lay down his life for the sins of
mankind on this trip to Jerusalem (Lk 9:22, 51; Mt 26:28).
Both
Matthew and John link Zechariah 9:9 with prophecies from Isaiah. Matthew 21:5
connects the Zechariah passage with Isaiah 62:11: "Say to the daughter of
Zion, 'Behold, your salvation comes..." John 12:15 makes a connection with
Isaiah 40:9: "...Fear not; say to the cities of Judah, `Behold your
God!'." These verses from Isaiah complement Zechariah 9, speaking of the
deity and mission of the Messiah.
All
four Gospels portray Jesus as the promised Messiah. They also emphasize Jesus'
detailed foreknowledge and control over the course of events. One has the sense
that he was orchestrating everything that happened during Passion Week, from
the Triumphal Entry to his arrest and crucifixion. All of these things were
carried out according to a predetermined plan. When we, like Jesus' first
disciples, find life hard to comprehend, we can take comfort in the fact he is
in charge as that plan continues to unfold according to the divine will.
1When Matthew 21:7 says
that Jesus "sat on them," it means that he sat on the cloaks spread
on the colt, not on both animals.
2See
The Jesus Scandals, Monarch Books, 2012,
pp 43-48.
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On 24 Mar 2024, 15:30.
