Matthew 21:1-11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, (Jesus and His disciples had come to Jerusalem and to Bethphage, which means the house of unripe figs, a name representing God's people, still unfit for consumption because they are still lost and unredeemed in their state of "greenness" and lack of ripeness. Jesus had come to celebrate the annual Feast of Passover, when Israelites celebrated the night when the Lord passed over all their first-born during the tenth and final plague that struck Egypt centuries earlier and when all the other first-born died. Jesus now prepares to make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the day we now celebrate as Palm Sunday, the day in the Jewish Passover celebration when the lamb was selected and set apart by each family to be lovingly cared for in preparation for being sacrificed on the coming Thursday evening at the Passover supper.) Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, tell Him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" (From Zechariah 9:9, this prophecy foretells that Jesus will come to us humbly on an animal used for burden bearing, not on a proud war horse or great princely steed, but riding on an animal like one which their revered King David had chosen to ride through Jerusalem. Even today the exalted and crowned King Jesus comes to us, the Daughter of Zion, humbly and gently to open and share His Kingdom with us.) The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. (While the mother of the foal represents the Jewish people upon which the Lord will base His Kingdom, but which will eventually grow ineffective and unproductive in Jesus' mission, the colt represents the new understanding given to Israel of their King and eventually the Gentiles to whom the Lord will shift His mission and through whom He will spread God's message of salvation.) 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 followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" (Their shouts of "Hosanna" or "Save" rang out praise, a word originally springing from a plea for the Lord to save them.) When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" (The huge and boisterous crowd accompanying Jesus' entry into town brought Him to everyone's attention. Everyone was talking about the new King and wondering Who He was and what events would unfold now because of His appearance. Still today, when the Lord enters the scene, He causes an upheaval and a stirring, causing new events to unfold in our lives because of His presence and prompting us to ask Who He is and what He is about in our lives today.) The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." (Still today, we often misunderstand Who Jesus really is, relegating His identification to a mere human understanding of Him and His title and not fully grasping the totality of His presence in our lives. Today, He is much more than we give credit to Him, much more than we attribute to Him. Today, He enters our lives as Savior and Redeemer and Lord, as King of kings, and Lord of lords, and Who, even in His humility and meekness, demands our attention.)
