1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying 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. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This 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.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
As they approached Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead to the village and asked them to find a donkey and its colt and bring them to Him. He also told them that if they were stopped, they should say that the Lord needs them and they will be released. This is another small moment that reveals Jesus’ omniscience (that as God He knows everything). The disciples did what Jesus asked and brought the donkey and colt to Jesus, laid their cloaks over them (like saddles) and Jesus sat on them (He probably rode alternating between them). This was all done to fulfil the prophecy from Zech 9:9 (and Isa 62:11) that Jesus would come in lowliness and meekness. Horses were a symbol of conquest and victory while donkeys represented peace and humility (Solomon rode a donkey into Jerusalem to claim his throne because he was to be known as a king of peace rather than of war like his father, David). Jesus came as the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6).
Most of the crowd laid their cloaks down on the road in front of Jesus and others cut branches and laid them down creating a “red” carpet for Jesus to enter Jerusalem on. The crowds led and followed him shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David” which means “Save us we pray, Son of David” (Ps 118:25). They also shouted, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Ps 118:26). As the crowd entered Jerusalem, the entire city was stirred and people asked who this was. The crowds declared Jesus as the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee, probably believing Him to be the prophet Moses had prophesied would come (Deut 18:15-18).
The crowds were excited and called out to Jesus to save them, but they were focussed on temporal things. They wanted salvation from the oppressive rule of Rome. We too can be caught up in temporal things like calling out to Jesus to save us from the pandemic of Coronavirus and returning our lives back to “normal”. Jesus did come to save Israel, and you and me. But He came to save us from what really counts, the wrath of God against our sin (Rom 5:9). Jesus didn’t do what the crowds expected back then, He did something better. Today, Jesus might not do what you want of Him but He’s probably doing something better (Isa 55:8-9; Rom 8:28-29).