What’s below is an excerpt from the soon to be out, Ashes to Fire, Vol.2.
Blessings! Dan
Palm Sunday
TRIUMPHAL ENTRY
Scripture
John 12:1-2, 12-16
Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead.
The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,
“Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!”
Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:
“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.
Look, your King is coming,
riding on a donkey’s colt.”
His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.
Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign.
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice, O people of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.
Some Thoughts
Just to give us a little context for this pericope; we’ll retrace recent events. Jesus had raised Lazarus but a short time ago. There had been a party at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus to honor Jesus. Many people, both friends and the curious, had come to see both Jesus and Lazarus. The sibling’s home was in Bethany just outside Jerusalem. Their party was last night, Saturday, and now we come to today, Palm Sunday. There was a buzz all over Jerusalem. Jesus was coming to town!
Like an out-of-control forest fire, word had been spreading about Jesus’ raising a man from the dead. This demonstration of Jesus’ power over death brought things to a breaking point as far as the religious leaders were concerned. Jesus was no longer a perceived challenger; he was an actual threat to their power and their interpretation of Scripture. His claim to fulfill the law put his authority above their oral tradition and interpretation of the law. He not only spoke on behalf of God, he claimed to be equal with God! The Pharisees and Sadducees plotted to do away with Jesus and with Lazarus as well. Jesus knew this would be his final week on earth. His earthly life and mission pointed to these very days. To prepare for his entry into Jerusalem, he sent two disciples to get a donkey, one on which no one had ever ridden. He told them what to say, and it happened just as he said. You know the story quite well.
The account is fascinating for several reasons. To begin with, Jesus’ riding on the back of a donkey does not seem all that appropriate for a supposed king. Really, a donkey? We need to know a little more Old Testament history and culture of the day. All the people shouting had heard about the glory days of King David, Israel’s greatest king. They also knew the Messiah would come from the royal tribe of Judah. Many knew Jesus’ genealogy hence their shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David!” With the waving of palm branches the hosannas also echoed the victory of the Maccabean revolt in roughly 160 BC. Jesus was fulfilling Old Testament prophecy and they knew it. In the peoples’ mind, now was the perfect time for Jesus to lead the revolt they had been waiting for and overthrow of the Roman occupation. But Jesus didn’t do what they expected or hoped would happen.
There is another note regarding the donkey. You will recall that when David’s son, Absalom, rebelled and stole the kingdom from his father, King David fled Jerusalem in sackcloth and ashes traveling on the road up the Mount of Olives some 1,000 years earlier. Now Jesus, the Son of David, was fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah by riding into Jerusalem via the very same road on which his kingly ancestor had escaped a millennium earlier. See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zech. 9:9). What irony! Jesus came to bring peace, the peace of a heavenly kingdom, not a political overthrow. His riding on a donkey underscored this truth.
You see in this culture the donkey was the royal limousine. It was a gentle and humble animal, portraying the picture of a king coming in peace, not to do battle. Horses or mules, on the other hand, were signs of wealth, power, war, and aggression. Interestingly, God did not tell the children of Israel to gather horses or buy them from Egypt (Deut. 17:16). God, not horses fought Israel’s battles. Donkeys were the humble working servant of the economy. For example, Job had camels and donkeys, but no horses. By contrast, in Revelation 19:11 we read of King Jesus riding on a white horse in the final victorious battle where the beast and false prophet are defeated and cast into the lake of fire.
The peoples’ response in this passage reminds me of our response to God all too often. There are times when we have been in a difficult situation and want release from a self-imposed stress or outside pressure, and we have prayed that God will in effect do our will and get us out of our plight. Then when God doesn’t do what we think he should in our time frame, we complain, we doubt, and we might even get angry at God or each other in our frustration. Don’t forget. The point in the triumphal entry is not the peoples’ response, but rather the magnificent, costly unfolding of God’s plan to bring healing and restoration to all peoples. It was not about the peoples’ wishes or assumptions then, and it is not about us and our wills now. Rather, we should kneel in the Garden of Gethsemane with our Savior praying, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Remember, the triumphal entry pointed to Jesus’ mission. The donkey was the vehicle for the unfolding of the Father’s will. Let’s be the donkey, carrying Jesus to the world.
Music “Ride On King Jesus,” Moses Hogan Singers
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, you entered a rebellious city filled with fickle people who had their own ideas as to what, when, and how you should rule. Sounds too familiar. Forgive the arrogance in my own heart which often expects and wants the specific things of you. Open my ears and let me hear your voice. May the reminder of the humble, gentle donkey be in my heart today and throughout this holiest of weeks as I reflect on your great love and sacrifice on behalf of all your people. Forgive my aggressive ways and calm me down to quiet service to you that your name may be carried wherever I go. In the Messiah’s name I pray. Amen.
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