The Triumphant Entry - Bible Witness

TheTriumphantEntryM a t t h ew 21:1- 9Errol D. StoneMeditations onthe Passion WeekThe triumphant entry of Jesus Christ orthe Messianic arrival into Jerusalemwas a joyful occasion and occurredon the Sunday prior to the crucifixion. Thiswas the first day of the Passion Week (weekof suffering). “Tell ye the daughter of Sion,Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek,and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foalof an ass” (Matthew 21:5). It is the fulfilmentof prophecy in the Old Testament of theKing unto whom salvation belongs. “Rejoicegreatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughterof Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh untothee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly,and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt thefoal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9). The beginningof the Passion Week of Jesus Christ was thecommencement of the final week of Hisministerial days on earth. The culminationof the week also saw the fulfilment of thefirst Gospel message recorded in Scripture inGenesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity betweenthee and the woman, and between thy seedand her seed; it shall bruise thy head, andthou shalt bruise his heel.”and went forth to meet him, and cried,Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel thatcometh in the name of the Lord” (John12:13). As Jesus Christ presented Himself, thepeople joyously shouted “Hosanna,” whichmeans “Save us, we pray thee” (Matthew21:9, 15; Mark 11:9-10; John 12:13).To all those who trusted Jesus as theMessiah, it was a joyous occasion. They werenot troubled by the hatred and ridicule ofthe Jewish leaders. The true believers ofthe Lord were not at all intimidated by theangry words of His enemies. Even childrenthoroughly rejoiced to sing Hosanna untothe Lord. Let the world rage in anger andspeak threatening and ridiculing words. Hispeople shall always rejoice to sing His praise.To His people, He is their “Blessed King ofIsrael,” no matter how the world would viewHim.The Significance of the TriumphantEntry of ChristThe joyous entry of Jesus Christ the Messiahis recorded in Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10;Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19. The peoplerejoiced and “took branches of palm trees,Bible Witness3

Meditations onthe Passion WeekThe Significance of the Colt(Matthew 21:2-7)The Significance of the Crowd(Matthew 21:8-11)Jesus Christ gave instructions to two of Hisdisciples to go into the village to a specificplace and find a donkey and its colt tied, thiswas the fulfilment of prophecy. The colt, whichnone had ridden before, had been preparedfor the King Himself. “And if any man sayought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hathneed of them; and straightway he will sendthem” (Matthew 21:3). The disciples loosedthe unbroken colt and brought it to JesusChrist and the stubborn will of the unbrokencolt submitted to Jesus Christ. This was thefulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.Jesus Christ thus presented Himself publiclyand officially as the promised Messiah.The Messianic arrival was five days before Hiscruel death. The Passover occurred on thefourteenth day of the month, and this wasthe tenth day, on which the law appointedthat the paschal lamb should be taken up(Exodus 12:3), and set apart for that service.On that day, Jesus Christ our Passover, whowas to be sacrificed for us, was publiclydisplayed. Yet again, our Lord has fulfilled theprophecies and types of the Old Testamentthat pointed to Him. He is truly God’s Messiahfor our redemption.The joy of the people was publicly expressedas the people greatly rejoiced when the Kingof Israel rode into Jerusalem. In their joy,they greeted Him by placing garments andpalm leaves on the paving, being an ancienthonour for a King. Shouting, “Hosanna to theSon of David: Blessed is he that cometh in thename of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest”(Matthew 21:9). The meaning of the Hebrewword “Hosanna” means “Save me now,”or “Please save” (cf. 2 Samuel 14:4; Psalm118:25).The Pharisees were troubled by the peoplecalling out “King”. They were concernedthat the Romans would construe it to be arevolt against their government. They wereexpecting a King who would lead them in amilitary manner and deliver them from theRoman rule, but the word of God says, “Andshe shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt callhis name JESUS: for he shall save his peoplefrom their sins” (Matthew 1:21). By both Hisactive obedience (fulfilment of miraclesto authenticate His ministry) and passiveobedience (humiliation in going to the Crossof shame), comes salvation through Hisrighteousness.The joy of the people quickly turned tojeers when they realized that Jesus Christwas not going to save them from Romanbondage. They failed to understand Histriumph in life, obtaining righteousness forHis people through His subsequent deathand resurrection, redeeming them from sin.His entrance was to save them from spiritualbondage and in God’s time, they would besaved from the bondage of Rome. Realisingthat Christ was not going to save them fromRome, their “Hosannas” on the triumphalSunday turned to “Crucify Him, crucify Him,”on the murderous Friday. Would you alsochange your attitude towards Christ withchanging circumstances Qand experiences?4 Bible Witness