Palm Sunday (April 2, 2023)

 

Matthew 21:1-11 ~ “Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 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. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “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.’ ” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

He deliberately began His last week in Jerusalem. Note the lowliness of Jesus. He had to depend upon friends for lodging. Up to the very end, “the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head”.

He also “drew nigh unto Jerusalem” by foot. He had no stallion, no donkey, no camel—no means of transportation. He had only what God had given Him as He entered the world, His feet, to get Him where He wished to go. How God’s heart must be cut to the core by our concern for material comfort and ease. Jesus’ face was always set toward saving and helping the world. Up to the very end, He went about His purpose untainted and un-swerved by the world. What a lesson for us!

Christ sent two disciples into the city to secure a donkey and her young colt. He borrowed the two animals from another man, probably another disciple. The Lord demonstrated His Divine omniscience to further validate His claim of Messiah-ship. As God, He knew exactly where the animals would be, the questioning about loaning them and the face that the owner would loan them. This shows how the Holy Spirit goes before us AND it also shows how when God is involved, there is no confusion.

The important thing to note is the strength and authority of Christ throughout this whole event. He assumed the position of Messiah, the Lord God (Jehovah) of all men, of their will and their property, even of their animals.

Every mission of the Lord—every task, no matter how small—is important. Going to fetch the animals was a small task, yet it was critically important in the proclamation of Christ as King. No task should ever be thought too small in the service of our Lord.

Note two things:

• Jesus encourages and comforts us with the presence of others. He seldom sends us out alone.

• How often has Christ had a mission to be done and there was no one present to do it, especially the small and insignificant missions such as this one?

The colt was borrowed. Again, Jesus had nothing of this world’s goods. In order to fulfill the Scripture that the Messiah was to enter the city riding a colt, Jesus had to borrow the colt. How materialistic we become, thinking we must have things in order to live! We even think we cannot minister effectively without the latest material things of the world (machines, equipment, methods). How unlike Christ! How this throws prosperity gospel out the window!!

Zechariah 9:9 ~ “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! 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.”

Christ had a reason for making such detailed preparations to enter Jerusalem. He was deliberately fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. The prophecy said four things:

• “Tell ye the daughter of Sion [that is, Jerusalem]”: Jerusalem was to be told, given a threefold warning. Why must she be warned? Because what she expected was not going to happen, not like she anticipated.

• “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee”: this was the first warning. Jerusalem’s King was coming, coming just as Jerusalem had expected. The people were correct in this part of their expectation. But there is danger in expectation, the danger of being so fervent in our own ideas that we miss what really happens. Fervent expectation can miss the event when the event occurs a little differently than what was expected. “Thy King cometh,” but He comes somewhat differently than expected.

• “Thy King cometh … meek”: this was the second warning. The Messiah was coming in meekness not as a reigning monarch. He was coming to win men’s hearts and lives spiritually and eternally, not physically and materially.

• “Thy King cometh … sitting upon an donkey, and a colt”: this was the third warning. The Messiah was coming not as a conqueror riding a white stallion but as a King of peace riding a donkey. He was coming to save the world through peace, to reconcile the world to the God of love, not to the God of hate and retaliation and war. He was not going to kill men and overthrow their governments (the Romans and Gentiles). He was coming to win men’s hearts and lives through the glorious news (gospel) that God loves and reconciles.

Note the prophecy and the careful preparation Christ made to fulfill the prophecy. This is significant, for it means that Christ was dramatizing His Messiah-ship—dramatizing it so clearly that men could not fail to see that He was God’s Messiah. This was God’s will prophesied generations before Christ came. God wanted His Son to proclaim His Messiah-ship so clearly that the people could not mistake what He was doing.

(Verses 6-7): Christ deliberately received the homage of the disciples. The disciples paid Him homage (reverence, recognition). They did exactly what He asked despite the uncertainty of the matter. They had no money to buy or rent the animals, and they were to be questioned about why they wanted the animals. Yet they obeyed—not questioning, not doubting.

Note the other act of homage: there was no saddle for their Lord. They cared about Him and His comfort, so they took their own outer garments and threw them across the animals. Again, this was an act of homage (reverence and recognition). In following Christ, the two men had lived a life of poverty, so they had little clothing. It cost them to use their clothing for such a humble act. The clothing would be soiled and smelly, but they cared, and they worshipped through this act.

The point is that Christ was now unmistakably claiming the dignity and rights of a King. He was not washing feet now; He was deliberately accepting their homage and reverence.

But note something of critical importance. In claiming the dignity and rights of a King, He was doing it in the humblest practice of His day: entering the city as a King of Peace. This was symbolized by riding a young colt, instead of riding the conqueror’s stallion. He was disclaiming all ideas of an earthly and material kingdom. He had come to save Jerusalem and the world through peace, not war.

There are three clear lessons in this event:

• We are to give homage to the Lord by obeying His commands. They may sometimes be difficult to understand and somewhat embarrassing, yet we are to trust and obey just as the two disciples did—not doubting or questioning.

• We are to give homage to the Lord by giving Him the best we have. He is worthy of all and due all, so we are to do as the disciples did, give Him all—even the very best of our clothing if needed.

• We worship and pay homage to Christ when we give the clothes off our back. Such is a most noble ministry and assures great reward.

(Verses 8–9): Christ deliberately received the homage of the people. And note: it was a “very great multitude” (v.8). Apparently what happened was this. The multitude had begun to gather since early morning, excitedly looking for Him who had raised Lazarus from the dead. John told us this. In fact, he said there were so many people that the Pharisees said, “the world is gone after Him” (John 12:17–19). There was the crowd of disciples already accompanying Him and the pilgrims on their way to the Passover Feast who had joined His caravan. There were also the residents of Bethany and Bethphage who had heard of His presence and the miracles, and those who were already in Jerusalem, citizens and pilgrims who were rushing out to search for Him.

We are led to imagine an enormous crowd of teeming thousands lining the roadway as Christ was helped atop the donkey to begin His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There are several facts that point toward this conclusion.

• Two or more million pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem every year for the Passover Feast. Thousands upon thousands were strict religionists, believing in the Jewish Messiah.

• The news being spread throughout the city and surrounding area concerned the miracles Christ had performed, a concentration of miracles for some days now which included the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:55-56). The very atmosphere was electric with the exciting news that Jesus was God’s promised Messiah. Multitudes had heard that He was in Bethany and Bethphage (Mark 14:1-9). As said above, there was the multitude who had turned around from Jerusalem to meet Him (John 12:17–19); there was the multitude already travelling with Him (Matthew 21:29); and there was the multitude of citizens in Bethany and Bethphage who had begun gathering around Him (Mark. 14:1–9; John 12:1). The whole thrust of the picture points to teeming thousands searching for Him and rushing out to welcome Him when they heard He was coming. (Note the words of Matthew, “the multitudes that went before, and that followed” verse 9)

The multitudes did two things.

• They received Him as King. This is shown by two acts which were always done for Kings’ entering a city. They stripped off their cloaks and cut down tree branches, and they spread both out on the roadway before Him. They wished to honor and pay Him the homage of a King. They wished to show Him that they received Him as the promised King of Israel.

• They received Him as Messiah. This is seen in what they shouted about Christ.

• They shouted out, “Hosanna,” which means save now, or save, we pray.

• They called Him “the Son of David,” which was the title of the Messiah.

• They shouted out, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” This means blessed is He who is sent by God to save His people; blessed is He who is sent with the authority of God.

• They shouted out, “Hosanna in the Highest” which means “God save, we pray. Thou who art in the Highest, save now through Him whom You have sent.”

There are several critical lessons that we must learn:

• We must proclaim Christ as our King. He is to be the King of our hearts and lives, to rule and reign over us. But note the critical question: What do we mean by King? The people of Christ’s day were willing to accept him as an earthly King; that is, they were willing to accept what authority and power He would use in their behalf. The farthest thought from their minds was the spiritual rule and reign of their lives. They wanted earthly and material benefits. How much like so many of us! We want His kingly power when in need (physically or materially), but we want nothing to do with His kingly authority over our lives.

• We must welcome Christ as God’s true Messiah, the One who has come to truly save us. But again, what we mean by save is critical. We should not presume upon His earthly care and deliverance unless we are first willing to receive His spiritual care and deliverance (salvation and rebirth, the surrendering of all we are and have).

• Every man should cry out, “Hosanna, save now, I pray O Lord.”

• We must lay all that we are and have before Christ.