The triumphal entry

Jesus comes into Jerusalem

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

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.

Mark 11:1–11 ESV

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ ” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” 11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Mark 11:

A colt is the young of a donkey.

When did this event occur? This is what is called the palm Sunday. This is the Sunday before the last supper and before Jesus was crucified. Jesus sent 2 disciples to go into the village and there they will find a colt which has never been ridden before. If anyone asked why they are taking it, they are to say that the Lord needs it. They listened and did as Jesus told them to do.And it happened just as Jesus had told them. They saw the colt when they entered into the village and when people asked why they are taking the colt. They told them that the lord needs it and they let them go.

So Jesus was entering into Jerusalem to do the final part of his ministry. Jesus commanded that the colt must not have been ridden before. Such animals were used for sacred purposes. The people in Jerusalem would have heard about Jesus and all the things he had done. they heard that Jesus was coming and they came out to meet Jesus. They probably saw Jesus as a powerful man because he performed many signs and miracles. Only a king would be greeted this way (), and the people wanted Jesus to be their king.

Most of the people did not understand what kind of king Jesus would be. They expected their Messiah to be a great political and military leader who would free them from the hardship of the Roman Empire. But the kingdom of God is not of this world. It is a spiritual kingdom that is now growing in the hearts of people who put their faith and trust in God.

If the people thought that Jesus was to be a king with military might, what do you think they were thinking when they saw Jesus riding on a colt? They would think it looked kind of strange. What would a mighty king ride? They would ride a war horse right? But Jesus rode on a humble mule. if we think of a donkey, what kind of people rode donkeys? Workers ride donkeys. Because donkeys are used to carry things and only workers who serve their masters ride donkeys. Jesus was showing that his purpose of coming to Jerusalem was to serve his people and lead them to know God. He came as a servant king who would give his life for his people.

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

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.

Psalm 118:25–26 ESV

25 Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

Jesus came to reveal that he is the messiah, but the messiah who would save them form sin and death and not the roman empire.

Ps 118:

Jesus came to reveal that he is the messiah, but the messiah who would save them form sin and death and not the roman empire.

But the strange thing is that the animal that Jesus was riding on

They probably saw him as a powerful man. But the strange thing is that the animal that Jesus was riding on

When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, the people put their coats on the back of the donkey for Jesus to sit on and some others put their coats on the ground and also lay palm branches on the ground. This is an act that is done show respect to a king. To show that they were willing to honour Jesus. And they shouted Hosanna! which means save now. They honoured Jesus because they believe that Jesus would save them from the Romans.

The very same people who welcomed Jesus would later decide to crucify him because he did not meet their expectations.

Questions:

Are we like the people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem because we felt he could do something for us?

Will we turn away from Jesus if Jesus did not meet our expectations?