Passover Entry
PASSOVER ENTRY: A DELIVERING OR SAVING MESSIAH
Was Jesus entering into Jerusalem as a conquering delivering messiah, or as a messiah that came to save each of us? We know the answer, or do we. Lets pray -
Open your Bible to Luke 19:35-42.
35. And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.
36. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.
37. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the might works that they had seen;
38. Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
39. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
40. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
41. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42. Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes.
What is your understanding concerning the triumphal entry into Jerusalem? Is it one of a joyous procession, one in which all are happy, with dancing and singing. Do visions of waving palm branches and singing of Hosanna, hosanna to God in the highest from scenes that have been seen in movies, plays, and other media come to mind? Are these similar to your understanding of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem? Expand on the concept of arriving of a donkey – entering as a king, clothes of the path, etc.
But, what was really going on with this entry into Jerusalem? In order to understand these verses more completely it is necessary to better understand the cultural understanding of the Jewish people concerning this entry into Jerusalem. The mindset of the Jewish people is important to understand in order to understand the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The Dead Sea scrolls assist in understanding this period; in fact the Jewish people had two different messiah types in mind. Which one was expected by the Jewish people is the question.
Lets quickly examine these verses we read earlier, along with these from Matthew 21: 8-9, which says: “And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. Why palm branches? What was the significance of this event? These are additional questions that require an answer in order to answer what was Jesus proclaiming with his entry into Jerusalem.
From Luke verses 35-36, we understand that Jesus had traveled to Jerusalem coming from the east and arrived on the east side of the Jerusalem metropolitan area atop the Mount of Olives. First point to understand is that historically, from Ezekiel 43:1-5 it was understood that the glory of God (His presence) would one day return to the Temple from the east. Also, the Temple doors faced the east and the temple door was left open on a specific day to allow entry into the temple by the Messiah. From these well-known ideas the Jewish people knew that from this approach the coming messiah would enter into Jerusalem. The Dead Sea scrolls describe this coming messiah as a warrior king, one similar to King David. The people were expecting a conquering messiah. So, it is not surprising that many false messiahs would proclaim a deliverance from the oppression of the Romans. And so, the people understood Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem from this perspective, a perspective that is revealed the actions of the people.
In what manner are the people proclaiming that they were expecting a conquering messiah? It is interesting that the palm branch was the symbol of the last free government in Israel prior to the oppression by the Romans, and Hosanna reflects an understanding of salvation from oppression similar to that experienced during the escape from Egypt. Both of these symbols were reflective of times when freedom from oppression was obtained. And this is exactly what the people arriving in Jerusalem were coming to celebrate! Matthew 21:8-9 with its description of the cutting of palm branches, and the crying of Hosanna was a proclamation by the people that Jesus show to an expected conquering messiah. Additionally, when they were laying down their clothes on the path, again they were seeking to demonstrate that they were looking upon Jesus as a conquering messiah. So, when the disciples began to celebrate and cry out proclaiming the wonders associated with Jesus, the rest of the people easily became aroused even further.
The situation was a sensitive one, and one that was not lost on the Roman government. Every year, during this religious holiday the Romans were in Jerusalem in force. And for good reason, for many times, the false messiahs would proclaim to be the deliverer of Jerusalem, generating tremendous public sentiment leading to extensive riots and public demonstrations. These events were handled with typical Roman efficiency! No wonder that the Pharisees desired that Jesus would ask the disciples to be quiet and cease from proclaiming the many miracles that Jesus had performed; they were afraid that the Romans would send forth legionnaires to quell the celebration.
So the people seem to be proclaiming that Jesus was indeed a messiah, a messiah that was a conquering messiah one that would bring salvation from the oppressive Romans.
But, something else should also be understood concerning this day on which Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. Jesus chose to entry into Jerusalem on the day of the lamb, the day on which the lamb to be sacrificed during the Passover ceremony is selected. Why? The lamb was sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people and was a lamb without blemish. This is the type of messiah that Jesus was desirous of being accepted of by the Jewish people and not the conquering messiah! The reason for this statement is due to recognition and analysis of the reaction of Jesus to the celebration and on seeing the city of Jerusalem. Looking at verse 41 we see that Jesus looked at the city of Jerusalem and wept. Jesus’ next statement indicates the reason for the weeping. Verse 42 states that “If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes.” What this seems to state is that the understanding of the joyous crowd and those within the city of Jerusalem was mistaken. Jesus is stating that the messiah being proclaimed by the people is not the conquering messiah of salvation, but rather the messiah lamb of redemption. Jesus was weeping since the people had not understood the reason that he had come to Jerusalem. If they had, then the salvation of the Lord would have occurred, not from the oppression of the Romans, but rather from the oppression of sin.
What then does this have to do with you? Isn’t it easy to accept a conquering messiah, one that removes oppression and performs great wonders and miracles that would validate the claims of the conquering messiah? Isn’t this what we all desire as we look towards Jesus, a messiah that solves all of our problems and makes our lives wonderfully easy and peaceful? But Jesus is not that type of messiah. True, one day Jesus will come back as a conquering messiah, but for now, he is the messiah that comes into each of our lives as a redeemer from sins. He seeks each of us out to join with him in a special manner.
How do I know this?
Discuss the marriage ceremony in Israel and the link to the communion ceremony. He offers the cup “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide this among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the vine, until the kingdom if God shall come.” Luke 22:17-18.
When Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem from the east, what was he really proclaiming? Was he claiming to be the conquering Messiah, the one that would obtain freedom for the Israeli people from the oppressive Romans? Or was he saying I have come as the Passover lamb, the lamb without blemish or sin, willing to give my all in order to bring all into a saving grace.
Have you accepted Jesus as a conquering messiah or as a saving messiah from sin? If you have accepted him as a conquering messiah, turn to Jesus as the messiah that saves you from the consequences of sin. How many are you here that are in this position? By the way, I content that in some ways we all see Jesus as a conquering messiah, the one that takes care of all of our problems. Turn to Jesus to the saving messiah and your sins will be forgiven and forgotten.
What about those of that have not accepted Jesus as your saving messiah going to do here tonight? Jesus came into Jerusalem as the sacrifice for all of sin. You have the right to claim that gift from Jesus. How many will tonight accept Jesus as you saving messiah?