The Triumphal Entry

Introduction

We are in the season of the year we call “Passion week”. It is the week we take to remember what happened to Jesus in Jerusalem including his entrance into Jerusalem, Last supper, Arrest, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Matthew 21:1–7 (ESV)

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.

Jesus instructions to the Disciples (1-3)

Fulfilled Prophesy (4-5)

Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem (6-7)

The response of the crowd to Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.

I would like to look at the reaction of the crowd present as Jesus entered Jerusalem and hopefully paint a picture of what they understood was happening. May we understand what they thought and celebrate it with an even better understanding than they had.

Proclamation of Jesus’ kingship.

Matthew 21:8 (ESV)

Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

Spread garments and palm branches

Spread - to spread something out—‘to spread, to spread out.’ (Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains 1996: 214. Print.)

When the crowd saw Jesus entering into Jerusalem on the donkey, they started spreading cloaks and Branches on the road for Him to ride over. Why? What are they proclaiming?

Show Honor

Elisha the Prophet send a Son of the Prophets to anoint the commander Jehu King over Israel.

2 Kings 9:11–13 (ESV)

When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the fellow and his talk.” And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ ” Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”

When Jehu’s guest were told about his anointing as King, they showed Him honor and submission by laying their cloaks down under Him. They also blew trumpets and proclaimed to all that He is King.

“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (See Mark 10:37.) It was usual to strew flowers and branches and to spread carpets and garments in the pathway of conquerors and great princes, and of others to whom it was intended to show particular honor and respect. In a similar way Jehu was recognized as king in 2 Kings 9:13. In modern times we see this custom carried on in the wedding ceremony when the brides path is strewn with flower petals as a sign of honor. Important, powerful, or famous people are often honored with a red carpet spread in their walkway during a ceremony. To give someone “the red carpet treatment” is to treat them particularly well.” (Freeman, James M., and Harold J. Chadwick. Manners & Customs of the Bible. North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998. Print.)

Spreading cloaks on the road was an act of royal homage.

Just like Jehu’s guest, The crowd in Jerusalem is doing the same for Jesus. They are declaring Jesus the King to come.

Matthew 21:4–5 (ESV)

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.’ ”

Matthew is pointing out that this action of Jesus is a fulfillment of the prophecy of God in the book of Zechariah.

The King is coming riding on a donkey.

Luke 19:37–38 (ESV)

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

By their actions of spreading their cloaks and branches and cultural understandings of showing honor to royalty, I believe they had an understanding of Zechariah’s words and believed Jesus was the King to come.

Proclamation of Jesus’ messiahship.

Matthew 21:9–11 (ESV)

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.”

Praise

Hosanna - (an Aramaic expression meaning ‘help, I pray’ or ‘save, I pray,’ but which had become a strictly liturgical formula of praise) a shout of praise or adoration—‘hosanna. (Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains 1996: 429. Print.)

Phrase is a cry for help/salvation and a praise of acknowledgment that God would answer.

As that are seeing Jesus coming on the donkey they are proclaiming praise that God is sending the Messiah to establish his Kingdom.

Recognition

Son of David

This is a phrase used of the Messiah.

2 Samuel 7:12–13 (ESV)

When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

The Understanding of the Messiah is that he was on the line of Abraham and king of the line of David that God is sending to save His people and establish the eternal Kingdom.

Matthew 1:1 (ESV)

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

The crowd is declaring that they believe Jesus is the King sent by God to establish the eternal kingdom.

Comes in the name of the Lord

Come in the name - Name as Authority — The name of a person represents the authority of a person. (“The Lexham Figurative Language of the New Testament Dataset.” Lexham Figurative Language of the Bible Glossary. Ed. Joshua R. Westbury et al. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2016. Print.)

Psalm 118:25–29 (ESV)

Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

The Messiah was proclaimed as to be sent from God to bless, free, and rule as the King of God’s eternal kingdom.

Proclamation of Jesus’ provision.

Matthew 21:8 (ESV)

Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

Cut Branches

John 12:13 (ESV)

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

Matthew Cut branches to spread on the road. John specifies these were branches of a palm tree.

“The Mosaic law stated (Lev 23:40) that branches of palm trees were to be used to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles. Later on they came to be used to celebrate other feasts as well (1 Macc. 13:51; 2 Macc. 10:7).” (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)

“Figurative: Of the prosperity of the righteous, Psa. 92:12. Used as a symbol of victory, Rev. 7:9.” (Swanson, James, and Orville Nave. New Nave’s Topical Bible. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1994. Print.)

This was a sign of celebration of the Lord’s provision taken from the Festival of Booths.

Leviticus 23:39–43 (ESV)

“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

“Feast of Booths. Also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or by its Hebrew name, Sukkot, this celebration was the last of the fall festivals and was held at the end of the agricultural year when the grapes and olives were harvested in Israel. This was a time to thank God for all of the preceding year’s provision and to pray for a good rainy season... Primarily, however, Sukkot was designed to remember the wilderness journey from Egypt to Canaan, when God made the people live in booths (Lev. 23:33–43). During the time of the feast, each Israelite family was supposed to construct a booth, or sukkah, and live in it for a week (vv. 42–43).” (Ligonier Ministry)

The feast of booths was a celebration of God’s provision and the gathering of branches were a part of the celebration.

“Others cut branches to spread on the ground” (Matthew vs 8) I believe, as I understand the text, that the crowd is cutting the branches in celebration of God’s provision of the Messiah who is their King.

This was also a sign of the provision of salvation through Jesus.

To the crowd, Jesus was God’s provision of salvation from foreign powers (Rome).

Jesus came to save them from a far greater danger: Sin.

John, the author of the book of Revelation, describes a heavenly scene of a great multitude standing before the throne of God.

Revelation 7:9–12 (ESV)

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

John pointing to this great multitude in heaven as wearing white robes and with palm branches in their hand proclaiming, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (vs. 10)

John the Apostle is widely accepted as the author of Both the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. Is it that John sees the palm branches as the symbol of God’s provision of Salvation through Jesus Christ in connection to the celebration of Feast of Booths.

salvation - “Become Safe, Free from Danger (21.14–21.16); Cause To Be Safe, Free from Danger (21.17–21.24); Save in a Religious Sense (21.25–21.32)” (Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains 1996: 237. Print.)

Summery Declaration

The crowd present in Jerusalem the day Jesus entered, were convinced that Jesus was the Messianic King promised by God to be the savior of the Jewish People. They showed their excitement through their spreading out of their cloaks and branches, shouts of Hosanna, and proclaiming that Jesus is the son of David coming in the Name of the Lord.

They were right on all accounts except who they needed to be saved from. They wanted salvation from the Romans. Jesus came to save them, and all people, from their most dangerous enemy: Sin.

Jesus did come as the Messianic King promised by God to deliver them from the enemy. Jesus came to win victory on the Cross by dying for our Sins. In Him we have an all sufficient savior that is the King of an eternal Kingdom.

Let’s celebrate the Salvation of God through Jesus Christ His Son.