Palm Sunday The Triumphal Entry - Jesus Enters Jerusalem - Matthew 21:1-11 - Hosanna To Son Of David - Holy Week Begins
The Gospels record a week that changed the world. Jesus came to Jerusalem in the days before Passover, and everything he did in those days was full of meaning. Let us walk through the events, from Bethany to the Temple, and see what they teach us about the King and about his house.
The Days Before Passover
Exodus 12:3 tells Israel to take a lamb on the tenth day of the month and keep it until the fourteenth, when it would be sacrificed. Jesus came to Jerusalem in this season, and the Gospels show him moving toward the same appointed time. John tells us that six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, about two miles from Jerusalem, to the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary (John 12:1). Lazarus had been raised from the dead, and many people came to see both Jesus and Lazarus (John 12:9).
The crowds grew, and the chief priests began to plan to kill both Jesus and Lazarus, because many were believing in Jesus because of Lazarus (John 12:10-11). Those who came to Bethany had different responses. Some came to worship, some came out of curiosity, and some came to watch for an opportunity to act against him. The same mix of responses still greets Jesus today.
The Donkey That Carried the King
The next day, Jesus sent two disciples into the village with instructions to find a colt that had never been ridden (Mark 11:2; Luke 19:30). If anyone asked why they were taking it, they were to say, "The Lord has need of it" (Luke 19:31). The disciples obeyed, and the owners let the colt go.
This fulfilled Zechariah 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; he is righteous and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." The King of Israel came in humility, not in the pride of a warrior. A small and unnoticed animal carried him, because the Lord had need of it.
Hosanna: Save Us
The crowds spread their cloaks on the road and waved palm branches, as people did to welcome a king (John 12:13; Mark 11:8). They cried out from Psalm 118:25-26: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." The word "Hosanna" comes from the Hebrew for "save now" or "save us." The crowd was asking for salvation, and in their minds, the Son of David had come to deliver them.
Yet Jesus saw the city and wept over it. "If you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42). The people welcomed the King with their lips, but many did not understand that his peace was not the peace they wanted. The Messiah came to save, but the city did not recognize the day of its visitation.
Daniel 9:26 says that the Messiah would be "cut off." This was not a sign of failure. It was the path to the Lamb's sacrifice, which was the only way to bring the peace the crowds were hoping for.
The Lamb Examined
The Gospels show Jesus being examined in the days that followed. He was questioned by the religious leaders, by the crowds, and by Pilate, and Pilate declared, "I find no guilt in this man" (Luke 23:4, 14). The Passover lamb was examined to make sure it was without blemish, and Jesus was shown to be without fault. He is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
The Temple Cleansed
Later that same day, Jesus entered the Temple and looked around at everything (Mark 11:11). The next morning he returned and drove out those who were buying and selling in the Temple, overturning the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves (Mark 11:15). He said, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers" (Mark 11:17).
The Court of the Gentiles was meant to be a place where people from every nation could come to pray. Instead, it had become a noisy marketplace. Jesus reclaimed the space for prayer, so that the nations could come near to God.
The Passover Clean-Up
Jewish families searched their homes for leaven before Passover and removed it, since leaven pictured sin and corruption (Exodus 12:15; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8). Jesus called his people to the same kind of holy cleansing. The question for us today is whether our churches, our homes, and our hearts have been cleansed of the things that crowd out prayer and the lost.
The Humble Donkey
Paul wrote, "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world" (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). Jesus used a humble donkey to carry the King. Scripture repeatedly chooses the weak and unnoticed to show his power.
The Lord still uses people who are willing to carry his gospel. He can use anyone who is ready to obey him, including those whom the world would overlook. The gospel does not need a grand stage. It needs humble servants who will carry Christ to places where his name has not yet been spoken.
What Does This Mean for Us?
First, we should welcome the King as the crowds did, but with a heart that understands his peace and his sacrifice. Second, we should look for the Lord's need in our lives, and be ready to say yes when he calls us, even if we feel insignificant. Third, we should guard the house of prayer. Our churches, homes, and lives should be open to the nations, free from the things that corrupt and crowd out prayer. Fourth, we should go to the places where Christ is not yet named, carrying the gospel with humility.
A Prayer
Lord Jesus, you came to Jerusalem as the humble King and the perfect Lamb. Thank you for the peace you bring through your sacrifice. Cleanse our hearts and our churches, so that your house may be a house of prayer for all nations. Make us willing donkeys, ready to carry your gospel wherever you send us. Hosanna, Lord, save us. In your name, Amen.
Shalom,
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