TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew21:9).

Save us, we beseech thee, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech thee, give us success! Blessed be he who enters in the name of the Lord (Psalms 118: 25-26).

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass (Zechariah 9:9).

A book could be written about this one event in our Lord's life. There are so many events in the history of Israel that are at play in the minds of those who are meeting Jesus. The Davidic covenant in which God promised that Israel would always have a king of the line of David, was one of them. Another major event in the history of Israel that was influencing the people was the celebration of the liberation of the nation of Israel under the Maccabees. Then there were the miracles of Jesus himself. He fed the multitudes, healed the sick and raised the dead--especially Lazarus. Jesus had to be the one who fulfilled the prophets!

Prophecy its self is a major factor in what happened in the triumphal entry. One of the characteristics of the Jews that made them different from all others is that they had a linear view of history, not a circular view. They believed that history had direction because God was in control of it. They believe history had purpose, that it was not just never-ending cycles. Therefore, the prophets could prophesy because God was in control of the future. Because of the prophets, there was a great deal of expectation for the appearance of the promised Messiah immediately before Jesus' birth, during his life, and for a time after his life on this earth. Jesus' life on this earth fit the description of the prophet's Messiah and so he was welcomed in triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

In less than a week's time the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah because he did not fit their expectations of what a messiah should be. Knowing that it leads to this question, What are your expectations of the Messiah? How do they measure up against the truth of God's Word? Has Jesus had a triumphal entry into your life?

Grace&Peace,

Tom

The picture is of the Golden Gate where Jesus would have entered Jerusalem.