The Triumphant Entry Series

This passage that we know as Jesus triumphant entry is also well known to all Christians because it is the focus of Palm Sunday the week before Easter. It is an annual tradition of the church to make this an emphasis at the beginning of holy week. Almost every Sunday School child has carried a palm branch to reenact this story. It is the beginning of the focus on Jesus last week on earth with the attention shifting to the cross and the resurrection.

It is ironic if you think about it to call this entry triumphant. As far as preparation, pageantry, and splendor it would not even stand up to the local parade. Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey. As far as opposing a political threat Jesus riding in on a lowly donkey didn’t even raise an eyebrow. Yet what was happening was enormous. The King of Glory was revealing his identity, which is the Messiah the Son of David.

He is the King of Glory and he was riding on a lowly donkey. Graham Kendrick has written a beautiful song capturing the irony of this, Meekness and Majesty. In this song he writes, “meekness and majesty, Oh what a mystery, bow down before him for this is our king”

We will never be able to change the name of Jesus entering Jerusalem from what it is called, the triumphant entry. If we could give this a better name it would be “The Meek and Majestic Entry.” This captures the twofold aspect of the royal procession.

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 11:1-11)

God Bless the King.

Jesus has disclosed himself as Messiah. The Roman authorities paid little attention to Jesus riding in on a donkey, but in the scheme of all eternity it was a most significant event. Up until now Jesus had vailed his identity as Messiah.

When the demons saw him, they fell down and cried out, “You are the Son of God,” but he gave strict orders not to tell who he was. (Mark 3:11) At the feeding of the multitudes the crowds tried to make Jesus’ king by force, but he slipped away. (John 6:15) At the great confession when Peter said to Jesus, You are the Christ, Jesus responded blessed are you, don’t tell anyone. (Mark 8:29-30)

Now Jesus is unrestrained as the crowds proclaim his true identity. They make a path of garments and branches. The scene is reminiscent of 2 Kings 9:13 when King Jehu was anointed at the direction of Elisha to destroy Ahab and Jezebel. The people grabbed garments and spread them out on steps and blew a trumpet and Shouted Jehu is King.

When I visited Israel, I noticed the local people are usually polite to the tourists, but not for me in one case. There were two men passing me on the streets of Jerusalem, one of them walking and the other riding a donkey. The man walking said, hey you Christians, look there is your Jesus riding on a donkey.

It wasn’t Jesus, it was some disrespectful person. When Jesus comes again it won’t be lowly and riding on a donkey it will be in full glory. Even that one who spoke that mockery will be forced to bend the knee and confess Jesus as Lord.

Now Jesus is about to endure five days of intensive mockery that will last from Sunday until his crucifixion on Friday.