"the Messiah On A Colt"

Matthew 21:1-11

“The Messiah on a Colt”

Palm Sunday stands out.

We celebrate it every year, it’s the only time we get out that wooden donkey and have the children process down the center aisle waving palms.

It’s an incredible worship experience.

At the same time, it can be hard to understand what it’s all about.

A guy named Justin Martyr thought it was so important that he included it in his First Letter of Apologetics in 156 A.D.

He used its fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy (“The Messiah on a colt”) as proof that Jesus was the Son of God.

He wanted the Roman Emperor to see the significance of Jesus as clearly as possible.

Do we see it?

Why does the Messiah ride on a colt with palm branches instead of a war horse with spears?

Why does He enter that Jerusalem “hornets’ nest” on that exact day?

One thing which is interesting to note is the contrast between Rome and Jesus.

From the West came Pilate draped in all the gaudy glory of imperial power: horses, chariots, and gleaming armor.

He moved in with the Roman army at the beginning of Passover week to ensure nothing got out of hand.

Insurrection was in the air with the memory of God’s deliverance of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt.

From the east came another procession: Jesus in an ordinary robe riding on a young donkey, coming as a new kind of king, a king of peace, not of war.

All four Gospels include this incredible event.

This means that it is especially significant.

We are told that there was a massive crowd of people spreading their cloaks on the road for the donkey to walk on, like a modern-day red carpet, and “the whole city was stirred.”

The Gospel of John adds a little quote from the Pharisees to the end of this: “This is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

As we noted last week, the religious leaders were scared to death of Jesus.

He was a threat to their comfortable lives, their power, and their good-paying jobs.

What would happen to them if Jesus continued on like this?

They didn’t care if He was the Messiah or not.

They wanted Him gone before He overturned the entire apple cart.

Fear can do terrible things to people and cause people to do terrible things to one another.

It is the cause of wars and conflicts.

It is at the root of nearly everything bad in this world.

The Bible tells us in 1st John that fear and love are incompatible.

It is one of Satan’s most valuable tools.

Have you ever found yourself operating out of fear rather than love?

Fear is why bullies bully.

It’s why we discriminate.

And when our power and possessions and egos are at stake, it can lead to murder and death.

The Pharisees feared that the whole world would go after Jesus, yet that’s God’s purpose in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He came to save the world that God so loves.

He came to save you and me.

And so, He rode that donkey into Jerusalem, knowing that He was riding to His death.

He knew what was going to happen.

He knew He would be arrested and His disciples would flee.

He knew He would be left alone with His tormentors.

He knew He would be crucified and He knew what that meant.

Crucifixion was more than a state-sponsored execution: it was meant to demean and shame the person being crucified.

It was the most horrible thing the Romans could come up with.

Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on a Sunday, and by Friday, Roman soldiers would strip Him naked and then hold a mock coronation.

This is the scene.

They would bring Him a robe, probably one of the soldier’s robes.

Then, they would decide that their newly robed king needed a crown, and they would twist a branch from a thorn tree into a rough circle in a parody of the royal laurel leaf.

Then they would press it down onto His head so that the thorns dug into His flesh.

Then they would put a stick in His hand to mimic a royal scepter.

“Hail, King of the Jews,” they would shout as they saluted.

I know that this is not pleasant in the least, but it is essential for us to have this picture in our mind in order to get a clear and tragic glimpse of what Jesus knew He was in for as He rode that donkey into town.

Jesus could have destroyed His killers with a word, but instead, He took the shame and humiliation.

And He even forgave them as He gasped for breath from the Cross.