The Ride Into Jersusalem

How many of you like to travel? Sometimes, going on trips is exciting, isn’t it? And when most people travel, they do not plan on being gone for long, and even so, when they get to where they are going, the first thing they do is unpack their belongings and find places to put them.

When my wife and I travel, we do not unpack everything, as why unpack it if you are not sure if you are actually going to use it, right? Besides that, when it’s time to go home, most of our things are already packed and it saved a lot of time that way.

We do not put much focus on short trips because we know we will not be there long enough to make much difference in things. We choose to put most of our focus on where we will be the longest amount of time. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

So, no matter how long we might be upon this earth; 50-years, 70-years, or even longer, we aren’t going to overly focus on this life because, compared to eternity, this life is no longer than a weekend trip.

We started off talking about trips, and since this is Palm Sunday, we should talk about a trip Jesus once took. It was down the side of a mountain and He made that trip riding on a donkey.

He had just left Jericho where he had dinner at Zacchaeus’s home, and then left there on His way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The last part of that trip was his riding the donkey down the path from the Mt. of Olives into the city of Jerusalem.

And as He rode that donkey down that mountain, His followers lined both sides of the path and put down palm branches and coats in front of Him as a way of celebrating and praising Jesus. But just five short days later, those same people were screaming to have Jesus crucified and killed.

This trip, called “the Triumphal Entry” demands our undivided attention, because it turned out to be the most expensive trip ever taken and it impacted the world more than any other trip before or since. He knew full well where He was going, and He also knew to the fullest extent what that trip was going to cost Him. But He chose to take it anyway. Let’s find out why.

He was going to celebrate Passover, which every Jew did every year. Let’s get into the Word and start reading what the Bible says about this trip.

LUKE 19:29-31, describes His journey to Jerusalem –

“29 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

CONTINUING IN LUKE 19:32-35;

“32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.”

We are starting to see the first glimpses of how God was orchestrating each step of this story so He could offer salvation to the world.

How did Jesus know there would be a young colt tied up in the town? How in the world could an owner of an expensive animal like the young donkey be okay with letting two strangers come up and walk off with it without questioning them or charging them?

And why a donkey instead of a cow or a wagon? Actually, there is a clear explanation for each of these questions. First of all, Jesus knew about the donkey because He was also God. Secondly, the two men were influenced by the Holy Spirit to let the donkey go, and thirdly, it had to have been a donkey to show who Jesus was.

When a king rode into a town on a horse, it signified that he was their military king, their protector, and that he was ready to go to war with their enemy! However, if the king rode into town on a donkey, it showed him to be a king of peace, one who would focus on their peace and prosperity rather than their military might and power.

Jesus rode the donkey because He was the King of Peace, who came to save them, not to kill their enemies.