Triumphant Entry To Triumphant Exit

From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Exit

On Palm Sunday, everyone remembers Christ and what is termed His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Prophesied over 500 hundred years beforehand.

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

In Matthew 21:1-11 we have an account. Jesus tells the disciples where to find a colt of a donkey and bring it to Him. This is the first time that we hear about Jesus riding an animal.

*Tangled Up Talents

The donkey and its colt were tied up and had to be loosed to be used for the Lord.

Quite often there are talents and/or opportunities that are tied up in our life. They have to be loosed, set free, to be of use for the Kingdom of God. Are you tied up by social media, by gadgets, by your job, by your acquaintences, by passtimes? It may seem so innocent, but it may need to be untied to give maximum glory to God. There are loads of talents that go unused. Many are seemingly hidden or undeveloped.

From the veiwpoint of the donkey, he was the center of attention. In reality, he was lifting up Jesus and ushering Him into the audience of the worshippers.

Here we find two types of worshippers.

Some cut down palm branches and cast them in front of Jesus as He came riding into Jerusalem. This was a nice and honorable way to worship the Lord, but it really only required a small amout of work/sacrifice.

Others spread their garments in the way (Matthew 21:8) In Mark 11:7,8 it is said that garments were placed on the colt for Jesus to ride. These garments were clokes or robes. Most ordinary citizens in that day only owned one cloke. It served as their outer garment for social encounters and then served as a blanket at night. So to take off a cloke and cast it down before Jesus was considerably more of a show of worship. Especially when you know that it will be trampled by an animal and very likely other people as they followed the parade.

Of course, someone had to cry out to Jesus.

Luke 19:40

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Does your worship cost you something or are you taking the easy out?

The very fact that Jesus was riding a donkey also tells us something very important. A king riding on a donkey was a sign of peace. If a king was going to battle, he would be mounted on a stallion.

--the donkey is the only animal that has the design of a cross on its back (seen from an overhead view)

Why were there 2 donkey brought to Jesus? Both had clothes placed upon them.

Could the unridden donkey represent something special?

Though many meant well, a great number were merely caught up in a moment of excitement. It is easy to get caught up in a fervor when a group of people is doing the same thing. The sad truth is that quite a few were just there participating in the parade and festivities.

Here is the evidence:

Matthew 21:10,11

10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

*misguided enthusiasm--the mob did not even know who they were cheering.

11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

12 ¶ And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

*Messing up the Ministry of Man

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He entered the temple. The first thing that He did was to cleanse the temple. There were many there who would have told you that their business affairs were ministries. The Lord saw through their hipocrisy and sent them running. God has a special jealousy over His house.

Jesus Christ is much more than a prophet. He triumphed because he is the King of Kings and the Saviour of mankind.

If you consider Jesus as anything less than the Son of God, you are missing the point.

Jesus entered into Jerusalem in triumph and the week of passion began.

As we remember and meditate, don't get sidetracked with all the Easter egg searches, the picnics, the extra day off that some may receive, or even the excuse to show off a new set of clothes. That is not what it is all about.