Jesus was not triumphant in his triumphal entry

JESUS WAS NOT TRIUMPHANT IN HIS TRIUMPHAL ENTRY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Jesus' Offer of Himselfas King of Israel
"Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is
coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'" (Matt. 21:5)
The Untriumphal Entry
This coming Sunday, April 14 we observe Palm Sunday. This Sunday
commemorates Jesus’“Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. This event was so
important in Jesus’life that all four gospels recordit (Matt. 21:1-11;Mark
11:1-14;Luke 19:28-44;John 12:12-19).
In eachaccount, Jesus’actions were portrayed as deliberate and
premeditated. He senttwo disciples ahead to bring back an unbroken colt on
which He would ride. Matthew recordedthat Jesus engineeredthis event to
fulfill Scripture, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O
daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and
endowedwith salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the
foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9).
Instinctively, Jesus’disciples knew what was happening. They laid their coats
on the colt. Mostof the crowd spreadtheir coats on the road, their version of

the “red carpet” treatment. Others were spreading palm branches on the
road. As Jesus descendedthe Mount of Olives into Jerusalem, the crowds
preceding Him were chanting, from Psalm 118:25,26, a prayer for the
national salvationof Israel, “Hosanna (“Save us now”)! Blessedis He who
comes in the name of the LORD.” Then they added their own words, “Blessed
is the coming kingdom of our father David. Hosanna (“Save us now”) in the
highest!” (Mark 11:9-10).
Reactions to this entourage as it entered Jerusalemwere mixed. People in
Jerusalemasked, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet
Jesus, from Nazarethin Galilee” (Matt. 21:10-11). Underwhelming, to saythe
least. To them he was a prophet, but he was not the King, the Messiah!Some
Pharisees in the crowd were much more adamant, “Teacher, rebuke your
disciples!” To which Jesus curtly replied, “I tell you, if these become silent, the
stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:39-40). Immediately thereafter, when Jesus saw
the city, He wept over it, saying,
“If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!But
now they have been hidden from your eyes. Forthe days will come upon you
when your enemies will throw up a barricade againstyou, and surround you
and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your
children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another,
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:42-44)
His prophecy was terrifyingly accurate. A mere forty years later, the Roman
army trapped a million Israelis inside Jerusalemat Passover, and slaughtered
them mercilessly. The temple was torn down, and not a stone left standing on
another. Why did God judge them? BecauseIsraeldid not crown Jesus as its
King. Instead they had Him executed.
Where does that leave us in 2019? Iask you, who is Jesus to you? Is he merely
a goodman? Merely a teacher? Merelysome well-meaning, but eccentric
prophet? Or have you decidedto crownJesus as your own King?
Your decisionis a fateful one. The Apostle John statedin blunt terms, words
both comforting, yet alarming – “He who believes in the Son has eternal life;

but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides
on him” (John 3:36).
BOB DEFFINBAUGH
The Un-Triumphal Entry (John 12:9-19)
Introduction
Severaldays ago I was standing outside our church chatting with my friend,
Leonard Luton. As we talked, I happened to look down, and there on the
parking lot something caught my eye. It was a plastic Ziploc baggie, with
something greeninside. I pickedit up to look at it more closely. At first
glance, it lookedlike a couple of leaves from a rose bush. At I turned the bag
over, I could see the reverse side of the leaves. Theyhad small brown spots on
them. I turned to Leonard and saidsomething like: “Look at this. It looks like
someone has collectedsome samples ofa diseasedrose bush to show their
nurseryman.” Leonard askedto look at it, and then said, “Looks to me like a
sample of poisonivy, left behind by one of the Boys Scouts who was here the
other night.” Instantly, I knew Leonard was right. Once he properly identified
those leaves, I recognizedthem for what they were, and what a change it
made. I didn’t ask Leonard if I could have that little plastic baggie back. I
decided I’d let the expert hold it. After having been run over by a few cars, I
wasn’t at all sure that bag offeredmuch protection.
Things are not always what they seem! Such is certainly the case in our text. It
reminds me of a statementwhich Haddon Robinson, my homiletics professor
in seminary, made years ago (in relation to something else):It was something
“like an army of deep sea divers, marching triumphantly into a half-filled
bath tub.” The so-called“triumphal entry” of our Lord into Jerusalemis
anything but a triumph, as we can see from the tears shed by our Lord in

Luke’s parallel account(Luke 19:41-44). Those who enthusiasticallywelcome
Jesus to Jerusalemas the “King of Israel” are some of the same people who, in
a week’s time, will be crying out, “We have no king, but Caesar!” (John
19:15). Those who cry out, “Hosanna!” (Save now!) in our text, will be
shouting, “He savedothers. Let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his
chosenone!” (Luke 23:35). It is not a triumphal entry at all, but nonetheless it
is a very significant event in the life of our Lord and in the history of the
nation Israel. This is one of the very few events which is recordedby all four
Gospels in the New Testament. Let us seek to learn what is so important about
this “un-triumphal entry,” and endeavorto understand and apply what God
intends for us to learn from it.
The Uniqueness of John’s
Account of the “Un-Triumphal Entry”
John’s accountof our Lord’s final appearance in Jerusalemis indeed unique
when compared with the accounts of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark,
and Luke). For example, Luke’s Gospelmakes a point of tracing our Lord’s
steps as He makes His way toward Jerusalem(9:51, 53; 13:22, 33-34;17:11;
18:31;19:11, 28). Before His arrival at Jerusalem, we readof Jesus in Jericho,
where He healeda blind man (Luke 18:35-43), and invited Himself to the
home of Zaccheus, the tax-collector(19:1-10).
It is very different in John’s Gospel. Very few details are given concerning our
Lord’s ministry in the weeksthat precede His final appearance in Jerusalem.
We know He healed the man born blind (John 9), and that He taught about
the GoodShepherd (John 10). He also made a quick and dangerous trip to
Bethany, less than two miles from Jerusalem, where He raisedLazarus from
the dead (John 11). But in John’s Gospel, much of our Lord’s time was spent
awayfrom Jerusalem, in out of the way places, to prevent the religious leaders
in Jerusalemfrom taking His life before it was “His time” (see 10:40-42;
11:54). John virtually passes overthe ministry of our Lord in these remote
places in the weeks preceding Passover.
The “triumphal entry” itself is not describedin greatdetail in our text. At
best, John devotes but 11 verses to our Lord’s dramatic entry into Jerusalem

before His final Passovercelebrationthere. Matthew’s accounthas 17 verses,
Mark’s 18 verses, and Luke’s Gospel21 verses. Johndoes not tell his readers
how Jesus prearrangedfor two of His disciples to procure the donkey and its
colt. John does not tell us that the Pharisees insistJesus silence those who are
praising Him, and that Jesus refuses, indicating that if He does so the “rocks
would cry out” (Luke 19:39-40). John does not report our Lord’s weeping
over Jerusalem(Luke 19:41-44), orHis cursing of the barren fig tree (Mark
11:12-14, 20-26). And, strangely, John does not mention our Lord’s cleansing
of the temple (see Matthew 21:12-13), nor does he inform us concerning our
Lord’s miracles of healings, performed in the temple that final week ofHis
ministry (Matthew 21:14).
John does not recordany of the parables Jesus taught this final week of His
earthly life and ministry, nor does he recordany of our Lord’s numerous
debates with His opponents. The so-called“OlivetDiscourse” (seeMatthew
24:3–25:6;Mark 13:3-37;Luke 21:5-36), which deals with prophecy
concerning the last days, is not found in John. John covers the public ministry
of our Lord during His final week in Jerusalemin one chapter (12), while the
Synoptics take considerably more time and space. The agonizing prayer of
our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane (e.g., Matthew 26:36-46)is not
mentioned by John. John 13-17 is the private ministry of our Lord to His
disciples, not found in the Synoptics. Chapter 18 takes up with the arrest of
Jesus, then moves right into the trials, condemnation, and executionof Jesus.
John limits his focus to three important incidents which occurin the final
week ofour Lord’s earthly ministry: (1) Mary’s anointing of Jesus in
preparation for His burial (12:1-8); (2) Jesus’“Triumphal Entry” (12:9-19);
and (3) the request of the Greeks to meet with Jesus (12:20-26). He concludes
with a divine explanation of human unbelief, rooted in the Old Testament
Scriptures and in the words of our Lord Himself (12:27-50).
The so-called“triumphal entry” comes as a surprise, not only to the reader,
but no doubt also to the disciples and others who witnessedit. Our Lord’s
previous visits to Jerusalemhave always brought trouble. His journey to
Jerusalemin John chapter 2 is punctuated by the “cleansing ofthe temple”
(2:12-22). In chapter 5, Jesus goesup to Jerusalemfor an unnamed feast

(verse 1), and there, on the Sabbath, He heals a paralytic who has suffered
from his malady for 38 years. When Jesus defends His actions by claiming to
act with God, and as God, this completely sets the Jews off, so that they are
even more intent on killing Him than they have been previously (5:18). Our
Lord’s appearance in Jerusalemat the Feastof Tabernaclesresults in a failed
attempt on the part of the Jewishreligious leaders to have Jesus arrestedby
the temple police (7:30, 44-53). When Jesus makes the statement, “before
Abraham came into existence, I am!” (8:58), they immediately seek to stone
Him. The healing of the man born blind in John 9 also takes place in
Jerusalem, and it further intensifies the animosity of the religious leaders
toward Jesus. In John 10, Jesus teachesthat He is the “GoodShepherd,” and
at the same time implies that the Jewishreligious leaders are the wicked
shepherds whom He has come to replace. This leads to additional attempts to
arrest(verse 39)or kill (verse 31)Him, prompting our Lord to retreatto a
remote locationalong the Jordan River, where John the Baptist formerly
ministered (10:40-42). Bythe time we come to chapter 11, the disciples of our
Lord are afraid to go to Jerusalem, fearing that they—along with Jesus—will
die there (see 11:16). In chapter 11, Jesus goesto Bethany, just outside of
Jerusalem, where He raises Lazarus from the dead, even though he had been
laying in the tomb for four days. Oppositionfrom the Jewishleaders causes
Jesus to retreat from Jerusalem, once again—fora time (or should I say, till
“His time”).
Intensified Hopes and Fears
(12:9-11)
9 Now the large crowdof Jewishpeople from Jerusalemlearnedthat Jesus
was there, and so they came not only because ofhim but also to see Lazarus
whom he had raisedfrom the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to kill
Lazarus too, 11 for on accountof him many of the Jewishpeople from
Jerusalemwere going awayand believing in Jesus.
Had it not been for the spectacularraising of Lazarus, Jesus might have
receiveda very different receptionin Jerusalem. As we learned in chapter 11,
a fairly large group of Jews from Jerusalem(John calls them a “crowd” —

11:42;12:17) have gone to Bethany to join Mary and Martha in mourning the
death of their brother Lazarus (11:19). All these mourners witness the raising
of Lazarus in a waythat makes this sign undeniable. Many of those who
witness this miracle come to faith in Jesus, but others reactnegatively,
reporting this miracle to the Pharisees(11:45-46). The JewishSanhedrin
meets, concluding that Jesus must die, to save their own skins (so to speak),
and for the goodof the nation (11:47-53). Jesus retreats from Judea once
again, spending His time in seclusionwith His disciples in Ephraim (11:54).
The witnessesto the raising of Lazarus return to Jerusalem, broadcasting
their sensationalnews throughout Jerusalem. Underscoring all of this is the
presence ofLazarus, who is “living proof” of this miracle, a man undeniably
delivered from the jaws of death. Messianic hopes run high in those difficult
days under Roman rule, especiallyatfestive seasons like Passover. Itis during
Passoverthat the population of Jerusalemmultiplies significantly. Estimates
are that approximately 30,000 Jews normally lived in Jerusalem, but that
during the Passover, exaggeratedestimates run into the millions. More
realistic estimates approximate somewhere around180,000people.218Four to
six times the population of this city have gatheredthere to observe Passover,
camping all around Jerusalem. You can imagine the excitementthat surges
through the pilgrims who have come from afar for the Passover, learning that
Jesus is there, and that He has recently raiseda man from the dead!
As Passoverdraws near, all eyes are looking about for Jesus. Everyone is
wondering if He will dare to show up, in spite of the factthat the chief priests
and Pharisees have orderedthat anyone who knows where Jesus canbe found
must inform them immediately. When word gets out that Jesus is in the
vicinity (He first comes to Bethany, slightly less than 2 miles from Jerusalem)
and is as on His way to the Holy City, a large crowdof Jews sets out from
JerusalemtowardBethany to meet Jesus onHis way. They are most eagerto
see Him, and not just Him but also Lazarus, whom He has raisedfrom the
dead. If our Lord’s appearance inspires the messianic hopes of some, it does
not do so for all. The chief priests who have determined earlier that Jesus
must die, now decide that Lazarus must die as well. In their minds at least, he
is also to blame for the factthat many are turning awayfrom them to follow
Jesus.

As I read these verses, I am reminded of the Watergate scandal, justa few
years ago. A crime like burglary seemeda small price to pay when committed
by “patriots” in the name of “national security.” The personal interests of
men like the President of the United States become confusedwith the national
interest. And once one crime was justified, other crimes were excusedas well.
That is what we see in our text. The chief priests and scribes care little for the
people (as, for example, we can see in John 7:45-49). They care about their
own positions and power, which Jesus threatens (11:48; see also Matthew
27:18;Mark 15:10). They conclude that they will violate the law to kill Jesus
(John 7:50-53)—in the national interest, of course. The decisionto kill
Lazarus—a completely innocent man guilty only of returning from the dead—
follows quite naturally and easily. One sin so quickly and so easily leads to
another.
The “Triumphal” Entry219
(12:12-16)
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feastheard that Jesus
was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went
out to meet him. They began to shout, “Hosanna!Blessedis the one who
comes in the name of the Lord! Blessedis the King of Israel!” 14 Jesus found
a young donkey and sat on it,220 just as it is written, 15 “Do not be afraid,
people of Jerusalem;look, your king is coming, seatedon a donkey’s colt!” 16
(His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, but
when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were
written about him and they had done these things to him.)
If you happen to watchfootball (at times) as I do, you know the value of
“instant replay.” Let’s saythat an official has just thrown down the yellow
flag. He indicates that the ball carrier stepped out of bounds, or that the pass
receiverdid not get both feetdown before stepping out of bounds. The
“instant replay” will usually clarify the facts. Not only are we able to see the
play in slow motion (and stop the play at the critical moment), but we can
usually see it from severalcamera angles. This is what the four Gospel
accounts ofour Lord’s life provide for us. By reading and comparing all the

Gospelaccounts ofthe same event, we can view it from severalangles. Every
one of the four Gospels has an accountof the so-called“triumphal entry.”
Eachaccounthas its own details, its ownemphasis, its own significance. These
differing accounts are of greatvalue to the student of the Bible.
Before looking at the “triumphal entry” from John’s “angle,” it may be well
for us to considerthis event as an “instant replay,” taking all four of the
Gospelaccounts into consideration. Jesusarrives at Bethany, by way of
Jericho (see Luke 18:35;19:1ff.). Before entering Jerusalem, He sends two of
His disciples aheadof Him to procure a donkeyand its colt (Matthew 21:1-6;
Mark 11:1-6; Luke 19:29-34). This is to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9
(see Matthew 21:5), although the disciples do not understand this at the time
(John 12:16). As Jesus approachesJerusalem, He rides the (as yet unbroken)
colt. A crowdcomes from Jerusalemto greetJesus, and they accompanyHim
into the city, spreading their cloaks and cut branches on the road before Him.
The crowds callout expressions ofpraise and celebration, hailing Jesus as the
“King of Israel.” The commotion of this celebrationreaches the ears of those
in the city of Jerusalem, and many of these citizens of Jerusalemjoin in with
the restin welcoming Jesus.Some of the Pharisees become indignant, insisting
that Jesus instruct the people to cease suchpraise, but Jesus refuses,
indicating that if the people were to remain quiet the stones would cry out
(Luke 19:39-40). As Jesus looks uponthe city of Jerusalem, He weeps,
knowing that their receptionof Him is superficialand momentary, and that
the day of Israel’s destructionis imminent (Luke 19:41-44). Once in the city,
Jesus takes a look around the temple, and because it is late, returns to
Bethany with His disciples (Mark 11:11). On His return to the city, Jesus
comes upon a fruitless fig tree, which He curses (Mark 11:12-14). He then
enters the temple and cleanses it, greatly angering the chief priests and scribes
(Mark 11:15-18). It seems that this cleansing makes roomat the temple for
Jesus to teach and to perform miracles, which draws such crowds that it is
impossible for our Lord’s opponents to arrest Him there (Matthew 21:13;
Luke 19:47-48). Eachday Jesus goes to the temple, and eachevening Jesus
leaves Jerusalemand spends the night in Bethany, out of the reachof His
adversaries (Matthew 21:17;Mark 11:18-19).

John omits many of the details of our Lord’s appearance andministry in
Jerusalemthis final week, focusing rather on His ministry to His disciples.
John’s accountof the “triumphal entry” is dominated by the miracle of the
raising of Lazarus, which only his Gospelrecords. All of chapter 11 is brought
to the reader’s attention in John 12:9-11, which links the enthusiasm of the
crowds and the intensity of the opposition to the raising of Lazarus. John does
not recordthe process by which the donkey and her colt are procured. From
his description, we would not guess that this acquisition is so meticulously
planned and executed. We are tempted to assume that the donkey and the colt
just happened to be there, and that Jesus somewhatspontaneouslymakes use
of it. This is the waythe spectators would“see” the event, being unaware of
the preparations our Lord has made.221
The fact is that no one other than our Lord really understands what is
happening at the time. In verse 16, John makes a point of telling us that the
disciples do not understand the meaning of this event until after the death,
burial, and resurrectionof our Lord: (“His disciples did not understand these
things when they first happened, but when Jesus was glorified, then they
remembered that these things were written about him and they had done
these things to him.”) I know that John does not tell us what the disciples are
doing at this seemingly triumphant moment, but it is not difficult for me to
“imagine” what could have takenplace. The disciples are obviously eagerfor
our Lord to establishHis kingdom quickly, as are the people (Luke 19:11;
Acts 1:6). They are very aware of the opposition to Jesus, and of the dangers
which face them in Jerusalem(John 11:7-8). They accompanyJesus to
Jerusalemwith fearand trepidation (John 11:16). What a shock it must be to
see what appears to be the entire city of Jerusalemwelcoming Jesus (and
them!) with open arms. I can see Peterand John giving eachother a “high
five” sign of victory. At last, they’ve truly arrived. This kingdom is here! How
deceiving appearances canbe.
It is true that the people were welcoming Jesus as their “King.” They say so
themselves:“Theybegan to shout, ‘Hosanna! Blessedis the one who comes in
the name of the Lord! Blessedis the King of Israel!’” (verse 13).

Their actions are probably patterned after previous incidents in Israel’s
history:
When Simon, the Maccabee, enteredJerusalem, in triumph, it is recorded
that he entered ‘with thanksgiving and branches of palm-trees and with harps
and cymbals and with viols and hymns and songs, becausethere was
destroyeda great enemy out of Israel’ (I Macc. 13:51). And when his brother,
Judas the Maccabee,defeatedthe Syrians, it is said: ‘the people carried
branches and fair boughs, and palms also, and sang psalms’ (II Macc.
10:7).222
The words which the people cry out come from Psalm 118:
1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!For His mercy endures
forever. 2 Let Israelnow say, “His mercy endures forever.” 3 Let the house of
Aaron now say, “His mercy endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the LORD
now say, “His mercy endures forever.” 5 I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answeredme and set me in a broad place. 6 The LORD is on my
side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The LORD is for me among
those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better
to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes. 10 All nations
surrounded me, But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 11 They
surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the LORD I will
destroy them. 12 They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a
fire of thorns; Forin the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 13 You
pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the LORD helped me. 14 The
LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. 15 The
voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand
of the LORD does valiantly. 16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The
right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD. 18 The LORD
has chastenedme severely, But He has not given me overto death. 19 Open to
me the gates ofrighteousness;I will go through them, And I will praise the
LORD. 20 This is the gate of the LORD, Through which the righteous shall

enter. 21 I will praise You, ForYou have answeredme, And have become my
salvation. 22 The stone which the builders rejectedHas become the chief
cornerstone. 23 This was the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. 24
This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. 26
Blessedis he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessedyou from
the house of the LORD. 27 God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind
the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I
will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. 29 Oh, give thanks to the
LORD, for He is good! ForHis mercy endures forever.
Psalm118 is a messianic psalm, and one of the six Psalms most often referred
to in the New Testament. This Psalm is one of the Hallel songs (Psalms 113-
118). The Israelites would sing it as they ascendedto Jerusalemto worship at
one of the feasts. It is, therefore, a song that may well have been sung at
Passovereveryyear.223 But this year, it had a very specialsignificance. A
look at some of the words explains why. The perspective of the psalmist is that
Israelis surrounded by its enemies, but he looks to God for protectionand
deliverance (see verses 10-14). There is an air of confidence, so that the
psalmist need not fear the enemy: “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?” (vs. 6). The psalmist’s confidence seems undaunted,
even by death: “I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD.
The LORD has chastenedme severely, But He has not given me over to death.
Open to me the gates ofrighteousness;I will go through them, And I will
praise the LORD” (vs. 17-19).
Would the raising of Lazarus not give specialmeaning and certainty to these
words? There is no need to fear the enemy (verse 6), because no man can
ultimately take awaythe life of God’s own (verses 17-18). Jerusalemtherefore
welcomes Jesus, evenas this psalm welcomesthe righteous (verses 19-21). And
in light of this, the people cry out “Hosanna!” (which means, “Save now!”) to
Jesus, their newly recognizedking.
I am inclined to understand that the words of welcome whichthe Jews callout
to Jesus are even more true than they realize. What they say to Jesus is

similar to what Caiaphas says of Jesus (see John11:49-52)in that both speak
prophetically, saying much more than they understand. The crowd here is
welcoming Jesus as a political deliverer, as the One who will throw off the
shacklesofRome. These people want Jesus to be their king, but in the same
way (and for the same reasons)that the Galileans wanted Jesus to be their
king after He fed the 5,000 (seeJohn6:15). Were they to understand Psalm
118 correctly, they would realize that Jesus will be their King, but only after
His rejectionby the nation. They need to read and to understand the verses
which immediately precede the words they are shouting: “The stone which the
builders rejectedHas become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s
doing; It is marvelous in our eyes” (vs. 22-23).
We should not be surprised by the failure of these Jews to graspwhat is going
on. John clearly informs us that even our Lord’s disciples don’t understand
(verse 16). It is not to be understood until Jesus is glorified—that is until after
our Lord is rejected, crucified, resurrected, and ascended. It is then that the
Holy Spirit will make these things clearto them (see John 14:25-31), and
through them to us. As John writes this Gospel, he understands what he did
not graspwhen these things were taking place, and he makes sure that his
readers know it as well.
More Mixed Reactions
(12:17-19)
17 So the crowd who had been with him when he calledLazarus out of the
tomb and raisedhim from the dead were continuing to testify about it. 18
Becausethey had heard that Jesus had performed this miraculous sign, the
crowdwent out to meet him. 19 Thus the Pharisees saidto one another, “You
see that you can do nothing. Look, the world224 has run off after him!”
Jesus’bold entrance into Jerusalemgets the attention of everyone. It can
hardly be ignored. Those who have come from afar likely do not know of
recentevents, so those who witness the raising of Lazarus tell their story, over
and over againto wide-eyed pilgrims. Those who hear the story from one
witness may gladly hear it from another. This greatlyfuels the flames of

messianic expectations. Hearing of this one miraculous sign is the only reason
some of these worshippers go to meet Jesus, as He makes His way to the city.
The Pharisees,onthe other hand, have been watching Jesus with suspicion
from the very beginning. They are continually monitoring their ratings and
taking note of how many people are abandoning them to follow Jesus.225
Their popularity has never been lowerthan at the time of the “triumphal
entry,” and they know it. It seems to me that the words of the Pharisees,
recordedin verse 19, reflectutter panic. In chapter 11, they see themselves
losing ground:
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees calledthe council togetherand
said, “Whatare we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs.
48 If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the
Romans will come and take awayour sanctuary and our nation” (John 11:47-
48).
This leads them to conclude that Jesus must die, for their ownpreservation,
and for that of the nation (11:49-53, 57). When it becomes apparent that
Lazarus also is a threat to them, they decide to kill him also (12:10). And now,
after the “triumphal entry,” they are beginning to think theirs is a lostcause.
They are now forcedto take desperate measures.
Up to this point, the Jewishreligious leaders have been unwilling to seize and
kill Jesus during Passover:
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people met togetherin the palace
of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. 4 They planned to arrest Jesus
by treachery and kill him. 5 But they said, “Notduring the feast, so that there
will not be a riot among the people” (Matthew 26:3-5; see also Mark 14:2).
During the Passoverweek, theywant to arrestJesus, but He carefully avoids
them at night, and stays surrounded by the crowds during the day, making
this impossible (see Matthew 21:45-46;Mark 11:18; 12:2; Luke 20:19;21:37;
22:2).
I am inclined to think that this panic of the Jews, recordedin our text, and the
decisionof Judas to betray the Lord Jesus, coincides.I believe Judas decides

to betray our Lord at the exact same time the Jews are ready to do whateverit
takes to be rid of Him. If they could have their way, it would not be during
Passover, becausethis would put them in danger of inciting the masses against
them. But now, as the saying goes, “Desperatestraits callfor desperate
measures.” In their eagernessto put Jesus to death, even during Passover,
they perfectly fulfill the will of God and the purpose of our Lord that He die
during Passoveras the PassoverLamb. God’s timing is always perfect.
Conclusion
The fact that every Gospelhas an accountof the “triumphal entry” of our
Lord into Jerusalemindicates to us that it is indeed a most significant event.
On our Lord’s part, it is a most dramatic and emphatic claim to be the
Messiah, the “King of Israel.” At the same time, it is a fulfillment of the
prophecy of Zechariah9:9. Jesus does not come as a conquering king, ready
to lead Israelagainstthe Romans, overthrowing their rule. He has come as the
“Prince of Peace”andas the “Lamb of God,” whose death will provide the
cure for sin. I am reminded of the spiritual that goes something like this,
“Poorlittle Jesus boy, they didn’t know who you was …” This song refers to
the birth of our Lord, but it applies equally wellto His “triumphal entry.”
They still don’t know who He is.
This is a major turning point in Israel’s history. To joyfully welcome Him as
“their kind of king” is not to receive Him as the “Lamb of God,” sent to “take
awaythe sin of the world” (John 1:29). To receive their kind of Jesus is to
rejectGod’s kind of King. This apparent receptionis, in reality, a rejection. It
is destined to result in rejection. It will take a few days to become evident, but
when they finally graspthat Jesus has not come to fulfill their expectations,
but rather to be a different kind of Messiah, they will quickly turn against
Him, rejecting Him as their king. Those who hail Jesus as the “King of Israel”
at the “triumphal entry” will a few days later cry out “Crucify, crucify!” As
we continue to read of our Lord’s arrest, trials, and crucifixion in John, the
word “king” appears a number of times. It will there be evident that Jesus is
not the people’s kind of king.

This shallow receptionof Jesus came as no surprise to Him, and as we listen to
His words, spokenearlier, it would not surprise us, either:
16 “And these are the ones sownon the rockyground: whenever they hear the
word, they receive it at once with joy. 17 But they have no root in themselves
and are temporary. Then, when trouble or persecutioncomes because ofthe
word, they fall away immediately” (Mark 4:16-17).
Jesus’tears rightly appraise the real meaning and significance ofthis
“triumphal entry.” They have not receivedHim as the One who will be “lifted
up” on the cross ofCalvary. They are not willing to think of His glorification
as taking place on Calvary. This receptionis but a step along the path of
Israel’s rejectionof Jesus, whichleads to the destruction of this nation in but a
few years. The occasionis not triumphant at all, but tragic. And what is tragic
as well is that no one but our Lord understands this at the moment. He alone
knows what lies ahead. We will look at the conclusionof this chapter in our
next lesson, but suffice it to say that the conclusionof this chapter is about
unbelief, not belief. The “triumphal entry” is about Israel’s unbelief.
Lest we hastily condemn the nation Israel for their unbelief and hardness of
heart, let me conclude by pointing out that Israel’s error in our text is one of
the most common errors evident in the professing church today—
triumphalism. It is our insistence that Jesus be now what the Bible says He
will be and do then—in the future. We all wish to identify with the triumphant
Jesus, who overthrows the wicked, and brings prosperity, peace, and freedom
from pain to His people. But we do not wish to identify with the “suffering
Savior.” Jesus’words for us are not, “Take up your crown and follow Me,”
but “Takeup your cross and follow Me.” This is not to say that this life has no
triumphs, no blessings, no deliverances from suffering and pain. It is to say
that the blessings our Lord has promised at His secondcoming must not be
demanded before they take place. Peterspeaks to those who are suffering and
uses the example of Christ as our example:
18 Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to the good
and gentle, but also to the perverse. 19 For this finds God’s favor, if because
of consciencetowardGod someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. 20

For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do
goodand suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God. 21 Forto this you
were called, since Christ also sufferedfor you, leaving an example for you to
follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin nor was deceitfound in his mouth.
23 When he was maligned, he did not answerback;when he suffered, he
threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly. 24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may leave sin behind
and live for righteousness. Byhis wounds you were healed. 25 For you were
going astray like sheep but now you have turned back to the shepherd and
guardian of your souls (1 Peter2:18-25).
Paul, likewise, speaksofthe certainty of troubles and suffering in this life:
2 We sentTimothy, our brother and God’s fellow-workerin the gospelof
Christ, to strengthen you and encourage youabout your faith, 3 so that no one
would be shakenby these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are
destined for this. 4 For in fact when we were with you, we were telling you in
advance that we would suffer affliction, and so it has happened as you well
know (1 Thessalonians 3:2-4).
Let us therefore not demand in the presentwhat Godhas promised in the
future.
I should also add that a time is coming when our Lord will make a truly
“triumphal entry”:
11 Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse!The one riding it
was called‘Faithful’ and ‘True,’ and with justice he judges and goes to war.
12 His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his
head. He has a name written that no one knows excepthimself. 13 He is
dressedin clothing dipped in blood, and he is named the Word of God. 14 The
armies that are in heaven, dressedin white, clean, fine linen, were following
him on white horses. 15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it
he can strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps
the winepress ofthe furious wrath of God the All-Powerful. 16 He has a name
written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.” 17
Then I saw one angelstanding in the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all

the birds flying high in the sky: “Come, gatheraround for the great banquet
of God, 18 to eat your fill of the flesh of kings, the flesh of generals, the flesh of
powerful people, the flesh of horses and those who ride them, and the flesh of
all people, both free and slaves, and small and the great!”
19 Then I saw the beastand the kings of the earth and their armies assembled
to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. 20 Now the
beastwas seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the
signs on his behalf—signs by which he deceivedthose who had receivedthe
mark of the beastand those who worshiped his image. Both of them were
thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. 21 The others were
killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the
horse, and all the birds gorgedthemselves with their flesh (Revelation19:11-
21).
Are you ready for this day, when our Lord returns to this earth triumphantly,
to deliver His saints, and to destroyHis enemies? It is a much awaitedday for
those who have placed their trust in Jesus, due to the work He accomplished
at Calvary at His first coming. It is a dreaded day for those who have rejected
Him as the “Lamb of God who takes awaythe sins of the world.” May eachof
us be ready and waiting for Him when He returns to this earth in triumph.
218 “The Passoverfestivalat Jerusalemin the days before the temple was
destroyedwas an impressive occasion. Perhaps the only comparable event in
the modern world is the annual Haj to Mecca. Fromall over the Eastern
Mediterraneanworld, whereverJews had settled or foreigners had embraced
the Jewishreligion, they came eachyear. Nobody knows exactlyhow many
came. Ancient reports range from half a million to twelve million! A more
conservative modern estimate reckons that Jerusalem, quite a small town by
modern standards (perhaps 30,000inhabitants), was swollento six times its
normal population at Passovertime. The city itself could not hold them, and
they filled the surrounding villages, while large numbers setup tents outside
the city.” R. T. France, I Came to Setthe Earth on Fire (Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 1976), p. 126. It should be noted, however, that Joachim

Jeremias (on whose calculations Francerests his estimate of 180,000 people)
later suggestedthat this estimate might still be a bit too high. Cf. Joachim
Jeremias, Jerusalemin the Time of Jesus (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969),
p. 84.
219 “Sir RobertAnderson by a careful analysis of the prophecy of Daniel
9:24-27 calculatedthat Jesus, to the very day, fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy
concerning the appearance of the Messiah. Dr. Alva McClainhas written,
‘April 6, 32 A.D., therefore, is fixed definitely as the end of the era of the first
69 Weeks;and according to Daniel’s prophecy, it should mark the very day of
Messiah’s manifestationas the Prince of Israel.’Without attempting to enter
into the clearbut intricate chronologicalcalculations setforth by Anderson in
his book, The Coming Prince (Pages95-105), I shall simply state his
conclusionthat April 6, 32 A.D., was the tenth of Nisan, that momentous day
on which our Lord, in fulfilment of Messianic prophecy, rode up to Jerusalem
on the ‘foal of an ass’and offered Himself as the Prince and King of Israel.”
Alva J. McClain, Daniel’s Prophecyof the Seventy Weeks (GrandRapids:
Zondervan, 1969), p. 20.
220 “The ass or donkeyis commonly associatedwith pursuits of peace (Judg.
10:4; 12:14; II Sam. 17:23; 19:26;Is. 1:3); the horse, with warfare (Ex. 15:1,
19, 21; Ps. 33:17;76:6; 147:10;Prov. 21:31;Jer. 8:6; 51:21; Zech. 10:3; and
Rev. 6:4).” William Hendriksen, Exposition of the GospelAccording to John,
2 vols. (Grand Rapids: BakerBook House, 1953-1954), vol. 2, p. 191.
221 The other Gospels go into much greaterdetail, informing us that Jesus
prepared for His “transportation” to Jerusalemin such a way that it perfectly
fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.
222 Hendriksen, vol. 2, p. 188.
223 “Also this psalm may have been sung in the Upper Room after the Lord’s
Supper (Matt. 26:30).” Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, RoyB., The Bible
Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications,
Inc.), 1983, 1985.

224 I merely point out here what I will expand upon in our next lesson. “The
Greeks”who seek aninterview with Jesus in the next verse surely represent
“the world” to which the Jews allude here.
225 From Matthew 23:15, we getan insight into how hard they workedto gain
a disciple, and you can very wellimagine how they felt about losing one of
their disciples to Jesus.
RelatedTopics:Christology
Bob Deffinbaugh
Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas TheologicalSeminary
with his Th.M. in 1971. Bobis a pastor/teacherandelder at Community Bible
Chapel in Richardson, Texas, andhas contributed many of his Bible study
series for use by the Foundation. Bob was born and raisedin a Christian
home i... More
Luke 19:28-44 – The Un-Triumphal Entry
By Jeremy Myers
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Hi ho Silver, away!
It was Palm Sunday as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. He saton a blazing white
stallion that kickedup a cloud of dust as he pranced through town.
The people Jesus passedwere in awe of such a beautiful animal, but they were
even more awestruck by the man who rode it. As Jesus passedby, you could
hear the people say, “Who was that maskedman?” and “Did you see His
Sword?
But He didn’t have time to stop. There were bad guys on the loose andJesus
had a job to do.
As He rode into JerusalemHe quickly sized up the situation and formed a
plan to capture the ring leader of the trouble makers. His name was Diablo,
although some called him Satan.
Diablo didn’t like it that Jesus was onthe prowl in his streets, so whenhe
heard Jesus was in town, he loadedhis pistols, sent his sidekicks outto setup
an ambush. Then, kicking wide the squeakysaloondoors, he stepped out into
the dusty street.
The crowds ran for cover. They knew to keepclearwhen Diablo had that look
in his eyes.

But Jesus wasn’tafraid. He got down off of His stallion, silver pistols and
white chaps gleaming in the sun. He clenchedhis fists, popped his knuckles,
made that squinty eyed grimace, and said, “Go ahead…make my day.”
Amazingly, Diablo did. A couple of shots were fired, there was a short scuffle,
and Jesus wonhandily over Diablo and his minions.
Jesus hog-tiedthem all and threw them in jail.
The crowds of people reappeared, and beganto ask Jesus to be their new
sheriff.
But with a greatleap, He mounted His horse and pulled hard on the reigns.
The stallion stoodon its hind legs, neighedloudly, and pawedthe air with its
front legs. When it stoodas tall as it could stand, Jesus leanedforwardin the
saddle. Holding the reigns with one hand while lifting his white hat in the air
with the other, He shouted with a loud voice, “I’ll be back.”
As Jesus rode off into the sunset, the backgroundmusic swelledto a
crescendo,and the credits began to roll…
Isn’t that how you would have done it if you were Jesus? It’s what I would
have done. It’s probably what Hollywood would have done. But Jesus always
does things differently. He never did things the way any one of us would have
done them.
As we look at what really happened 2000 years ago whenJesus did enter
Jerusalem, it is not what any of us would have done.
Luke 19:28-44 sets the scene. This passage contains the first event in Christ’s
final week—the eventknown as the Triumphal Entry. But as we will see, it is
anything but “Triumphal.”
A “Triumphal Entry” would be like the one I just describeda few minutes
ago. A Triumphal Entry would be what the Jews were looking for. A
Triumphal Entry would have included Jesus defeating Satanand

overthrowing the Roman domination of Israel. A Triumphal Entry would
have had Jesus setup as King and Ruler and Judge.
But none of those things happened. This event is calledthe Triumphal Entry,
but that is not really what it was.
1. What Jesus Did (Luke 19:28-35)
Luke 19:28. When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
As Bible students, the first question to ask of this text is, “When He had said
what?” Just prior to this event, Jesus told the parable of a nobleman who
went to a farawayland to be crownedking. As he was leaving, he gave ten
minas to ten servants, and told them to invest it for him while he was gone.
The parable tells us about three of these servants, whatthey did with their
money, and how the master rewarded them when he returned as king.
That is the parable Jesus had just finished telling, and now in Luke 19:28, we
see that when he had said this, he went…up to Jerusalem.
So most likely, His disciples are thinking, “Here we go! He has just told us a
parable about being crowned king, and now we’re going to Jerusalem—the
royal city, the capital of Israel, and Jesus is going to be crownedking!”
Let’s see what Jesus does.
Luke 19:29. And it came to pass, when He came near to Bethphage (means
House of Unripe Figs)and Bethany (means House of Many Figs).
I don’t think it is accidentalthat these two towns are mentioned here. The fig
tree was always representative ofGod’s blessing on Israel. One of the
covenantpromises Godmade with Israelwas that when they were obedient to
Him, he would bring them peace and prosperity. This was symbolized by
“eachman having his own vine and his own fig tree” (1 Kings 4:25; cf. also
Hos 9:10; Isa 36:16).
Jesus has just told a parable about how he wants his servants to be productive
while he is away. And now, in Luke 19:29, Luke mentions both Bethphage—
House of Unripe Figs, and Bethany—House of Many Figs, and the question in

the reader’s mind then was, “WhenJesus enters Jerusalem, whichof the two
will he find the Jews to be?”
We know that Jesus is going to find a barren Jerusalem. He is going to find a
fig tree of unripe fruit. And in fact, we know from the accounts in Matthew
and Mark that the very next day, He illustrates this by cursing the barren fig
tree. Do you remember? On Monday morning, He is hungry, and he comes
upon a fig tree which has no fruit, so He curses it, and when they all return
that night, the tree has withered and died (Matt 21:19-20;Mark 11:13-14, 20).
It was not the seasonforfigs, but this was all symbolic of what Jesus expected
to find in Jerusalem…but did not.
Continuing on with Luke 19:29 then, but stating that they were at the
mountain called Olivet. This is the Mount of Olives. Again, some symbolism is
implied here. First of all, prophetically, Jesus is the Olive shootout of the
stump of Jesse. During Jesus’final week, He spent a lot of time on the Mount
of Olives, and in fact, His final night was spent praying in the Garden of
Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, which means “Gardenof the Olive
Press.” Mostlikely, it was on an olive press that Christ prayed, and because of
the greatpressure that was upon Him, shed drops of blood. He, as the Olive
shoot, was pressedlike an olive.
But the Mount of Olives is important for another reason. Zechariah14:3-4
prophecies that when the Messiahcomes to set up his earthly kingdom, He
will come to the Mount of Olives. The Jews knew of this prophecy, and look at
what the result would be. In 14:9, 11, the Mount of Olives will split in two, and
He will set up His throne in Jerusalem. So everytime Jesus drew near to the
Mount of Olives, the disciples gotexcited.
This sets us up for what happens next. If we had never read this account
before, and if we were Jews looking for the Messiah’s coming, we would be
expecting Christ to overthrow the Romans and set up His earthly rule.
But in Luke 19:29 and following, He gives his disciples some very curious
instructions.

Luke 19:29-35. He sent two of His disciples, saying, “Go into the village
opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has
ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you
loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.'”
So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to
them. But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why
are you loosing the colt?”
And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” When they brought him to Jesus.
And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they setJesus on him.
The fact that the colt had never been ridden makes it speciallysuited for
sacredpurposes. Forexample, the red heifer which was to be used in
ceremonies ofcleansing was to be a beastupon which the yoke had never
come (Num 19:2; Deut 21:3). The cart on which the ark of the Lord was to be
carried had to be one which had never been used for any other purpose (1
Sam 6:7). So this was a young, never-before-ridden donkey.
Another thing we notice about what Jesus does, is that He is borrowing this
donkey. This might seemstrange, but it was actually a fairly common practice
in that day. When a royal emissaryarrived in town, they would often borrow
(or commandeer)a mount to ride into town on. It was considereda privilege
to have your mount used by the king or prince or generalor famous teacher
who was riding into town (cf. Gen 49:10-11). The interesting thing, however, is
that most often, the royal emissary found the most beautiful and proud
stallion in the city to ride in on. This would show victory and conquest.
But the donkey colt was just the opposite. It shows humility and peace. Christ
did not want to enter Jerusalemriding a horse, or driving a chariot. He did
not weara crown, or carry a sword as most royal persons would have done.
Donkeys were usedoccasionally, but when they were, they were for civil, not
military processions(1 Kings 1:33).
This is all important because we’re going to see that the people thought they
were getting a military Messiah. Someone who was going to judge and fight

and rule. Christ wanted them to see Him differently. So when He rides in on a
donkey, this was His wayof saying, “I come in peace.”He came not to destroy,
but to create. Notto condemn, but to help. Not in the might of arms, but in the
strength of love. Jesus was definitely making a claim.
The multitudes recognizeda claim—but not the one Christ was trying to
make. We’ve seenfirst, what Jesus did. Luke 19:36 shows us, secondly, what
the crowds did.
2. What the Crowds Did (Luke 19:36)
Luke 19:36. And as He went, many spreadtheir clothes on the road.
Spreading of garments represents royal homage (2 Kings 9:12-13). It was a
sign of paying tribute—like rolling out the red carpet today. By laying down
their cloaks, theywere giving Jesus a kingly welcome.
But this is only the first thing they did. They do a couple of other things, like
cheering and waving palm branches…but all of these things revealthirdly,
what the crowds wanted.
3. What the Crowds Wanted(Luke 19:37-40)
Luke 19:37. Then, as He was now drawing near the descentof the Mount of
Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God
with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen.
We know from the other Gospelaccounts thatmost of these people here were
pilgrims from Galilee (many of them were disciples;Luke 19:37) or Jericho
(Matt 20:29). All of them were most likely here for the Passoverand the Feast
of Unleavened Bread.
Maybe you are thinking, “The verse mentions a multitude. How many people
were there?”
In AD 60 (30 years after this event, a Romangovernor took a census ofthe
number of lambs that was slain in Jerusalemduring this week, and found that
it was close to 250,000 lambs!Jewishlaw stated that there must be a minimum
of ten people for eachlamb slain, so during this time, there would be at least

2.5 million people in or around Jerusalem![1]There was no better time for
him to be revealing himself, for a large portion of the Jewishpeople were
there. Being from Galilee, they had seen(or heard about) many of His
miracles (Luke 19:37), and heard some of His teachings. Jesusnormally
avoided Jerusalem, so He was relatively unknown there.
Luke 19:37 also tells us that these disciples were rejoicing and praising God
with a loud voice. Luke 19:38 tells us what exactly they were saying.
Luke 19:38. saying: ‘Blessedis the King who comes in the name of the
LORD!’ Peace in heavenand glory in the highest!”
Multitudes, cheering for Him here. Luke’s accountkind of translates forus
what they were saying, but the other accounts tellus that they were also
shouting, “Hosanna!” Hosanna means “Save us, Oh God!” and comes from
the Psalms. Specifically, the people here were reciting Psalm 118:25-27.So we
hear this, and think they were recognizing Christ’s divinity and Messiah-ship.
But really, shouting this was not too much out of the ordinary. Jerusalemsat
on a hill, that is why wheneverpeople travel to Jerusalem, the Bible reads that
they went “up” to Jerusalem. During this time of the year, as I mentioned,
millions of pilgrims would make the journey up to Jerusalemfor Passoverand
the FeastofUnleavened Bread.
And as they approachedJerusalem, they would sing certainpsalms which are
known as the Songs of Ascent. At a certainpoint on the road, they would
begin with Psalm 113, and as they got nearerand nearerto Jerusalem, would
sing through Psalm114, 115, 116 and117 so that as they entered into
Jerusalem, they were singing Psalm118.
And many of these pilgrims, in the joy of the moment, would stopright
outside the gates of Jerusalem, and welcome otherpilgrims by joining them in
song as they walkedthe final few steps to Jerusalem. So as these pilgrims were
approaching Jerusalem, they would be singing the final few lines of Psalm
118, and as they did, the throngs of people, the multitudes would welcome
them by joining them in singing.
What were these final words they would sing?

“Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
Can you imagine? As you approachthe holy city of Jerusalem, to celebrate
one of the most holy days of the JewishCalendar, thousands of people would
greetyou and join with you in song. I think that’s what entering heavenmight
be like.
So, as Jesus entered, the multitude of people was just singing as they normally
did to welcome othertravelers. But the thing that was different about this
Traveler, was that He rode in on a donkeyin fulfillment of prophecy. And
some who recognizedthis, began to lay their coats at His feet in welcome, and
wave palm branches before Him as well.
They were giving Him a royal welcome. As I said, the coats were like rolling
out the red carpet, and the branches were a symbol of paying homage to
rulers (1 Macc 13:51;2 Macc 10:7).
They also slightly changedthe words of the song for Jesus. Ratherthan
“Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118), they sang
“Blessedis the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” This reveals that
they wanted a KING. So while the singing was not out of the ordinary, the
donkey, the coats, the palm branches and the specific words of the song were.
These things were signs of royalty. The crowds revealedthrough this that they
wanted a ruler, a judge, a KING. They wanted a warrior.
Of course, as always in the Gospels, there were religious leaders nearby. And
when they saw what the crowds were doing, they recognizedthe prophetic
implications, and look what they sayin Luke 19:39.
Luke 19:39. And some of the Pharisees calledto Him from the crowd,
“Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
They have had run in after run in with Jesus, and…theycan’t stand Him. In
fact, they are looking for ways to kill Him (Luke 19:47).
Luke 19:40. But He answeredand said to them, “I tell you that if these should
keepsilent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

What does Jesus mean? Why is it so important that He be hailed and honored
on this day in history?
Luke 19:41-44 tell us why. We have seenWhat Jesus Did, What the Crowds
Did, and What the Crowds Wanted. Let us now look at what Jesus wanted.
4. What Jesus Wanted(Luke 19:41-44)
Luke 19:41-44. Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying,
“If you had known, even you, especiallyin this your day, the things that make
for your peace!But now they are hidden from your eyes. Fordays will come
upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you,
surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children
within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon
another, because youdid not know the time of your visitation.”
Over and over againin the Gospels, Jesus warns His followers not to tell
anyone who He is. The reasonHe nearly always gives is that His time had not
yet come. (Mt. 8:4; 9:30; 12:16;17:19; John 6:15.)
But now we come to the Triumphal Entry. Everything He does over the next
few days was designedto call attention to the factthat He is the Messiah. His
time had come. In Luke 19:41, Jesus weptover Jerusalem. Why? Becausein
Luke 19:42, they did not know what day it was.
You say, “Well, what day was it? Why was it so important for Jesus to be
recognizedon THIS day?”
There is a famous prophecy in the book of Daniel, which was written about
600 years before Christ came to earth, which foretold the exactday Christ
would enter Jerusalem!The prophecy is knownas Daniel’s 70 weeks,and is
found in Daniel9:24-26. It foretells the exactday Jesus was to enter
Jerusalem. Mostbelieve that this day was April 6th, AD 33.
And in Luke 19, the religious leaders of the day want Jesus to keepHis
disciples quiet. And what does Jesus say? If they kept quiet, the very stones
would cry out! There was no keeping quiet on this day in history. And Jesus
wanted His own people to recognize him for who He was…but they did not.

And so in verse 41 and 42, He weeps over the city because they did not
recognize whatday it was (cf. Jer 6:26; 8:18-9:3; Lam 1:1-4)!
We tend to make excuses forthem. We look at that prophecy in Daniel and
say “It’s pretty confusing.” But Jesus wantedthem to know, and even
expectedthem to know. In fact, God, in Deuteronomy 4:29, commanded them
to know. In other words, there was no excuse for their not knowing.
If they had been in God’s Word as they should have been, THEY WOULD
HAVE KNOWN WHAT DAY IT WAS!
And here, as Christ enters into Jerusalem, the scene makes Him cry. They
shout “Blessedis He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the
Highest.” They lay their cloaksbefore his donkey. They wave palm branches.
They are honoring him with their words and their actions, but their hearts are
far from Him (Isa 29:13; Matt 15:8).
Some of them, undoubtedly, thought that he was the promised Messiah, but
they all wanted the Messiahwho would rule and judge and set up an earthly
Kingdom. In all likelihood, not one of them understood what kind of Messiah
He had come to be. The disciples didn’t even understand until after Jesus had
died and risen from the dead. But all of them, the disciples and the multitudes
should have seen. Theyshould have known. It was everywhere in Scripture. It
was plain before their eyes. He had clearly taught it and explained it. He was
even riding in on a donkey—a symbol of peace and humility—not victory and
conquest.
But they did not understand.
All history had pointed toward this single, spectaculareventwhen the
Messiahpublicly presented Himself to the nation, and they did not recognize
Him. The religious leaders—whoofall people should have known because
they prided themselves in their knowledge ofthe Scriptures—told Jesus to tell
the multitudes to keepsilent. (Luke 19:39).
As a result of not recognizing who He was and what he had come for, Jesus
tells them what will happen in Luke 19:43-44. This is exactly what happened.

In AD 70, the temple was destroyed. The Jews were scattered. WhatJesus
said came true—all because they did not recognize Him as He wanted.
So from Luke 19:28-44, we’ve seenwhatJesus did, what the crowds did, what
the crowds wanted, and what Jesus wanted.
As Christians who are living 2000 years later, the passage stillspeaks to us. It
asks us,
5. What do You Want, and What Will You Do?
First of all, who do you think Jesus is, and what do you think He wants? Many
think He was just a goodteacheror a prophet. But He claimed to be God.
Would Jesus be disappointed with who you think He is?
And lest we be too critical of Jerusalemon that day, ask yourself this
question: What city even today would not be shakenby Jesus’entry into it?
Imagine Jesus entering New York, Los Angeles, Washington, or Dallas? If we
even recognizedhim, I’m sure we’d welcome him with our hosannas—atfirst,
anyway. We’d line the streets and strike up the band and have a grand parade
right down Main Street. But I’m equally sure that, by the end of the week,
we’d have Him nailed to a cross, too.
Why? Because the Kingdom Jesus came to establishstill threatens the
kingdoms of this world—your kingdom and mine—the kingdoms where
greed, power, and lust rule instead of grace, mercy, and peace. And who
among us really wants to surrender our lives to that Kingdom and that King?
So let us not be too hasty in judging them.
Secondly, are you looking for His reappearing?
The first time He came, they should have known exactly what day He would
appear. God has not given us such information about Christ’s second
appearing when we will be raptured to meet Him in the air. He said that no
one canknow the day or the hour (Mt. 24:36). And as a result, many of us
have simply given up watching and waiting for His coming. But that is not
what we are supposed to do.

Even though we cannot know the day or the hour, we are to be ready for His
coming. It could be any day. It could be today. It could be tomorrow. There is
nothing else that needs to happen before the church is takenaway(Jas 5:7-9;
1 Pet 4:7; Heb 10:24-25;1 Thess 5:1-4;Titus 2:11-13;Matt 16:1-3).
We are supposed to know the times we live in. We are to understand the
times. We are to be eagerlyawaiting the Lord’s coming—eventhough we
cannot know the exact date.
I beganthis morning by describing the way we normally would imagine
Christ’s coming if we had been able to write the script. But that’s not the way
he came the first time.
You know what though? It’s no too far off from how his secondcoming will
be. Let me close this morning by reading a few verses from Revelation19.
Now I saw heavenopened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him
was calledFaithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had
a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothedwith a robe
dipped in blood, and His name is calledThe Word of God. And the armies in
heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followedHim on white horses.
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the
nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads
the winepress ofthe fierceness andwrath of Almighty God. And He has on
His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS.
Are you waiting for this? Are you ready for this? I would suggestthatyou get
ready, for Christ is coming, whether you are ready or not.
Yet there is something even more important about this text than just looking
for the secondreturn of Jesus.
When Jesus came the first time, most of the religious people were looking for
a Warrior Messiah. A Messiahwho would raise an army and crush, kill, and
slaughterthe enemies of Israel.

But this is not why Jesus came. And though the people hailed Him as King,
they wanted a different sort of King than the King He had come to be.
He wanted them to see that He loved their enemies as much as He loved them.
That he forgave their enemies, just as He had forgiven them. That He
welcomedboth the Israelites and their enemies into one family of the
Redeemed.
But they did not see this, and so He wept over the city.
And I often wonder if Jesus weeps overus.
Though we now know why Jesus came the first time over 2000 years ago,
many of us expectthat in His secondcoming, He will come as a Warrior King.
We want Him to raise an army (or bring one with Him) so that He cancrush,
kill, and slaughterall our enemies.
Could it be that we have fallen into the same trap as our spiritual forefathers?
Could it be that just as they wrongly wanteda Messiahwho would kill and
slaughterothers, so also, we are wrongly hoping for a Messiahthatwill kill
and slaughterours?
Maybe, just maybe, when Jesus comes again, it will not be to kill our enemies
and let their blood flow through the city streets. Maybe, just maybe, when
Jesus comes, itwill be to forgive all, acceptall, love all, and bring peace to all.
Maybe, when Jesus comesagain, riding that white horse of victory, the victory
He declares is not over our physical foes, but over the spiritual foes of sin,
death, and devil.
Maybe, when Jesus comesagain, with a robe dipped in blood, it is not stained
with the blood of our enemies, but with His ownblood, shed for our us and for
our enemies.
Maybe, when Jesus comesagain, with the shining sword at His side, it is not a
swordfor dealing death, but a sword of the Spirit and the Word of Truth,
which reveals to us all who we really are and what God is truly like.

The crowds wanteda king who would kill their foes. They were wrong. We
want a king who will kill our foes…
Are you looking for the secondcoming of Jesus? If so, make sure that when
you do, you take cues from His first coming for how His secondcoming will
look. Forif we don’t, we may not recognize Him at His coming, and He may
weepover us, just as He wept over them.
Dr. S. Lewis Johnsonexpounds Jesus'entry into Jerusalemand the beginning
of the PassionWeek.
SLJ Institute > Gospelof Matthew > Jesus'Latter Ministry (in Jerusalem)>
The Untriumphal Entry
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What we are going to have in the hour that follows is a passage gathered
around some Old TestamentScriptures, and one in particular. I want to read
a few verses from Zechariah chapter 9, so I give you some time to try to find
it. Zechariahchapter 9, the next to the last book of the Old Testament, and I
want to read verses 9 through 11 of that prophecy, and then we will turn to
Matthew chapter 21. So turn back a few pages in your bible to Zechariah
chapter 9, and let me read beginning with verse 9 through verse 11.
I am sure that many of you have readthrough the prophesy of Zechariah, and
you know that it is probably the greatestofthe minor prophets and one of
most important of the prophesies of the Old Testament—a prophetwho was
deeply indebted to the greatestofthe Old Testamentprophets, the prophet
Isaiah. And in the last six chapters of the book of Zechariah there are
primarily two burdens that the prophet has, and eachof these burdens
consumes three of his chapters, so that in chapters 9 10 and 11 the burden is
of “the king in rejection.” And then in chapters 12, 13 and 14, the second
burden is of “the king enthroned.” These verses thatI am going to read now
are in the sectionin which he has a burden that touches the rejectionof the
Messianic king. Verse 9 of Zechariahchapter 9 reads,
“Rejoicegreatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:behold
thy King comethunto thee: (that incidentally is a kind of theme clause for the
entire book of Matthew:behold thy King cometh unto thee. The prophet
continues) he is just, and having salvation;lowly, and riding upon an ass, and
upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and
the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he (that is
the rider) he shall speak peace unto the nations: and his dominion shall be
from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. As for

thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sentforth thy prisoners out of
the pit in which is no water.”
Let’s turn now to Matthew chapter 21 and read the passagethat contains the
historicalfulfillment of at leastone major point of the prophecy that
Zechariah gave so many hundreds of years ago. Verse 1 of Matthew chapter
21, and the evangelistwrites,
“And when they drew nearunto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage,
unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, ‘Go
into the village opposite againstyou, and straightwayye shall find an ass tied,
and a coltwith her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say
anything unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway
he will send them.’ All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was
spokenby the prophet, saying, Tellye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King
cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commandedthem, And brought the
ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they sethim thereon. And
a very greatmultitude spreadtheir garments in the way; others cut down
branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that
went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the sonof David:
Blessedis he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is
this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazarethof
Galilee.”
May the Lord bless this reading from his Word.
We appreciate those words that have been spokenby Lynn concerning music,
because it is important to remember that the reasonthat we do sing lies in the
instruction that we receive from the things that we sing and also in the things
that we express through the things that we sing.
And of course we sing best and we sing most meaningfully when the things
that we are sing are true to the word of God. This hymn is one of my favorite
hymns and it also is so popular among members of the Christian church that
other uses have been been made of this particular hymn, and one of them I

could not help but think of as we were singing that last stanza: “Let goods and
kindred go, this mortal life also / the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth
still / His kingdom is forever. And some years ago I remember reading an
article on why we should follow the word of God regardless ofwhat it may
mean to the localchurch.
And, in fact, we may even have to follow the word of God and follow it so
necessarilythat the membership of the localchurch may suffer as a result.
And that we should remember that we must follow the word of God rather
than, even, our natural desires to have a large congregationor, a large
membership, and someone insertedthese last words of this hymn but added to
them, “Let goods and kindred go some membership also the body they may
kill God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.” I’m tempted at times to
sing that, but he was trying to express the truth that in the final analysis it is
what God says in his word that is the important thing and not our success
according to earthly standards while we are here upon the earth.
The subject for the expositionof today is the “The Untriumphal Entry.” It’s
hardly without design that probably the two most significant figures of human
history appearedin the same generationof the human story. One of these was
Augustus Caesarhomo emperiosus, or imperial man who destroyed Cato’s
dream of the old republic and its freedom. Augustus has been calledon the
ancient inscriptions the “divine Caesar” andthe “sonof god” giving to him
the titles that belonged ultimately to the Lord Jesus Christ. By the way, it is
probable that the writer of the Book ofRevelationwas alluding to some of
these things in the exaltation of the Romanemperors and particularly
domition when he spoke ofthe Lord Jesus and particularly Domitian as being
King of Kings and Lord of Lords, because these titles were given to the
Roman emperors, ultimately, as the worship of the emperor became more
predominant in the Roman Empire.
Augustus, or homo emperiosus, shatteredhis foes by force but he could not
bring in the golden age. As one of the men who has dealt with this particular
part of history in much depth has said, “He could find but he could not slay
the dragon.” The Lord Jesus is the Prince of Peace – principis pacis, or homo
pacifare, or “the peace-bearing man.” And of course that title is derived from

Isaiahchapter 9 and verse 6, when the titles of Prince of Peaceand other titles
are given to him, and it is said that on him he shall bear on his shoulders the
ultimate universal rule.
At the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus, by the path that he trod ,was able to wrest
the kingdom from the ancient dragon, overcome him, and make it possible for
Messianic rule to take place upon the earth and then on into eternity. So you
can see that from the standpoint of earthly history, Calvary is as some of the
ancient poets blindly anticipated—Virgil for one—Calvaryis the hinge of
history. And our Westernhistory is largely determined by what happened
when Jesus Christ suffered upon that cross.
Now we’ve been looking through the Gospelof Matthew, and we have noted
that there are a number of high points in the ministry of our Lord. We think
of course of his virgin birth, of his temptation, of his baptism, of the
transfiguration, and later on we shall spend some time dealing with the agony
in Gethsemane, and ultimately the death and resurrection. One of the other
high points of our Lord’s ministry – and high point of the steps that he took
along the way to the climax of his work – was the triumphal entry.
We think of it today as Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday was a day of wild rapture
of enthusiasm and the delirium of eagerwelcome,e but of little genuine
spirituality. Those who were shouting out, “hosanna in the highest!” or as
those words mean, hoshiana, “Save now, or save, we pray,” they little realized
what they were saying. Few seemedto understand the meaning of the hour,
and to most the entry was not a triumphal entry at all, but very untriumphal.
And if you’re looking at it from the standpoint of worldly success, we all
would have to sayit was not a very triumphal entry.
I’ve always thought since I read the stanzas by G. K. Chestertonthat he had
forcefully caught something of the hidden meaning of our Lord’s triumphal
entry. He wrote, “When fishes flew (this is was entitled the donkey) when
fishes flew and forests walkedand figs grew upon thorn, some moment when
the moon was blood, then surely I was born. With monstrous head and
sickening cry and ears like errant wings, the devil’s walking parody of all four
footedthings, the tattered outlaw of the earth of ancient crookedwill, starved,

scourged, deride me; I am dumb. I keepmy secretstill fools. For I also had
my hour one far fierce hour, and sweetthere was a shout above about my ears
and palms before my feet.”
Well I don’t think the donkey really understood what was happening. but I’m
sure that as you look at it from the standpoint of the donkey there was
something that was happening. That while the world did not understand. we
have now come to understand as being exceedinglysignificant. The excitement
that was there was real,but it was misguided. Some of it understood the
essentialnature of the person of our Lord, because the things that were said
were said by men who had truly believed in him, though their understanding
was limited . But a lot of it was totally misguided, and as a matter of fact, most
of the people were totally unprepared for what our Lord did. George
McDonald, I think, has captured their mood effectively: “They were all
looking for a king to slaytheir foes and lift them high though camesta little
baby thing that made a woman cry.” So we have a wild rapture of enthusiasm
and eagerexcitementof welcome but misunderstanding of what was really
transpiring.
I often think we have a greatdeal of that in some of our evangelicalchurches
we have a lot of excitement, a lot of enthusiasm at times, but it is totally
misguided. It is not grounded in the words of Holy Scripture, not grounded in
the sound doctrinal teaching of the word of God. The entry of our Lord into
Jerusalemhas greatdoctrinal significance, because itis solemndeclarationof
himself in his office. It was his way of pointing out as effectivelyas could
possibly be pointed out that he was the Old Testament, promised Messianic
king. And I think it’s interesting too that from this point on, the Lord Jesus
does not it seems keephis Messianic secretany longer. We have noticed in
going through the Gospelof Matthew that at specific points in his ministry,
when it was evident he had performed a mighty miracle, he frequently turned
to them and said, “Now don’t say anything about it, because it was not yet his
hour. And he knew that their since their ideas of the Messianic kingdomwere
wrong, they thought of it only as a political kingdom, that if they had
proclaimed that nature of it too soon, it might have hastened his crucifixion
and been out of harmony with the slow measured progress that God the

Father had determined. And so, from time to time he said keepquiet. Now
they didn’t always keepquiet, but that’s what he was telling them.
From now on the mission and the dignity of the Son are no longera secret, the
ancient prophesies are to be fulfilled, and all of the parts of this little account
here unite to proclaim to the nation Israeland to others, Behold your king. It
was the feast time of the Passover. Thirty years after the time of the Lord
Jesus, the Romans took a census of the lambs that were slain in the city of
Jerusalemon a later Passoverfeast, and according to the account, they
counted two hundred and fifty thousand lambs were slain in one of those
Passoverfeasts thirty years after the death of our Lord.
Now in rabbinic literature, it is statedthat there should be ten individuals for
eachlamb – a minimum of ten individuals for eachlamb. In other words,
when a lamb was slain, there should be at leastten people gatheredin the
house to eatthat particular lamb. So you can see if that were carriedout at
the time of our Lord’s death at the time of his visit to the city of Jerusalem,
then the city of Jerusalemmust have had a population of over two million
people at this time. Now since its ordinary population was of a relatively small
city by our standards, you cansee that it was packedand jammed with
literally hundreds of thousands of people who had come from all over the
land, and perhaps all over the inhabited world to celebrate this important
feastin Judaism. So that’s the background.
Now there is one other thing I think we need to understand if we are going to
understand this account, and that is that the prophets of the Old Testament –
and remember, our Lord, is the last and greatestofthe prophets; he is the
prophet of the prophets; he is the everlasting prophet; the GreatProphet,
according to Moses inhis prophesy. These prophets of the Old Testamentnot
only spoke their messagesbut they also often gave their messages by acting
out in parabolic fashion, dramatically, the things that they wanted to say. Now
they usually accompaniedthis by by words, because it is really impossible for
us to be certain about the meaning of events if we do not have a written or
spokeninterpretation of them. But they frequently were told by the Lord to
carry out certainphysical acts in order to get overtheir prophetic message.

For example, when it became evident that there was going to be a division in
the kingdom at the time of Solomon’s death, and Rehoboam’s accessionto the
throne, when it became very evident that most of the land was not going to
follow the impetuous Rehoboam, Godknowing all of this in advance, spoke to
the Prophet Ahijah and made known to the Prophet Ahijah that it would be
Jeraboamwho would rule over the ten northern tribes and Rehoboamwould
rule over the two faithful southern tribes.
And so Ahijah was directed by God to go to Jeraboamwith a new garment
when he came into the presence ofJeraboamwho was not yet king, he took off
this garment and tore it into twelve pieces, and gave ten of the pieces to
Jeraboamand kept two of him for himself, and this was his way of saying that
the kingdom was going to be rent in two there would be a division into the
northern and southern kingdom kingdoms, and ten of the tribes would follow
Jeraboamand two would remain faithful to Rehoboam. So this was a kind of
actedparable of spiritual truth.
Later, Jeremiah, for example, Ezekieldoes this often, but Jeremiah, when it
also had become evident through the words of the Lord to him that it would
be impossible for the nation to escape the Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah
made bonds and yokes and sentthem to the cities round about the land of
Palestine. He sent these bonds and yokes in order to let them know he sent
them to Edom he sent them to Tyre he sentthem to Sidon and cities like this—
that was to let them know that no matter what they did ,they would not escape
the Babylonian captivity. And then Jeremiah put a yoke upon his own head in
order to signify that the land of which he was a part would not escape the
captivity.
Later on, the Prophet Hananiah, speaking – he was one of these prophets who
liked to speak what people liked to hear rather than the truth of God
(interested in the membership, you know) – Well Hananiah, in objecting to
this sad, defeatistmessageofJeremiah, went up to Jeremiahand took the
yoke off of his neck and broke it signifying that what Jeremiahhad said was
not going to come to pass. But of course, Godfulfills his words, and the words
of his true prophets, and it did and he did.

So now it is necessaryforus to remember all of this as we come to the
triumphal entry, because it’s obvious that the Lord Jesus acts here as the
GreatProphet, and as a matter of fact, acts out in Messianic symbolismwhat
he is really doing when he enters the city of Jerusalem.
Now we read in verse 1, “And when they drew near unto Jerusalem.” They
had come from Jericho, and he had come from the north, and they, according
to the other gospelaccount,s hadspent the night in Bethany which was near
the city of Jerusalem. There the Lord Jesus always hada welcome in the little
village of Bethany, because thatwas the place where Mary and Martha and
Lazarus lived. They spent the night there and then the next morning they set
out in the festive processionforthe city of Jerusalem.
And it was fitting that they should come from Bethany to the mount of Olives,
because the mount of Olives in the Old Testamenthad Messianic significance.
There were Messianic associationswith it. I wish we had time to look at
passageslike 2 Samuel chapter 15 and verse 32 and others. And then we
remember that when the Lord Jesus comes in his secondadvent and comes to
the earth, his feet shall touch the Mount of Olives. It is from the mount of
Olives that he ascends, andit is to the mount of Olives that he comes in his
secondadvent. So it was very fitting that he should approach the city of
Jerusalemfrom the Mount of Olives.
When he arrived at the little village of Bethphage, there he told two of his
disciples to go over into a village that was just across the way from Bethphage,
and he said to them, I want you to go into that village and you shall find an ass
tied and a coltwith her, and I want you to loose them and bring them to me. A
greatdeal of speculationhas has been expended on what this really means and
also how it was carriedout. Was this totally unexpected on the part of the
person who ownedthese animals or had our Lord Jesus alreadymade
provision for it? Well the Scriptures are silent on that particular point, but it
does seemevident that this person must have been a believer. He understood
exactly what was meant when they said the Lord had need of them. So either
he had made preparation for this in advance – and that’s not unlikely because
he made preparation for the Passoverand the use of the upper room, so it’s
entirely possible that he had said, when I enter the city of Jerusalem, I may

need two of the animals, and keepthem ready – or it may be that he was
simply a believer in the Lord Jesus and recognizedthe disciples as believers
and when they said the Lord has need of them, he was willing to part with
them.
At any rate that is what has what is said, and the other gospels addanother
important feature. The Lord Jesus saidto them you will find an ass and a
colt—
incidentally Matthew mentions two; they only mention one, and that also has
occasioneda greatdeal of discussionby the commentators who have sought to
find here a misunderstanding of the Book ofZechariah by Matthew because
of Hebrew parallelism in the Old Testament, the passage in Zechariah
probably has reference to only one animal, but Matthew, not reading it
correctly, has seentwo animals, failing to see the particular form of Hebrew
expressionthere, so that he misunderstood the parallelismand saw two
animals instead of one.
I’ve always thought that this is an amazing thing that people with a sound
mind could believe that commentators in the Twentieth Century would know
more about Hebrew parallelism and the meaning of Old Testamenttext than
Hebrew men who were outstanding students of the word, and apostles of the
Lord Jesus understoodnineteen hundred years ago. Now that’s strains my
imagination to think that there could really be people who think that they
understand more about the Old Testamentthan the apostles who were taught
by our Lord, but nevertheless that’s the truth.
Now recently there has been a well knowndoctoraldissertationwhich has
takenup this point, and this author, a respectedman, has contendedthat the
reasonthere are two animals is because in the case ofthe colt of the ass, it’s a
well knownfact that the coltof the ass, the foal of the ass, would not be
ridable at all if the mother were not there and so the reference here to riting
upon an ass is a reference to the mother, and the colt the foal of the ass, is to
the offspring of the mother, and because the mother was present, then it was
possible for our Lord to ride the animal on which no one had yet sat.

Now that’s the other thing that the other accounts add. It is specificallystated
that this ass should be an ass upon which no one has ever sat. The reasonfor
that would be understood by people who lived two thousand years ago, but
not so well by us. It also was the custom when a village or people welcomeda
king for them to do things for the king that were absolutelynew. Forexample,
if we were in ancient times, and if it were told us that the president is going to
visit us, we’ll transfer that and say the the king in Washington is going to visit
us – there’s certainly a similarity there maybe more than we realize – but
anyway, if he is to visit us, then the city fathers or the village fathers would
seek some wayby which they canhonor the king. And one of the popular
ways was to constructa new road into the village on which no one has ever
traveled, so that in honor of the king, they would cut a new road so that when
the king came, he would come in on a new road.
Furthermore nothing that was secondhandor used was ever to be put in put
to the service of a king. So when it is statedthat he should come in upon an
animal upon which no one has ever sat, that was an indication of the fact that
our Lord was the Messianic king, and you’ll notice it comes from him. It is his
claim in effect that he is the Messianicking.
Now when Matthew describes this he himself adds some things. These
incidentally are the evangelists’interpretations. Notice the 4th verse: “All this
was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the prophet, saying,
Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and
sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” So youcan see from these
verses that Matthew has inserted here that the evangelistunderstands that all
that our Lord is doing in taking the ass, riding upon the ass, with the people
following along in front and in the rear, all of this was designedby our Lord
to provide Israelwith a giant objectlessonto imprint upon the minds of the
viewers this event and to sayin effectto them, the kingdom is mine; I am the
king. Zechariah, the prophecy in which it is said, thy king cometh unto thee is
fulfilled in my entry into the city at this time. So it was then, I say, our Lord’s
way in parabolic fashion of teaching, that the kingdom came when he entered
the city with him.

Well now in verses 6 through 9, the evangelistdescribes the procession
towards Jerusalem. The disciples had gone their way into the little village.
And he and those that were associatedwith him inched their way along the
caravanroad from Jericho to Jerusalemand made their way up toward the
top of the Mount of Olives, at which when reaching, that he would look out
over the city and break into tears mourning over the fact that their hearts
were so cold and unresponsive to him.
But we read in the 8th verse, and a very greatmultitude spreadtheir
garments in the way. Now it think it’s important for us to understand what
happened in order to understand what this really means. You see, the
disciples had gone off into this little village, and in addition, there were many
other disciples of the Lord who had also gone into the city of Jerusalemwhich
was nearby, no doubt to spend the night. Word had been noised abroadthat
the Lord, or Jesus ofNazareth, was in the area, and that createda greatdeal
of interest on the part of those who were either curious about him or who had
seensome of the miracles he had performed and had been won to him.
And furthermore, since he had been coming down from the north, and had
reachedthe city of Jericho with a large group of people who were his disciples,
there were those who were with him who were his disciples, and then there
were those who came out from the city out of curiosity – perhaps also some of
them were disciples – and then of course there was the giant multitude in the
city, who, as we shall see, are largelyrebellious with reference to the claims of
the king.
So, all of this group of people apparently meet, and the meeting of the groups
of people in the presence ofour Lord before he reaches the city evidently
generates a greatdealof enthusiasm and arouses the spontaneous shouting
which we read of in verse 9: “ Hosanna to the sonof David: Blessedis he that
cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” So here is the crowd
composedof disciples, of curious people who have come out from the city,
going into the city, which is rebellious toward the Great King.
And the disciples, the apostles ofthe Lord, are traveling along now with the
Lord Jesus as he rides on this little animal. They have takentheir garments

off they’ve thrown their garments down in enthusiasm before the ass, before
our Lord. Others of his disciples have cut down limbs from the palm trees and
myrtle trees and willow trees and they were throwing them out in front of the
animal, because that had been done in the Old TestamentwhenJehu was
anointed king as well. So carried awaywith the enthusiasm of the occasion
and understanding something about it ,the Lord Jesus was moving toward the
city.
The disciples, I say, were walking along, I think, dazed and dazzled by
everything that was happening. They understood of course something about
our Lord. They had put their trust in him but beyond that they understood
very little of what was happening. The crowd that was acclaiming him were
primarily the provincials who had come from the north who were his friends.
You’ve often heard people sayin reference to the Lord Jesus that the people
who acclaimedhim as the king on one day in a few hours are shouting crucify
him, crucify him!
Now of course I do believe that men’s hearts are that wicked, but so far as we
know that is not what happened on this particular occasion. There were two
entirely different groups those that were shouting to him, blessedis he that
cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the son of David; Hosanna in the
highest, were those who had some conceptof his greatness andhis glory and
who had believed in him, but the crowdwithin the city that shouts out, crucify
him, crucify him, that crowd is representative of the greatof the mass of the
nation who have never respondedto the claims of the Lord Jesus.
Now it is striking, too, that they do shout, Hosanna to the son of David;
Blessedis he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest, or
as Luke said, Blessedis the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Again
they reachback into the Old Testament, I’m sure, guided by the Holy Spirit,
though they may not have understood much about it. They reachedback into
the Old Testamentthey take out a text from Psalm 118, one of the greatestof
the MessianicPsalms whichsomeone has calleda string of pearls eachone
independent of the other, because it’s a Psalm in which there are some
magnificent expressions oftheologicaltruth, but it’s very difficult to follow
the argument of that particular Psalm.

Now that Psalmthe one 118th Psalm, was the Psalm that was used at the Feast
of Tabernacles forthe liturgy of that feast. We don’t have time to talk about
the sevengreatfeasts in Israel—but this is the greatestand lastof the feasts in
which there is a recognitionof the fact that there is to be a kingdom of God
upon the earth, so at the FeastofTabernacles,it is designedto representthe
period of time in the future when the nation shall gather in rest in the
kingdom upon the earth, and so it is very fitting that they should reachback
againinto the Old Testament, selecta text that has to do with the Messianic
king and his authority.
And even these branches that they took the lulabim as they were called, we
also recognizedas having some Messianicsignificance. Theysay, also,
incidentally, Blessedis he that cometh in the name of the Lord, and the
expressionhe that cometh was one of the Messianic titles of the Old
Testament. So you see all the details of this event unite to show that this is the
official presentationby the Lord Jesus ofhimself to the nation Israel.
Now if this is the official presentationof the king to the nation, and if this is
the royal procession, and if this is a king, it’s a strange king indeed. Because
he’s a king who doesn’teven have an ass of his own to ride upon; he has to
borrow an ass. And furthermore, instead of followers who are soldiers dressed
in shining or resplendent armor, he has a group of peasants with palm
branches. Instead of having swords and weapons of warfare they have the
palm branches. What would a Roman soldieror one of Herod’s men have
thought of this rustic processionofa pauper prince who’s riding on an ass and
a hundred and two or more of weaponless,penniless men? I’m sure they were
very much unimpressed.
But Christ’s one moment of royal splendor is as eloquent of his humiliation as
the long stretch of his whole of his lowly, humble life. All of this is designedto
express certainthings about his character. And yet, as is usually the case, side
by side with the lowliness ofour Lord, there gleams his supreme sovereignty.
We talk about lowliness, andafter all, this was lowly because whena man
rode upon an ass, he rode upon a beastof burden. In the East, the beasts of
burden were the asses,the camels, and the women. These were the beastof

burden in those days. And the ass was the lowliestbeastof burden, so to ride
upon the ass was aboutas humble as a personcould get.
Now I say it was a strange king and yet at the same time notice that amid this
humility there is also sovereignty. He speaks to those two disciples, and he
says, now I want you to go into that city, and I want you to sayto the man the
Lord has need of them, and they will turn them over to you, and that’s exactly
what happened. In other words as the king he requisitions those animals and
they respond to it. So even in the midst of this humble appearance ofour
Lord, there is nevertheless, underneath, the dignity of the supreme sovereign
of this universe.
And you know my friends let me say this, I really have, I must confess, no
problems about the genuineness of our gospel. I can remember when I was
first beginning to study the New Testamentwhen I was an insurance man in
Alabama, and I had most of the natural questions that people have. In fact, I
guess mostof my problems were altogether, I thought, intellectual, about the
word of God about other things. And I have always attempted down through
these thirty years or so to try to find the reasons forthe things that I believe. I
do think that that is important.
And of course, I have come I think to my own particular view of how we know
spiritual things as a result of wrestling for many years over the questions of
how we can know with certainty. And finally it came to me as an illumination
for the Holy Spirit the same thing that he had done with many others that we
can ultimately know nothing apart from the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in
the hearts of men. And that the ultimate attestationof everything that we
know must be divine. There can be no certainty in human experience apart
from the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit which brings us to the
conviction with the assurance ofthe Holy Spirit’s testimony within, that the
word of God is true.
Now once that came to me, then many things beganto become perfectly plain.
The problems of the gospels – I’ve never had any problem with them any
longer– many things I don’t understand yet. And I put them aside to ponder
and think about until God does reveal the truth to me. But you know one of

Jesus was not triumphant in his triumphal entry

Jesus was not triumphant in his triumphal entry

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