Triumphal Entry 2 - Matt 21:8-11; Mark 11:8-11; Luke 19:36-40; John 12:13-16

This colt hadn’t been ridden before, so it hadn’t been trained on what to do. In the article quoted yesterday from jesus-story.net we learn, “A donkey usually carried a wooden frame that could be used either as a saddle or a base for a load. In this gospel story the donkey is a colt, unused to the framework or to a rider. So the disciples threw their cloaks over its back to make a kind of informal saddle for Jesus.” When riding a horse, and therefore I assume it’s the same for a donkey, the animal gets hot, the rider’s body gets hot and the place there the rider is sitting gets really sweaty. Basically, because there was no saddle and the animal had been outside that day, it was very likely to be dirty. The disciples didn’t want Jesus’ clothes to get dirty, so the disciples “cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.” In the article “What is the significance of the triumphal entry?” From gotquestions.org, we read, “The story of the triumphal entry is one of contrasts, and those contrasts contain applications to believers. It is the story of the King who came as a lowly servant on a donkey, not a prancing steed, not in royal robes, but on the clothes of the poor and humble.”

Maybe taking their queue from the disciples, those in the crowd gathering around Him “spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.” One article called this “rolling out the red carpet” for Jesus as He approached. The ldsmag.com article mentions, “A detailed account of people spreading clothing under the feet of a King, is recorded in the Old Testament when Elisha the prophet anointed Jehu as King of Israel. We read: ‘They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, Jehu is king!’ Thus indicating their willingness to bow before the King and yield all that they had to him and his rule. Likewise is the case at the royal anointing and coronation of King Solomon. Therefore the crowds spreading clothing and palm fronds before Jesus was deeply rooted in Israel’s history in the coronation of a King; symbolic of honor, submission and willingness to bow before him and yield up their possessions to him and his rule. Thus this gesture from the people is evidence they accepted Jesus as King!”

The IM quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie as teaching, “Only kings and conquerors received such an extraordinary token of respect as this… Amid shouts of praise and pleases for salvation and deliverance, we see the disciples strewing our Lord’s course with palm branches in token of victory and triumph. This whole dramatic scene prefigures that yet future assembly when ‘a great multitude,’ … shall stand ‘before the throne, and before the Lam, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands,’ crying with a loud voice, ‘Salvation to our God which sitteh upon the throne.’”

The people are shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” The IM says, “Hosanna is a Hebrew word that ‘means ‘please save us’ and is used in praise and supplication… At the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the multitudes cried ‘Hosanna’ and spread palm branches for Jesus to ride upon, thus demonstrating their understanding that Jesus was the same Lord who had delivered Israel anciently. These people recognized Christ as the long-awaited Messiah.’ The phrase ‘all the city was moved’ suggests that Jesus’ triumphal entry was noised throughout the city and was known by many people.” The phrase “son of David” might have been the crowds’ recognition of Jesus as the rightful heir to the throne as King of Israel from both Mary and Joseph’s lineage. The people shouting “hosanna” or “please save us” were right on in expecting Jesus to be their Savior.

I’ve always wondered how the people in Jerusalem could have gone from “Hosanna to the Son of David” to “Crucify Him” in only a matter of a few days. I’ve read everything from “the first group were simply His disciples” which I don’t think is true because we know that this is a large gathering of people because Matthew describes “multitudes that went before.” I’ve also thought that maybe the group inside crying “crucify him” were simply a group of Pharisees, or a group of people paid by the Pharisees to be there, but that doesn’t make sense either because if only a few people rejected Jesus for money, then he wouldn’t have said that he was “rejected by his own.”

But an article that I read gave another scenario for the reason behind the turn of events. I read from an article from gotquestions.org which says, “Unfortunately, the praise the people lavished on Jesus was not because they recognized Him as their Savior from sin. They welcomed Him out of their desire for a messianic deliverer, someone who would lead them in a revolt against Rome. There were many who, though they did not believe in Christ as Savior, nevertheless hoped that perhaps He would be to them a great temporal deliverer. These are the ones who hailed Him as King with their many hosannas, recognizing Him as the Son of David who came in the name of the Lord. But when He failed in their expectations, when he refused to lead them in a massive revolt against the Roman occupiers, the crowd quickly turned on Him. Within just a few days, their hosannas would change to cries of ‘Crucify Him!’ Those who hailed Him as a hero would soon reject and abandon Him.” We had 2,000 years to analyze the events of Jesus’ life, and also the downfall of the Roman empire, so we know how this story ends, but the people at the time didn’t have that advantage.

Riding the colt, sitting on the coats of his disciples, Jesus began “the descent of the mount of Olives.” The article “Understanding Jesus’ Triumphal entry into Jerusalem” from ldsmag.com says, “The Mount of Olives was more than just some random or convenient place Jesus chose to begin his descent into Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives held well known Messianic implications. The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel wrote about a vision he had where he saw the glory of the Lord coming to Jerusalem form the East, entering Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. The prophet Zechariah also prophesied about the coming of the Messiah… ‘And on that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.’ Now we can better understand why such large and raucous crowds gathered around Jesus as he made his descent from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. The people knew from prophecy that when the Messiah came he would come from the Mount of Olives riding a donkey!”

I saw a map of the journey that Jesus took during His triumphal entry and I thought it was helpful so I’m going to try to add it in here. Jesus rode on the donkey through the Mount of Olives to the gate where the sheep meant for sacrifice were taken. This gate is also by the pool of Bethesda, which if we remember is where Jesus healed the man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. But this man wasn’t alone when Jesus found him, there were many others who were infirm living in that same area at the time. I didn’t put all that together until I read John Davies’ article “John 10- At the Sheep Gate- Saved from Sacrifice” which says, “To those who lived by the rules of that society The Sheep Gate was the place where the creatures to be sacrificed were herded in. The place of no return for the sacrificial lambs and sheep. The Sheep Gate was also the place where those people who society didn’t want were abandoned to. They put the incurable, the paralyzed and the lame at the pool near the Sheep Gate- right on the edge of the city, where on the country fold herding livestock passed by, out of sight of the respectable citizens at the heart of the city going about their daily business unhindered. The Sheep Gate was the place of no return for the abandoned people of Jerusalem.”

There are a couple interesting points here, first is that Jesus entered through the Sheep Gate. He physically was human, but spiritually, he was the lamb to be sacrificed. We know that sacrificing sheep was a very specific process, it had to be a first born lamb without blemish, just like Jesus was the first born spiritually and he was without sin. The purpose of sacrificing the sheep was always to prepare the hearts and minds of the people for the time that Jesus would come and die for the sins of all people. Just like the sheep were brought to the gate to be sacrificed as a type of things to come, Jesus went to the gate of his own free will to present himself to be sacrificed for all mankind. And here was the point of no return for him.

The second point is that all the “undesirables” were taken here to suffer “out of sight, out of mind” of the “respectable” members of society. Like the Pharisees who created a lifestyle that made them exclusive from the general masses who needed them as spiritual guides, the people who were in need of physical help were likewise shunned by those who could help. The church leadership and the congregants are supposed to live together, helping each other, being friends and loving, but the Pharisees had removed themselves from those they were to serve and teach. Those who are in need and those who are able to help are likewise supposed to live together in love and service and friendship, but society had removed those who needed help from the general populace who could have helped them.

Jesus had stated repeatedly that He was there to serve others, to be a friend to the friendless, to heal those who were afflicted, and he came to those who needed him. By coming through the gate closest to those who were outcast, he made himself available to them first. He wasn’t going to keep the status quo, where only those “respectable” members of society were welcome, he was going to love and serve everyone, starting with those who weren’t accepted. Those who were considered least important became His first priority, just like he said.

When a king enters a city, where does he go? The palace, which is the place of prestige, the seat of power, the place where a king would conduct the business of the kingdom. So does Jesus ride to Herod’s palace and start kicking things over? No of course not. Jesus goes straight to His palace, the temple. This is fitting because at that time he’s not establishing a physical, political kingdom on earth, he’s establishing his spiritual kingdom. I feel that the article from gotquestions.org sums it all up nicely saying, “Jesus Christ comes not to conquer by force as earthly kings but by love, grace, mercy, and His own sacrifice for His people. His is not a kingdom of armies and splendor but of lowliness and servanthood. He conquers not nations but hearts and minds. His message is one of peace with God, not of temporal peace. If Jesus has made a triumphal entry into our hearts, He reigns there in peace and love. As His followers, we exhibit those same qualities, and the world sees the true King living and reigning in triumph in us.”