The Triumphant Christ
Author: Josué Mora Peña
The Triumphant entry into the City of David, Jerusalem, is found also in Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-38 and John 12:12-19. It was on a Sunday before his Death. He was the promised Messiah. The time had come to fulfill the prophecy of Zachariah 9:9, which says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold. Thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt of foal of an ass." For three years Jesus preached and performed many miracles. He knew ahead of time that the religious leaders would turn against Him to crucify Him and still, He entered into Davids city with one more purpose on mind: to die for the sins of the world, that is: yours and mine.
Jesus was ready to die for the human beings so that you and I would live, and according to John 10:10, to live the abundant life. He entered as the kings used to enter when they took possession of their kingdom, with hosannas. This word means "save". He entered like a real King, the King of the Jews, with hallelujahs, with great commotion and, like verse 10 says, "all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?" Hallelujah comes from the Hebrew word Hallel, which means "to praise". This word Hallel is found in Psalms 113-118. The Jews would sing these Psalms during the Jewish Feasts like the Passover.
The disciples knew about Jesus. Those whom He healed knew about Him. His friends like Martha, Mary and Lazarus surely know who Jesus was: the Savoir of the world. The long awaited Messiah. Many knew about Him, still, many others did not know Him. The people of Israel were very familiar with Psalm 118. Verses 24-26 read, "This is the day which the Lord hast made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord." The people of God recited verse 24 during the Feast of the Tabernacles.
Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. It was a colt. These animals are small in Jerusalem. They are a symbol of humility, peace and in that city, a symbol of Davidic loyalty. No human being had ridden that animal before. They were used for religious purposes. Usually, the mother would follow her. Thats why Matthew mentions both donkeys. The other Gospels mention only one. The disciples put on cloth on top of the colt and sat Jesus on them (verse 7).
It is interesting to note that only the Gospel of John mentions that the people cut branches of palm trees (John 12:13). I understand that in Jerusalem you dont find this kind of trees. For that you need to go to Jericho. There you find plenty of them. The crowd spread their garments in the way. This was an act of royal homage. They were acknowledging that Jesus was the One they have been waiting for: the Son of God.
Well, so far we have been talking about the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem but, what do we learn from this? Most of the time I want to make sure that my sermons are biblical, instructive and being able to apply it to our own lives. If Jesus is the King of the Jews, is He your King also? He came to save the world, yes but, is He your Savior? Is He your Lord? Many people today want the privilege of being saved but do not want the responsibility of Jesus being their Lord. Do you know that in the New Testament the word Savior appears only 16 times but the word Lord, 609 times?
Has Jesus entered into your heart triumphantly? If He lives in you, you must live a victorious life; you ought to be able to conquer sin, in all its forms and shapes and colors because "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" I John 4:4. If Jesus lives in you, youre supposed to have the fruit of the Spirit which is: "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23).
If Jesus has come into your heart, you dont belong to the crowd in Jerusalem who in a few more days would join the religious leaders, shouting, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! On the contrary, you would be able to sing, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow that makes me bright as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus."
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And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 