Read Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44 and John 12:12-19. Sunday Jesus stayed in Bethany, probably at the home of Mary and Martha. On the next day, Monday, Jesus and His disciples made a trip into the city of Jerusalem, visited the Temple and then returned to Bethany. On this trip, the event we call the Triumphal entry took place. As was noted in the last lesson, this occurred on Monday, although we traditionally celebrate it on Sunday (Palm Sunday). The crowds which had come out to see Jesus and Lazarus were primed with anticipation and excitement. They had heard the rumors of a Messiah. After enduring the Roman occupation for so long, they wanted to be out from under it. They wanted their freedom! Now here was a man that could raise the dead (Lazarus was living proof!). He claimed to be Messiah; that’s what his disciples were saying. It was even rumored that it might be now when He would set up the Kingdom! They were ready to rally to His side and fight against the Romans and drive them from Jerusalem. They were ready to die for Him. After all, He could simply raise them back to life again like He did Lazarus! What could they lose? As Jesus and His disciples made ready to start to Jerusalem, the word was spread that He was coming.
1. When Jesus was near Jerusalem, probably right as He left Bethany and was entering another small village of Bethphage, He gave His disciples some instructions. What did He instruct them to do?
To go into the village and bring Him a young donkey that they would find tied up there.
2. Why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey this time? He usually walked!
He did this to fulfill the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9.
3. Read the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9. Why do you suppose that God identified the Messiah by having Him ride a donkey into town rather than riding in on a majestic and beautiful warhorse like a conquering king?
God was telling His people that the Messiah would not come as a conquering king as they thought in His first coming. He would instead come as a servant (to die).
4. What was the reaction of the people when they saw Jesus coming into Jerusalem?
They made a parade out of it. They honored Him but cutting palm branches and laying them and their garments before Him as He rode in. They shouted, “Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!”
5. What were the people saying when they called Him the son of David?
They were calling Him the Messiah.
6. What do you think the people were saying when they called out, “Hosanna!”?
They were calling out, “Save us! Deliver us from the Romans!”
7. The arrival of Jesus made quite a stir. Jerusalem was crowded with people there for Passover, many of whom had never heard of this Jesus. What was the reply when they asked, “Who is this man?”
The reply was that this was Jesus, the prophet out of Nazareth of Galilee.
8. What was the reaction of the Pharisees when they saw the crowds at the arrival of Jesus?
They tried to have Jesus make the people stop. They were very afraid of a popular rebellion starting.
9. As Jesus approached the city, He wept. Why did He do this?
He wept because He knew their acceptance of Him was not genuine or sincere, but only the emotion of the moment. He also knew that the city would soon be totally destroyed because of its unbelief.
When He arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the Temple. He did not do anything except look around. Then He and His disciples returned to Bethany, probably to Mary and Martha’s home.
10. What do you suppose Jesus saw in the Temple?
The merchants selling and moneychangers exchanging currency.
11. Jesus would return the next day and drive the merchants out of the Temple. Why do you suppose that He waited until Tuesday and did not do it at this time?
The people had just welcomed Him as Messiah. If He did this now with the mood of the crowds being what it was, it almost certainly would spark a riot and start a popular rebellion. Jesus did not want this to happen. He had to let the crowds cool down.
The Applications:
What are the applications of these passages to our lives today? Identify as many as you are able.
1. While we usually think of the Triumphal Entry as a victorious time, a happy and joyous time, it was, in reality, a very sad time. Jesus was received by the people of Jerusalem as the one who would set up the Kingdom, the Messiah. But it was an empty acceptance, one ignited by the passion of the moment, burning for just a little bit then dying out of existence. The same people who called, “Hosanna!” not a week later cried out, “Crucify him!” Our Lord in His wisdom, knowing His people, knew this reception was nothing but empty noise, for as He looked upon the City of Jerusalem, He was moved to tears at their rejection of Him.
Why did the crowds so joyously hail Him as King one day, then call for His death on another? How could this happen? It happened and still happens because their acceptance was conditional acceptance. They accepted Him, assuming and provided that He met their expectations. When He failed to do what they expected Him to do in the time they expected it to be done or at least started, they withdrew their conditional acceptance and denied Him.
They hailed Him as Messiah, but on their terms and according to their expectations. They were looking for a man to arise, raise an army and, in the power of God, drive out and conquer the Romans. They were looking for a man to set up the physical Kingdom of God upon the earth right then. That is what they wanted, and that is what they expected Him to do. When they cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!” they were expecting Him to start the rebellion against Rome. They were expecting Him to call upon the people to rise up and throw off the Roman yoke. He could do miracles, heal the sick, raise the dead. What did they have to fear? They were ready to follow Him into battle.
But He did not call upon the people to do any such thing. He allowed Himself to be taken by Roman soldiers. He did not defend Himself when brutalized by His captors. He seemed weak and powerless and helpless before the might of Rome. They wanted no such Messiah as this! This kind of person could not meet their needs. He was obviously an impostor because, in their thinking, the Messiah certainly would not respond like this! So away with this man! We’ll look for another who fits our mold!
So it is today as well. We respond in the same way to God. We come to God, and we expect Him to provide for us in a certain way according to our expectations. We expect Him to act in a particular manner and provide certain things for us. We accept Him, but in a conditional way. If He does not meet our expectations, well then, so much for that idea. It could not have been a valid one, to begin with!
When we do this, we have forgotten who we are and who He is. He is God. He is accountable to no one but Himself. He transcends our thinking and understanding by an unimaginable degree, by an infinite degree. He does not answer to us; we answer to Him. He is who He is and will do what He will do. When we come to God, we cannot come with conditions for He demands unconditional surrender from us. He will do in our lives what He wills, not necessarily what we want Him to do. He will lead us where He wants us to go, not necessarily where we wish to go. He will bring into our lives that which He wills to bring, not necessarily what we desire. But—and here is the key—we can trust Him for He is good, kind and loving. An old Presbyterian hymn by Walter C. Smith says this well:
“Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree
And wither and perish-but naught changeth Thee.
Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.
All laud we would render; O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.”
He will do what He will do. But it will be the very best, more than we can imagine. We must come to Him unconditionally and trust Him.
Our Lord is the Messiah; He will set up the Kingdom on earth. But in His first advent, He was going to do something more glorious. He would provide Himself as the sacrifice for sin so that we could enter that Kingdom. He was going to do when He entered Jerusalem that day so long ago what He was going to do. It was not what His people expected and, but for a few, they rejected Him when He did not meet their expectations. For those that did trust Him, He provided and became so much more than they ever expected.