March the 25th is celebrated in many churches as Palm Sunday. On that occasion we remember the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem on the first day of his final week on earth. Matthew records this in chapter 21 of his Gospel, from verse 6: “The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and He sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed Him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up.”
The Jews were expecting a Messiah, a Savior, someone who would lead a victorious revolt against Roman rule. That type of leader would ride a white horse in a victory parade. However Jesus rides a donkey! The Gospel writer Matthew clarifies this for us. He said that this action fulfills the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Many Jews, especially the religious leaders, did not recognize who Jesus is, but some remembered this prophecy and knew their Messiah had come, not as a conquering deliverer from Roman colonization, but as a spiritual deliverer. Jesus is our Savior from sin and corruption. The Kingdom of God is a reality, and we can be a part of it! So let us rejoice greatly, for Jesus will be coming back real soon, to take us to our Heavenly home.
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