An Entrance Fit for a King
Many in Jerusalem were curious. What would happen? Would Jesus come to the city to celebrate the Passover? The leaders let it be known that if Jesus arrived—they wanted to know where he was. They would seize him as soon as they could. But they had to do it when the man wasn’t surrounded by a crowd.
The chief priests and Pharisees also wondered if Lazarus would be in the city for Passover. After Jesus supposedly raised the man from the dead, they knew Lazarus was going to be another problem. Both Jesus and Lazarus must die. They wanted to put an end to Jesus and all the disruptions he caused.
Multitudes of pilgrims crowed the narrow streets of Jerusalem. News spread that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem from Bethany. Thousands lined the street to see Jesus. The frenzied crowd reacted when they saw Jesus coming. He rode on the back of a young donkey.
The prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 was happening right before their eyes:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
They knew the prophetic Psalm about the coming of their Messiah (Psalm 118:26) they recited at Passover. This Jesus was the one they had waited for!
Their Messiah had come to claim His throne.
“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel,” shouted the crowd.
With a nod to the palm branches they used at Sukkot, the crowd tore branches off the palm trees and lay them in front of Jesus. Their King, their Messiah had come at last. He would get rid of the hated Romans who oppressed their people and occupied their land.
When the chief priests and Pharisees saw how the crowds reacted to Jesus, they were disgusted. Their attempts to control the situation so far was useless.
“Look, the world has gone after Him,” they said to each other.
They agreed that something must be done about Jesus. And soon.
Carla Killough McClafferty