Matthew 21:1-11--The Triumphal Entry (Palm Sunday)

Matthew 21:1-11 English Standard Version (ESV)
LISTEN:  https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Matt.21.1-Matt.21.11
The Triumphal Entry
21:1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
    humble, and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

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The Mount of Olives is a very importantly place to the Jews both historically and prophetically--specifically the path that Messiah will take when He enters Jerusalem to take His throne and overthrow His enemies starts here--in fact the processional for kings in general starts here.  If the king comes in riding on white horse, it is a sign that the kind is coming in to make war, but if he rides in on a donkey it is a sign that he has come to make peace, not war..

This would be something that the people who had studied more than the Law of Moses would understand (the scribes and religious leaders) and they would understand exactly what the significance of Jesus riding in on a donkey was because this too was  a fulfillment of prophecy.  Since I've mentioned prophecy a few times now, let me see if I can stop for a moment and see if I can't show you just a few of those passages.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zechariah+14&version=ESV (specifically verse 4)--The great day of the Lord will start with Messiah setting His feet on the Mount of Olives
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zechariah+9&version=ESV (specifically verse 9)--Jesus would ride in on the foal of a donkey
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+19&version=ESV (specifically starting in verse 11)--Jesus is the rider on the white horse that will come to make war at the end of the age.  He will take this same path again, but this time coming down from heaven (this is the same point where He ascends to heaven in Matthew 28) and it will be obvious at that time He is here to make war with all of His enemies.

Okay, back to today's passage...can you see from the passage in Zechariah how the air much have been ripe with anticipation and how the people knew that passage and used it as they cried out "Hosanna" which means "The Lord Saves"--little did they know how right they were.  They were looking for political salvation but the donkey should have told them all they needed to know about that--but Jesus was about to save them from their greatest enemies--sin and death, and they didn't even see it.

This event turned all eyes on Jesus that weren't on Him already as it was time for Him to bring about the peace that He had come to bring by completing His mission.  Remember the words of John the Baptist--"Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  Jesus was born to die so that we might be free from sin and might have eternal life through Him.