Our celebration started last week with Palm Sunday which marks Jesus entry into Jerusalem. Jesus, who understood what was to come, was eager to make it to the city because "surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!"(Luke, 13:33)
The people however had other things in mind. They wanted to make Jesus king and overthrow their oppressors. Their thinking was only of earthly kingdoms.
Jesus entered the city on a colt, to cheers and cries of Hosanna. The colt being a symbol of the humble King, fulfilling the prophesy in Zechariah 9:9 ;
"Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king come to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and
riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
The palms that the people laid at His feet were a symbol of the countries riches, of great worth and of a gift from God.
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethpage on the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,
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| "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. | |||||||||
| If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." | |||||||||
| This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: | |||||||||
| "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" | |||||||||
| The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. | |||||||||
| They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. | |||||||||
| A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. | |||||||||
| The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" | |||||||||
| When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" | |||||||||
| The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." | |||||||||
| Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. | |||||||||
| "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" | |||||||||
| The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. | |||||||||
| But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. | |||||||||
| "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" | |||||||||
| And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night. |
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Matthew 21:1-17