Jesus Comes To Jerusalem As King - Matthew 21
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “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. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’"
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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 heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Reflection: Chapter 21 of Matthew marks the beginning of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was five days before the Passover, and was the time in the Jewish Law where the Lamb was presented (Exodus 12). If you remember, Matthew's gospel was written to a mostly Jewish audience. Therefore, we see careful attention given to Jesus fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, both from Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9:9. We also see that the crowds were gathered. Not the high and mighty but the common, ordinary people. And we see that they are aware that a true King is among them as, they spread their cloaks on the road and created a festival-like atmosphere by adorning the side of the road with Palm branches. Some churches do this on Holy Week to remind us of the great scene of our Lord entering into Bethphage, which was a suburb of Jerusalem.
You have probably heard this before, but it is worthy to note that Jesus came not on a war horse or a running horse like many kings did, but on a donkey, the beast of burden the common folk employed. That Jesus chose this young male donkey, who had never been ridden before, continues the theme of His life that He came to serve not be served and give His life as a ransom for many. Many note that Matthew's gospel is the only one to include two donkeys, the mother and the young male, her foal. Some see this as contradiction, but just because the other three gospels include one does not mean that there were not two. If you would like to see a thorough examination of this issue see this link:
http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=6&article=773
Finally, as always what can we learn from this story and how can it change the way we live and serve? The key word here is humility. I mean just think of it, the Son of God coming in for His coronation as the King of kings on an ass! No bad jokes here please! When we are tempted to think we have arrived, or deserve some type of preferential treatment because of our position, we must remember our Lord would have none of it. As such there is really nothing that is beneath us. Does the toilet need to be cleaned? Does the trash need to be taken out? If our first thought is that is beneath us, we have missed the kind of leadership that Jesus demonstrated, which begins with a towel and a basin.
This is a challenge for all of us, but we are also reminded that one day we will be rewarded for the things we have done in humility.
Jesus, thank you for being a model for us of true greatness. Help us to humble ourselves so that in due time you might lift us up. Amen.
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’"
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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 heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Reflection: Chapter 21 of Matthew marks the beginning of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was five days before the Passover, and was the time in the Jewish Law where the Lamb was presented (Exodus 12). If you remember, Matthew's gospel was written to a mostly Jewish audience. Therefore, we see careful attention given to Jesus fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, both from Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9:9. We also see that the crowds were gathered. Not the high and mighty but the common, ordinary people. And we see that they are aware that a true King is among them as, they spread their cloaks on the road and created a festival-like atmosphere by adorning the side of the road with Palm branches. Some churches do this on Holy Week to remind us of the great scene of our Lord entering into Bethphage, which was a suburb of Jerusalem.
You have probably heard this before, but it is worthy to note that Jesus came not on a war horse or a running horse like many kings did, but on a donkey, the beast of burden the common folk employed. That Jesus chose this young male donkey, who had never been ridden before, continues the theme of His life that He came to serve not be served and give His life as a ransom for many. Many note that Matthew's gospel is the only one to include two donkeys, the mother and the young male, her foal. Some see this as contradiction, but just because the other three gospels include one does not mean that there were not two. If you would like to see a thorough examination of this issue see this link:
http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=6&article=773
Finally, as always what can we learn from this story and how can it change the way we live and serve? The key word here is humility. I mean just think of it, the Son of God coming in for His coronation as the King of kings on an ass! No bad jokes here please! When we are tempted to think we have arrived, or deserve some type of preferential treatment because of our position, we must remember our Lord would have none of it. As such there is really nothing that is beneath us. Does the toilet need to be cleaned? Does the trash need to be taken out? If our first thought is that is beneath us, we have missed the kind of leadership that Jesus demonstrated, which begins with a towel and a basin.
This is a challenge for all of us, but we are also reminded that one day we will be rewarded for the things we have done in humility.
Jesus, thank you for being a model for us of true greatness. Help us to humble ourselves so that in due time you might lift us up. Amen.
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