“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.
Look, your King is coming,
Riding on a donkey’s colt.” – John 12:15 (NLT)
Only a few days before Passover, Jesus was heading from the Mount of Olives, to Jerusalem, and a large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went to the road to meet Him. Many from the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, witnessing him be raised to life, and they spread the news of His miraculous work to others. Those that had seen, believed in His power. Those that had heard, desired to be in close proximity to Him. And as Jesus travelled through the crowds to Jerusalem, they praised Him. “Hosanna!” they called out. An expression derived in Hebrew, which means “Save now!”
Jesus was at the center of the praise and the procession. They brought a donkey to Him to ride, and they spread garments over the colt, and along the path, while waving palm branches overhead. The expressive form of worship caused Jerusalem to be in an uproar, questioning ‘who was this man?’ that so many were captivated by?
While our humble King Jesus would fulfill the prophecies foretold of Him to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt, the beast of burden was not what many would’ve expected for the coming Messiah. The Jewish people wanted a strong Warrior to come and deliver them from Roman rule, and to reign as King over them. Their understanding of what Jesus came to do for them wasn’t quite accurate; He would indeed deliver them and save them, but in a way that they didn’t yet have the full picture of. The crowd’s adoration of Jesus through this processional appeared to be rooted in all the talk of what Jesus had done, the miracles, the healings…but for many of them, not likely out of a deep love for Him. We can surmise this, as their adoration was short-lived and their commitment to Him was shallow, since a few short days from then many in the same crowd would be crying out to ‘crucify Him’.
Jesus was and is in the business to “Save now!”
Praise God for that!
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!” – Matthew 21:9
Our King will return one day, not on a donkey’s colt, but on a brilliant white horse, charging through the clouds of Heaven. (ref. Revelation 19:11). Jesus our Messiah – our Saviour will reign victorious for ever and ever. Until that day comes, may we be found praising the name that is above all names, the One who is Faithful and True.
Suggested reading: John 12:12-19; Matthew 21:1-11
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