His Triumphal Entry!

B. But every once in a while wouldn’t it be nice if our peers, if our colleagues, if our brothers & sisters in the Lord would just pat us on the back? If we could just hear the applause of the crowd?

ILL. Watching my grandchildren & great-grandchildren as they grow made me even more aware of the value of praise. In learning to walk they stumble & fall. Applaud & encourage them & they get back up & keep on trying until they get it right.

SUM. You see, everybody appreciates applause. And Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem provided an opportunity for the people to lift their voices in praise to God.

I. LOOK AT THE CROWDS

A. It was Passover time, & Jews from all over the world were crowding into Jerusalem. News had gone out that Jesus was on His way, just passing by the towns of Bethphage & Bethany. So a crowd of people rushed out to meet Him.

There were actually 2 crowds. One crowd was accompanying Jesus as He came from Bethany, & the other was surging out from Jerusalem to meet Him. The crowds must have flowed together in a surging mass like 2 tides of the sea.

Jesus was coming, & as the crowds met Him they received Him like a conquering hero. The sight of this tumultuous welcome sent the Jewish authorities into the depths of despair. It seemed that nothing they did would stop the people from following Jesus.

B. Of course, some in the crowds were simply curious sightseers. They had heard of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. And they wanted to see something else sensational, too.

C. But most of the people were greeting Jesus wildly. They were shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna to the son of David!" The word "Hosanna" is the Hebrew for "Save now!" & means almost exactly the same thing as "God save the King!"

With Jesus as their king, they were convinced that it was only a matter of time until the trumpets rang out, & the call to arms sounded, & the Jewish nation led to its long delayed victory over Rome & over the world.

II. LOOK AT JESUS

A. In such a situation it was obviously impossible for Jesus to speak to the crowd. An excited crowd won’t stop to listen. So Jesus did something that all could see. He sent for a donkey’s colt & came riding upon it, a dramatic fulfillment of the words of Zechariah the prophet.

Zechariah is the next to last book in the Old Testament, & both Matthew & John quote Zechariah 9:9 as a clear prediction concerning the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Zechariah 9:9 says, "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous & having salvation, gentle & riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

B. Now that passage tells us some things about Jesus & why it was important to have this parade. Notice what it says, "See, your king comes to you, righteous & having salvation." This parade was announcing plainly to the world that Jesus is the Messiah, the King of Kings & Lord of Lords.

C. But it was also saying that Jesus was a special kind of Messiah. We usually think of a donkey as a lowly animal, but in the East it was considered very noble. Kings, princes, & judges rode upon donkeys. A king rode upon a horse when he was bent on war, but he rode a donkey when he came in peace.