What is the significance of the triumphal entry?

A most unusual and striking scene then unfolds. Clothing from the people was put on the animal for the Lord to ride upon: other garments were spread on the ground in the way for the donkey to walk on, as symbolizing the submission of the people to this blessed, though lowly Messiah of Israel. He did not ride on a war horse, as He will when coming in judgment (Rev.19:11), but on a lowly donkey's colt, for He was presented in grace, offering peace, if peace would be received. The Spirit of God mightily moved the mass of disciples in praise to God for this One whose works had proven the glory of His person. They declared that He was the King come in the name of Jehovah.

He is by no means hidden. The Jews ordered that anyone who knew where He was should report it. Yet here everyone knows where He is, and the Jews have no power to take Him. Many come to meet Him with palm branches, the symbol of victory and prosperity, and acclaim Him as the King of Israel come in the name of Jehovah (vv. 12-13). Fulfilling prophecy, He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey's colt, coming in lowliness and in peace, rather than on a war-horse of powerful conquest, as He will in the day of His glory (Rev. 19). No doubt it would seem out of keeping for the Messiah to come in so lowly a way, and the prophecy itself ought to have occasioned such interest as to have prepared Israel for this unusual event.

Arrived at Bethpage, near Bethany, He sends two of His disciples to the village, where they should find an ass and its foal, in order to His sitting thereon, and thus entering the city of Jerusalem, which was near. Prophecy had announced this fact: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation [or, saving himself]; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." Remark, however, that these words, "just and saving himself," are omitted here. He was first to come in humiliation; later He, the true King of Israel, should come with power, bringing with Him the deliverance of the people. Notwithstanding, though in humiliation, He acts already with royal and divine authority, and God disposes hearts to own Him. The owners of the ass let it go at the demand of the disciples. In the Gospel of Luke we find more details; here we have the fact that He acts as King. The crowd, under the divine influence, recognise Him also as such, and He enters, in the midst of this triumphal procession, into the holy city, accompanied by the cry, Hosanna to the Son of David. All the city was moved, and the multitude said, "This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth."

Afterwards (Matt. 21), disposing of all that belonged to His willing people, He makes His entry into Jerusalem as King and Lord, according to the testimony of Zechariah. But although entering as King — the last testimony to the beloved city, which (to their ruin) was going to reject Him — He comes as a meek and lowly King. The power of God influences the heart of the multitudes, and they salute Him as King, as Son of David, making use of the language supplied by Psalm 118, which celebrates the millennial sabbath brought in by the Messiah, then to be acknowledged by the people. The multitude spread their garments to prepare the way for their meek, though glorious King; they cut down branches from the trees to bear Him testimony; and He is conducted in triumph to Jerusalem, while the people cry, "Hosanna [Save now] to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!" Happy for them if their hearts had been changed to retain this testimony in the Spirit. But God sovereignly disposed their hearts to bear this testimony; He could not allow His Son to be rejected without receiving it.

On His coming into Jerusalem the multitude take branches of palm trees and go forth to meet Him, crying, "Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the Name of the Lord." Though so near to the time of His crucifixion, the triumphal entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is a lovely foreshadowing of the time when He will take His kingly power and reign over the house of Israel. For a few short hours the Lord has His rightful place as the King of Israel in the midst of His earthly people.

Though the kingdom was not at this time to be established in glory, He did in this way most definitely present Himself to Jerusalem as its rightful and God-sent King. His disciples assisted in this, and as they approached the city they began to praise God and rejoice. We are told quite plainly in John 12:16 that at that time they did not really understand what they were doing, yet it is evident that the Spirit of God took possession of their lips and guided them in their words. They acclaimed Him as the King, and they spoke of "peace in heaven, and glory in the highest."

The disciples therefore brought the colt to Him; and then the Lord Jesus entered into Jerusalem as king. A very great multitude, moved by the power of God, having also seen His miracles, and especially the resurrection of Lazarus, go before and surround Him, spreading their garments in the way, and cutting down branches from the trees in order to cast them upon His path, giving Him the place and glory of a king, and in fact recognising Him as the royal Messiah. An admirable scene in which it is not the cold reasoning of man's intellect which is in question - nor is it merely the effect of His miraculous deeds, although a fruit of this - but the mighty working of God upon the minds of the crowd, compelling it to give testimony for a short time to the despised Son of God. The testimony also of Psalm 118 is cited; a remarkable prophecy of the last days in Israel, often quoted. The Lord Himself spoke of the verses which precede those which God put into the mouth of the crowd, "The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner."

297 There the crowd used the verse which announced the recognition of the Son of David by the remnant of the people Israel: "Hosannah!" (a Hebrew word meaning "Save now!" which becomes a kind of formula for asking the Lord's help when the true Christ or Messiah is recognised), "Hosannah to the Son of David: blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; hosannah in the highest." Now this cry recognised Jesus as the Son of David, the Messiah. Such was the will of God; that His Son should not be left without this testimony, without being honoured in this manner. Now He acts in Jerusalem according to this position.

The next day Jesus presented Himself to Jerusalem as Israel's King, just as Zechariah the prophet had said. No mere Sovereign of earth could afford to formally present himself to his capital city in such humble fashion; but to Him who was the Word made flesh all such glory, as was possible then, would have been loss, not gain. This occasion is recorded in each of the four Gospels, but John records two special details. First, there is the contrast between the disciples and their Master, who ever knew exactly what He would do (see John 6:6). They took part without any understanding of what they were doing. The significance of it all only dawned upon them when they had received the Holy Spirit, consequent upon the glorification of Jesus. Second, there is the fact that the measure of popular enthusiasm manifested had been stirred by the raising of Lazarus, wherein His glory as the Son of God had been displayed.

The enthusiasm was immense. Those from Jerusalem met Him with branches of palm trees. Those accompanying Him from Bethany cut branches out of the fields, as Mark states, and strewed them in the way. And now as they began the descent of Olivet towards Jerusalem, there arose from the whole multitude of the disciples spontaneous praises to God, lifting up their voices for all the wonderful things which they had seen, saying, as Luke gives it, "Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." They thus hailed the Lord as King, a rehearsal, we may say, of that which will be heard when Psalm 118:25-26 is fulfilled; the "Save now" of the Psalm being the same as the "Hosanna" of the multitude. Onward swept the stream of men, and along that track over the mountain most suited for such a company, and down the slope towards the city and the temple. The multitude seemed of one mind that day. The King was in their midst. The rightful occupant of David's throne was entering the capital of the kingdom, and in the manner foretold centuries before. He was entering, too, the city from the east, from the very quarter from which some day He will return to it, to leave it no more. For His feet shall stand upon the mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4), and from the way of the east the glory of the Lord will return to the house of God (Ezek. 43:2). But these prophetic announcements await their accomplishment. In harmony, however, with them, the Lord visited the temple that day, approaching it by the way of the east, and the multitude spoke not of "peace on earth," as the angelic choir had done (Luke 2:14), but of "peace in heaven." Peace on earth will follow the second advent; peace in heaven flows from His atoning death. Were the people aware of the importance and suitability of their words? Probably not. We, however, living after the cross, can interpret them in a manner then not understood.

We learn that, in the purest days of the Jewish government, the principal men in Israel used no animals but asses (Judges 5:10; Judges 10:4; Judges 12:14), horses not being introduced till the corrupt times of Solomon. The Lord, then, when assuming the style of "King of Israel," of course took every feature, however minute, which belonged to the only pure and true form of such a character, and therefore orders His disciples to bring an ass's colt to Him. And, besides, this was Messiah's exhibiting Himself as King, just as the prophet had before presented Him (Zech. 9:9), and His being "meek and lowly" was as kingly a feature as any other. For Moses had provided, that the king, who should hereafter be appointed to rule over Israel, should not surround himself with such circumstances and pomp as might lift up his head in pride above his brethren, and Christ, the King, would doubtless conform Himself to the model thus furnished by Moses (Deut. 17:14).

The actions of spreading their garments and strewing branches of trees in the way were expressive of the honour in which the multitude held Him, and the joy with which they saluted Him. His garments were now, as it were, smelling of myrrh, aloes, and cassia. The people hailed Him as King (Luke 19:38), called Him "the Son of David," and thus recognised His title to the throne of David (Mark 11:10). The palmy multitude, as it were, was keeping the feast of Tabernacles. They took their triumphant acclamations from Psalm 118, that place of the scriptures which represents the nation of Israel bringing into His glory the Head Stone, Which had been previously rejected by the builders; so were they doing now, welcoming Messiah to His kingdom, and, as said by the prophet, "the shout of a King was among them" (Num. 23:21). All this, it may be, they neither understood nor intended, but they were divinely moved to take the part which they did, in order that the whole scene might be the presentation of their King, in full form, to the city and nation of the Jews, in the person of Him who was just coming among them. On the Lord's entry into the city, Jerusalem was moved with wonder at the sight, saying, "Who is this?" But when they learnt that this was "Jesus, the Prophet of Nazareth, of Galilee," we may presume that many began to despise the Galilean King. The Lord at once goes up to the temple, and there performs a solemn action, strikingly characteristic of "King of Israel, He purifies the house of God.