The Triumphal Entry, Part Two: Matthew 21:1-11
“6) The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7) and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8) Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. 9) The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” 10) When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11) And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”” Matthew 21:6-11
The entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem caused a huge commotion. The crowd following Him, spread garments and palm branches on the road. This was a sign of royal treatment. He entered Jerusalem mounted on the colt of a mule, much like King David and Solomon years earlier.
The crowd accompanying Him cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”
This saying proves that someone had done their research. He was indeed a direct descendant of King David. He had royal blood in His veins. He fulfilled all the prophecies and requirements for being the Messiah.
The crowd participating in the festival was most likely the caravan that accompanied Jesus from Galilee. According to verse 10, the residents of Jerusalem were astonished by the commotion. They were ready for the Passover, they were not prepared for this spectacle.
It did not go well. Less than a week latter Jesus would leave Jerusalem in a very different fashion. Crowds would again line the streets, only this time the mob would be angry and hostile. Instead of a beast of burden carrying Him, He would have the burden of carrying His own cross weighted down by the sins of humanity.
Over and over again He warned His disciples that this fate that awaited Him. They were deaf to His words. They wanted a King and not a martyr.
Instead of a crown of Royalty, He wore a crown of thorns. Instead of ascending to a throne, He was lifted up on a cross. Instead of acceptance, He was surrounded by rejection.
There have always been two very different crowds when it comes to Jesus. He preached about this in His first message recorded in Matthew 7:13-27.
He warned there is the wide gate and the narrow gate. There are false prophets and true prophets. There bad trees and good trees. There are religious people who are deceived and lost and their are genuine followers of Jesus. There are bad foundations and good foundations.
The same now comes into focus here at the end of the book of Matthew. There was one crowd that welcomed Him into Jerusalem and a very different crowd that repelled Him out from Jerusalem.
The same is true today! People fit into two very different categories when it comes to Jesus Christ. The same will also be true in the end times when Jesus returns to ascend to His throne. In which crowd do you belong?
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
