Palm Sunday

Looking at the various accounts of Palm Sunday, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, it seems that we have two very conflicting pictures of Jesus.

On one hand, we see Jesus, supposedly riding into Jerusalem as a king. Although he rides in as a King, he makes a rather pathetic king by Earthy standards. Although he is a King, he has no animal. In order to present himself as a King, he borrows a mount. He does not have is own, in fact he has practically no possessions of value. Throughout the next few days, Jesus must borrow his animal, when he becomes hungry he simply looks to a tree for fruit, he borrows a room in which to celebrate the passover, and he is buried in a borrowed grave. The only item of value he has is the seamless garment for which the Roman soldiers casted lots.

For his mount, he borrows a young donkey. He does not pursue a proud animal, a King's horse, but just as He has a tremendous burden to bear, he selects a beast of burden as his mount. An animal that is looked down on by most people, just as Jesus was (and sadly still is) despised among men. On his mount, he proceeds to ride into the city. His procession consists of fishermen, tax collectors and peasants. They could do no more to show their respect for this king than spread out garments and tree branches.

Although it may not have seemed like it at the time, this is the event which will inspire Christians all over the world to sing “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty”, so there is obviously some Majesty in it as well. First and foremost, we see Jesus fulfilling the prophesy of Zechariah:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
[Zec 9:9 ESV]

The fact that Jesus knew that this was the time to fulfill the prophecy, that he knew exactly where to find this colt, and what to tell its owners displays Jesus true Kingly power. Not only does he fulfill the prophecy, but he demonstrates his power over his enemies. By this time, the Jewish leaders were seeking a way to kill Jesus, he knew this and yet he does not try to enter the city without being noticed. He does not enter under cover of night, but in broad daylight, with a procession (humble as they may have been) singing his praises in the streets. He shows no fear in the face of his enemies. Finally, for the first time in his life since the Magi traveled from the Orient to worship him, he receives the praise due to him as the Messiah, as God.
In Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem we really see the two natures of Christ. We see the human nature which was poor, humble, and commanded no respect. We see the Divine nature as well, which is omniscient, rich beyond Earthly measure, and commands the respect and praise of those around him.

This is a very apt reminder for us as we head into Holy Week. If Jesus was not both true man and True God, Holy week would be nothing more than the week that a great man suffered and died. If Jesus is not true man, he would not have been under the law, he would not have been able to die, and there would be no forgiveness. If Jesus is not True God, he would have been under the law but unable to keep it, his death would not be an atonement for sins but simply the result of his sin, there would be no forgiveness.

As we move forward into Holy Week, we can be confident that Jesus' sufferings and death were not simply a show to point us in the right direction, or a great mans death. But we are sure that Jesus was under the law and that he perfectly kept the law that we could not. We are sure that Jesus death was sufficient to reconcile us to God.

SOLI DEO GLORIA