The Arrival of the Conquering Peasant King

As we kick off Passion Week, getting closer and closer to the Cross and Resurrection, we begin with reflections on Palm Sunday, the Triumphal Entry, the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem for the final week of His life before Good Friday and Easter Sunday changed everything.

Image via Pixabay

Here is the apostle John’s version of the story:

¹² The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. ¹³ They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the King of Israel!”

¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
    see, your king is coming,
    seated on a donkey’s colt.”

¹⁶ At first His disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that these things had been done to Him. (Jn 12.12-16)

There are several things to note from the story:

• The crowds have gathered in the holy City for the Passover feast and festival. This was an annual pilgrimage for faithful Jews to return to Jerusalem for worship and celebration. The city would be packed. It is a very conspicuous time for Jesus to arrive in this fashion, and the crowds are obviously excited. We know, of course, that these crowds will not be so supportive by the end of the week.

• In the ancient world, palm branches were waved in the air as a symbol of victory; it was how crowds would greet a conquering general or king returning to the city after a successful military campaign. These branches are welcoming Jesus into the capital as a victorious King. It’s hard to imagine what they thought was going to happen next, but the triumph of Christ was going to look very different than what the world expected.

• “Hosanna!” is a Hebrew word that literally means “Save us!” which had become a term used as a shout of praise for God’s people. The sight of Jesus stirs this cry. God’s salvation was riding into the city, and He was being praised because of it.

• The people here acknowledge that Jesus is coming in the Name of the Lord (in God’s place, will, and authority) and that He is King over Israel. These are spiritual realities, and also political problems for the powers that be. If Jesus is Ruler, that means Caesar and Herod and religious leaders are not.

• Jesus comes to town riding on a donkey. Kings and generals normally came riding on horses, powerful and majestic. Donkeys were beasts used by the poor. Obviously Jesus is prophetically fulfilling the noted verse from Zechariah 9.9 about Zion’s King coming on a donkey, but also, He is arriving in a manner very different than the ways of the kingdoms of this world. Jesus comes humbly, on a humble animal, without a sword, without a political force, without an army. He is holy – different from the rest. He looks like a peasant, but comes as conquering King. He does not come with worldly power, but with worldly humility. Jesus lived His earthly life in simplicity and poverty, and He arrives in Jerusalem as King in the same way. This lowly approach will take Him to the Cross, and will actually be the very same strategy that overthrows sin and death.

• And in the final verse (v.16) there is a wonderful statement, that His disciples did not understand what was happening in the moment, but later, they understood it all. Is that not a great encouragement for all of us! How often have I misunderstood God in the moment, but have been able to look back later and understand what He was up to? It’s a good reminder that our present understanding is not our final understanding; the Lord has a way of bringing clarity to us when He knows the time is right.

As we head into the rest of Passion Week, we follow in the footsteps of our humble King, who chose the path of sacrifice out of His great obedience to God’s will and out of love for His Creation (Phil 2.1-11).

May we be more like Him in all things, including His humility, and His sacrifice (1Jn 2.6; 3.16).

********

If you’ve enjoyed what you read here, you can follow Third Way Christians on Facebook or Instagram, or sign up here to get new columns emailed directly to you! As well, you can track along with Chris’ Sunday morning teaching at Meadow Brook Church’s YouTube page!