Original Entry Date: 3/20/2016: When Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem riding a donkey (or actually scripture tells of both a donkey and her young colt) it not only fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 but foreshadows much more.
The prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 reads:
Zechariah 9:9 NIV:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Now lets compare to what is known as the Triumphal Entry of Jesus:
Matthew 21:1-3 & 6-11
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”………
…….6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
At this time, the Jews believed the prophecy was that of a political Messiah who would come to rescue them from being under Roman Rule. The Messiah would then rule as King, restablishing the kingdom of David.
Many believed that this was what was happening when Jesus came in to the Holy City on the donkey. There was a great celebration among the people.
Lets’ look at how this connects with us, in the spiritual sense. Jesus enters into the City of Jerusalem, Jesus also enters our hearts when we believe in Him. I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t experienced a great JoY when they come to believe in Jesus and they ask for Him to enter in. Its as though the greatest battle of our life has been defeated and we are victorious.
That joy of victory is represented by the crowd shouting victoriously, reciting a portion of scripture from Psalm 118:25-26. Here is a snippet of commentary that I found interesting :
They were calling out to be saved just like we call out for a savior when we seek Christ Jesus. Also, I read how the people laid palm branches as well as their own cloaks on the pathway in front of Jesus as He rode in. This symbolizes how we are to lay down our flesh and carnal desires to serve the King.
After this, Jesus enters the Temple:
Matthew 21:12-17 NIV:
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
As many of you already know the Temple is the symbol of a believers body. “Our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.” We read here that Jesus walks in to the Temple and starts cleaning house!!! Jesus means serious business as he comes to take back what is His! We are His, and He comes in to do just the same: cleanse our hearts, cleanse our minds. This relates to initial changes within when we are initially saved as well the changes throughout life as we are refined by the Spirit.
It is a two way street, though. As the Holy Spirit works within us we must do our part in renewing our minds.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
This is why reading/studying the Word daily is so important, prayer and fellowship with God and surrounding ourselves with like minded people. The spirit of doubt will come whispering in our ears trying to rob us of our Faith in the Lord. If we lose faith, we become idle and if we become idle we become fruitless.
This is illustrated in the remainder of Matthew 21. The parable of the fig tree was a message to the Jews who witnessed the ministry of Jesus but were not moved to change nor believe because of their spiritual blindness. This relates to us nowadays: we come to know Jesus but if we sit idle, that spirit of doubt (depicted by the chief priests & elders here) will whisper away and we become spiritually numb and unmoved:
Matthew 21:18-32 NIV:
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Faith turned into action will drown out that whisper of doubt so we may live fruitful lives for the Lord.
