Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey"

Triumphal Entry, illumination from the Armenian Gospels of Gladzor, 14th century.  Young Research Library, University of California at Los Angeles

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose then and bring them to me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

- Matthew 21:1-11

Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho on the road to Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose then and bring them to me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, / 'Behold, your King is coming to you, / Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, / A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"
So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.   The event described in today's reading is called Christ's Triumphal Entry.  He enters into Jerusalem hailed by the crowds as Messiah.  This day is celebrated in the Church as Palm Sunday.  At Jesus' time, my study bible says, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah, who would deliver the Jewish people from Roman control, and reestablish David's kingdom in Israel.  In humility, it says, Jesus shows He has not come to establish an earthly or worldly kingdom.  He does not ride on a horse nor a chariot, and He does not have an invading army with Him.  He rides on a donkey, which is a sign of humility and peace (see Zechariah 9:9, from which the people quote).  Jesus' entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  My study bible adds that it is also an image and promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  Matthew, among the Evangelists, reports a colt as well as a donkey.  In the tradition of the Church, the two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and also the Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.

And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David! / 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' / Hosanna in the highest!" And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."   The people spread their clothes before Jesus do so as paying reverence to a King.  The spiritual interpretation of this act is that we need to lay down our flesh, even our very lives, for Christ.   The people cried out from Psalm 118:25-26, verses associated with messianic expectation.  This was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles, my study bible tells us, and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  We are to understand that the Feast of Tabernacles was the Feast of the Coming Kingdom; here we understand the people recognize that the Kingdom is here, albeit without understanding the true nature of Christ nor of His messiahship and the heavenly Kingdom He brings into the world.  Note that they call Him the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.   Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

For some reason the image of Christ on a donkey remains in my mind as a vivid image.  He is the image of a traveler on the road to Jerusalem, perhaps one on an errand, or one who comes to buy or sell goods, or even on the way to pilgrimage (although most likely on pilgrimage one would be accompanied by many others).  But perhaps that last image, that of pilgrim into Jerusalem, is the way we're supposed to see Jesus.  After all, it is the time of the Passover festival, and many pilgrims are no doubt on their way into Jerusalem, and traveling on this same road that has gone through Jericho.  It's noteworthy at the same time to remind ourselves that Jesus comes into Jerusalem from the East, in the way that the Messiah was prophesied to enter.  The East is the direction of sunlight, the traditional place one would turn to see the light approach, and hence we have another metaphor for Jesus that rings throughout the Gospels, and especially John's:  that Jesus is, in fact, the eternal light of God, that otherworldly light (such as shone at the Transfiguration) that has come into the world in the form of this pilgrim sitting on a donkey, on His way into Jerusalem.   Only at this time it is the proper time for Him to be welcomed into Jerusalem as Messiah -- even though, as devout Jew, He has come as pilgrim many times before.  He fulfills the Law and the Prophets, both by living according to the Law but also now as Messiah coming into Jerusalem.  But He will not be the Messiah that the people expect -- and, as my study bible says, this is precisely what is truly being shown by His riding on a donkey with a colt beside Him (or perhaps He rides on the colt).  Let us remember that this was the time of Empire, and Israel was a part of the great Roman Empire, which was in Christ's time at its zenith of power, a time known as the Pax Romana.  Most potently the Roman Empire was symbolized and understood in its military power, the instrument of that "peace" and stability.  And here we have Jesus, presumptive Messiah, who rides into Jerusalem not with an army and not with chariots nor any weapons on display, but on a donkey with a colt by her side.  How were the expectations of the Jewish people to be fulfilled by this Man?  Would He overthrow the Roman army?  Well, we know the outcome of the week to come in Jerusalem.  We know that the people will clamor for a fighter and insurrectionist against the Roman Army, Barabbas.  We know Jerusalem will be destroyed by that army within a generation of this time of Christ's entry into Jerusalem.  But Christ's Kingdom has endured longer than any empire on earth ever did.  In the Church, and in our faith, the Kingdom is still present to us.  And the Kingdom dwells also within us (Luke 17:20-21).  It isn't that our churches don't suffer from their own battles and instabilities, but this Kingdom has within it something no other Kingdom ever did:  it has Christ.  It has the power of God of whom Jesus has declared, "With God all things are possible" (19:26).  Just as Jesus Himself was not predictable to humankind, nor was His messiahship something understood by human beings before His own revelation, so this living Kingdom in the world proceeds within its own dictates and powers.  Jesus has also said of the Holy Spirit, and comparing the Spirit to the wind:  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  This is a Kingdom in which resides all mystery and the reality of God.  We celebrate our liturgies and worship services together with the angels, and the saints with them, whom taken together St. Paul called "the great cloud of witnesses" by which we are surrounded (Hebrews 12:1-2).  There have been empires before and since the Roman Empire, but none has outlasted this Kingdom of God brought into the world through Christ, although there have been very powerful "empires" indeed, from one side and another, and through one ideology and another, who have tried to crush and persecute the faithful in Christ.  The Kingdom of God remains with us, and has outlasted its persecutors although in many places the Church continues to dwell under harsh persecution.  Some say that she never endured such persecution, in so many places, as she does now.  Yet the Church continues to grow and expand even in every corner of the globe.  But our faith is not one that was not meant to be tested.  Christ does not enter into Jerusalem on a donkey with her colt as One who commands that from then on the world will be perfect.  He will go to the Cross, and commands us also to live the life of the cross, each in our own way and with our own cross to take up.  He is here with us and present to us, we pray to Him, we may commune with Him and participate in His very life, and this is why He came here; this is our Messiah.  He rides on the donkey with her colt to teach us His way, a way that last throughout Empires and persecutions, because He lives and dwells in our heart "and His kingdom shall have no end."

When He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee"

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethpage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

- Matthew 21:1-11

On Saturday, we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho (on their way toward Jerusalem), a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethpage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, / Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, / A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."   Today's reading is the story of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which is celebrated in the Church on Palm Sunday.  By Jesus' time, my study bible tells us, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah, one who would deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish the kingdom of David.  In humility, we observe, Jesus shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He doesn't use the power and might of a worldly kingdom of the time.  He does not ride on a horse nor in a chariot.  Rather, He quite deliberately instructs the disciples to fetch a donkey and her colt.  A donkey is a sign of humility and peace -- see Zechariah 9:9, from which the crowds quote.  We notice that Jesus comes into Jerusalem from the East, from the Mount of Olives, as was prophesied of the Messiah.  This entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  This is also a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).    We may take a closer look at the fact that Matthew reports a colt as well as a donkey.  A patristic interpretation is that the two animals represent the faithful Jews and also the Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  A Palm Sunday Vespers hymn in the Orthodox Church is sung, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from unbelief to faith."  We observe also that the people spread their clothes before Jesus.  This is a way of paying reverence to a King.  It is also spiritually interpreted as our own need to lay down our flesh -- even our lives, for Christ.

Today's reading reflects clearly on expectations.  The people of Israel await a deliverer, the Messiah who will reestablish the kingdom of David, and throw off the Roman Empire.  At that time, expectations of the advent of the Messiah were very high.  Jesus enters Jerusalem from the East, as was expected of the Messiah.  He is greeted as a king is greeted, with the people spreading their clothing before him.  The people quote from Zechariah's prophecy to welcome Him:  "Tell the daughter of Zion,'Behold, your King is coming to you.' "    The multitudes welcome Jesus with words reflecting the highest expectation: "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  All the expectations are seemingly set in place as Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem.  All the city wants to know who He is, and the multitudes answer, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."   Expectation are one thing.  What Jesus has prophesied about what is to come in Jerusalem is another.   The disciples have acknowledged themselves that Jesus is the Christ, and not just a prophet (see this reading).  We might well try to imagine how the disciples are feeling as they watch this scene unfold.  But at this time they might be used to multitudes who follow Jesus, and come to hear Him, or ask for healings.  Jesus is "the news" right now in Jerusalem, and everybody -- all the city, we're told -- wants to know, "Who is this?"  None of them can understand yet the fullness of His message, of His life, of the sacrifice and suffering He will endure, of the cup and baptism He will bring to all of us, of the true Deliverer and Redeemer that He is.  His life will bring us life and His death will defeat death.  Let us imagine this great undertaking, with so much more to it than anyone can see and know, even that the Christ is so much more than the expected Messiah.  His Kingdom shall have no end.  It lives in us.  It is just as He said it would be.

Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest!

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,

'Behold, your King is coming to you,

Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!

'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." 

 

- Matthew 21:1-11 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus (and the disciples) went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 

  Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me."   And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  Today's reading concerns the events of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday.  My study Bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom.  But in humility, Jesus shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  Here He tells His disciples to bring Him not a horse nor a chariot, but a donkey to ride into Jerusalem, which is a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9, quoted here in the text).  My study Bible notes here that Matthew reports a colt as well as a donkey.  It notes that in patristic commentary these two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and the Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  At Vespers of Palm Sunday, an Orthodox hymn declares, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from unbelief to faith."

 

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  My study Bible explains that the people who spread their clothes before Jesus do so as paying reverence to a King.  There is also a spiritual interpretation to this, that it shows also our need to lay down our flesh, and our very lives -- as we are called to in ways small and great -- for Christ.

 

 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  The people's cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26, associated with messianic expectation.  This was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, or the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"   My study Bible further explains that Christ's entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is, additionally, a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  

There is a sense in which we are mistaken if we understand the events recorded in the Bible as simply things that happened once upon a time in history, for which we need to search to find relevance to our own lives today.  But the events of Christ's life are not given to us as a mere history book or story of the past, or of "once upon a time."  Neither are they in the realm purely of imagination.  Scripture overlaps in many ways many types of literature, but it is its own unique form of literature, which also borders on what we might call the poetic.  Its meanings echo through many other events, through the times of our own lives, and perhaps most importantly, they have a timeless quality.  Christ coming into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday has historically been understood in the Church in the terms my study Bible describes, as parallel to, and overlapping in a sense, Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride.  So, in a sense, this is always happening, and He is always with us.  Just as His Crucifixion, Passion, and Resurrection are not merely one-time events in history, but realities that are present to us in our lives of faith, so is this entrance into the Holy City, which is also an entrance into our hearts as well, where these spiritual realities may be perceived and dwell, and through which we take and live our faith.  Are we, like the people, going to accept or reject Him?  Do we welcome Him as Savior, as they do, shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"  And if we do so, how do we understand what "Savior" means to us?  Is He saving us one time in our lives, or is this an ongoing kind of plan of salvation, living with us and dwelling within our hearts as we seek daily to live our faith?  The mysteries of Christ and His life, His public ministry for us, are those things that are lived sacramentally in our lives.  They take the substance of our experience right now and live within us as we are called to account to understand how we are to "work" within our faith, and how these events have meaning for us now.  Will we be like those who seemingly accept Christ one day as a hailed hero, and a week later will cheer for His conviction and death, riled up by the religious leaders who wish to rid themselves of Him?  And how does He live in our hearts, as a heavenly King, who asks of us a spiritual loyalty that is comprised of all our heart, and soul, and mind?  Christ's ministry was not simply private or personal, nor are the events of His life given for us purely historical events.  They are imbued with a kind of timeless property that means they live in us and for us, they are present to us, and through faith we can always experience them for ourselves.  The Triumphal Entry in this sense is always happening, just as Christ is always gathering His Bride to Himself, to live in the New and heavenly Jerusalem.

 

 

Hosanna to the Son of David!

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

    "Tell the daughter of Zion,

    'Behold, your King is coming to you,

    Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,

    A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

 

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  

 

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

    "Hosanna to the Son of David!

    'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

    Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

 

- Matthew 21:1-11 

 

On Saturday we read that, as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho, on the road toward Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.  

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  Today's reading describes what is known as Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  We celebrate this event in the Church on Palm Sunday.  My study Bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control, and to reestablish the kingdom of David.  (Hence, the name used by the blind men in yesterday's reading, above, for Christ as Deliverer, "Son of David.")   But, in humility, Jesus explicitly shows -- and through careful direction to the disciples -- that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He doesn't ride on a horse or a chariot, signs of a king's power, but rather on a donkey, which is a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9; see also Isaiah 62:11).  My study Bible also tells us that this entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Moreover, it is a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).   Matthew's gospel reports also a colt as well as a donkey.  In patristic literature, the two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and the Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  My study Bible comments that the people spread their clothes before Jesus as paying reverence to a King.  Spiritually this is interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, even our lives, for Christ.  

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  The cry of the multitudes comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation.  At the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, it was recited daily for six days and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

The people cry Hosanna, meaning "Save, we pray!" as my study Bible's final note indicates.  Let us consider what this means for us, exactly.  Effectively, the people cry out for a Messiah, and one of their own expectations.  But they will get a very different Messiah in Jesus from the one of popular expectation.  As they cry out, Hosanna, desiring a deliverer from the Romans, they will get a Savior of a different kind, with salvation front and center as the message of this King.  Jesus' entrance into the Holy City is this first step in what we call Holy Week, indicating what it means to truly save, and the beginning of this final week of His life which will culminate in the saving act of His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  It is, essentially, an expression of the need to understand not only earthly realities, but the power of heavenly reality intervening, shaping, and transfiguring what we experience of our world and our understanding of ourselves in our place in Creation.  Christ's entrance into Jerusalem parallels and transfigures, as my study Bible indicates, by affirming His entry into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers as the culmination of the salvation of the cosmos, the Creation.  We can't really understand this unless we accept that salvation comes not from war on material terms but from the spiritual power of Christ to save and to heal through faith, and to bring us into that communion of His Church, His Bride.  When we think of this communion, also understood as the Body of Christ, we should think about not only our fellow worshipers whom we know and see, but that entire communion of the faithful which includes the saints of past, present, and future, and even the spiritual beings such as angels of every kind, who worship and recognize Christ as Savior.  For this entrance into what is known as the Holy City, the earthly Jerusalem, serves as initiation for the fullness of what it means to save, and even the fullness of what is to be saved -- not just individual human believers, but an entire Creation that awaits the Savior.  St. Paul affirms this for us when he writes, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now" (Romans 8:22).  St. Paul sees in our salvation -- even in whatever present difficulties we find ourselves through our faith -- the glory of this complete salvation to be revealed.  And this is the fullness that Christ brings to the world, for all that He does is transfiguring, adding dimension to our understanding.  Perhaps the greatest, most astonishing transfiguration of all is the Cross itself -- the horrible instrument of cruelly punishing death becomes the means for salvation for all, "trampling death by death" in the words of the Orthodox Paschal hymn.  Let us begin this journey into Jerusalem with the humble Christ, the Savior, whose means of changing and challenging and shaking the pillars of this world starts with faith.

 

 

Hosanna to the Son of David! Blesssed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

- Matthew 21:1-11

On Saturday, we read that as Jesus and His disciples went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet, but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  My study bible notes that in Matthew's Gospel, there is a second animal reported here -- not just a donkey but her colt also.  My study bible suggests that this second animal, the colt, may possibly symbolize the Gentiles "who will advance from infidelity to faith."   Jesus' prescience here not only suggests His divinity but also His unfailing willingness to follow through with what is to happen here at Jerusalem, His divine understanding of what is to come.

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  My study bible explains of today's entire reading:  "The Triumphal Entry is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday.  By Jesus' time, Jewish nationalism had begun to rise, leading to the expectation of a political Messiah.  Jewish leaders looked for a national king who would deliver them from the Roman yoke and reestablish David's kingdom.  Many Jews wanted a king like Jehu (2 Kings 9), who shed much blood and who would not hesitate to use the sword for the realization of nationalistic dreams.  Others, responding to the messianic signs of Jesus -- especially the raising of Lazarus (John 12:9-11) -- expected more.  In humility, Jesus shows He has not come to reestablish the earthly kingdom of David.  He does not ride in a chariot but upon a donkey, an animal of peace.  This is no mere earthly king, but the King of Glory who has come to reveal the Kingdom of God.  Thus, the Church sees the Son of God entering His reign and His Kingdom (see Mark 11:10; Luke 19:38).  He is taking the New Jerusalem to Himself as a pure bride, and the children celebrate His entrance as if it were a marriage (v. 15)."

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  My study bible explains, "As He enters Jerusalem, Jesus is hailed as Messiah with the words of Ps. 118:25-26.  The people knew this psalm well.  Associated with messianic expectation, it was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles, and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means "Save [we] pray."

As Advent begins, this season of time counting up to the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, so we begin to think about the coming of the Kingdom in our readings.  In Saturday's reading and commentary, we spoke about the prayer, "Lord have mercy," and the vision of what this promised land is like that Jesus is journeying toward.  In today's vision as given us by my study bible, we note that the heavenly Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, is the new Kingdom into which Jesus is entering.  He is on His way toward the temple, but more importantly, on a journey toward His Passion, and death, and Resurrection -- on the journey that will result for the disciples in the events of Pentecost, and the coming of the Spirit that will lead us further into His truth and understanding of His words.  This promised land is not a land to be conquered fully in a material sense, because it relies so strongly on a sense of ourselves as much more than merely material.  Jesus comes in triumph today, welcomed into Jerusalem by the crowds waving branches, hailing Him as Messiah.  But, as my study bible points out, He's sitting not in a chariot, but upon a donkey, a humble animal.  And, in Matthew's Gospel, rather than leading an army with its great weapons and show of might, He's leading the colt of the donkey, the humblest of the humble in its symbolism.  There's an important counterpoint to this humility of its symbolism, an important way to view what is "missing" from the picture.  Because the humility itself invites us into a picture, an icon.  What is missing for an earthly king is a question here:  it invites us to think about what is there that cannot be seen, about what is hidden in plain sight here that the people cannot see.  To ask that question is to gain insight about this Kingdom that Jesus is here for; it is the place of our hearts and souls; it is the spiritual Kingdom that is with us and within us.  It is the place where we find who we really are, the substance of true being, the one that defines what is truly of essence and value.  It is the Kingdom that assigns all meanings to everything else:  even to a gruesome crucifixion.  It is the Kingdom of transcendence of all things that we know, even of death.  Jesus is here, not only to fully realize His Kingdom over all of this reality, but to bring it near, to include us, so that we, too, may enter.  We may find transcendence with Him, we may find value and meaning with Him, we may be liberated from the bounds of a purely materialistic perspective via His ransom and liberation.  It is a Kingdom of triumph over all things, precisely because of what is missing here -- that empty space of a king's retinue that invites us to wonder what else we don't see, and to open our minds to how it will be filled with the true Kingdom in which we are all invited to partake.  How are you filled with the good things He brings to this picture?  What does the donkey and its colt teach us?  How does the "emptiness" in this picture invite you to triumph over your circumstances?

Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey"

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion, 

'Behold, your King is coming to you,

 Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!

'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  so the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

 

- Matthew 21:1-11 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho, on their way toward Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.  

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  The event described in today's reading is known as Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is celebrated in the Church on Palm Sunday, so-called because of the description of the people taking palm branches to welcome Him to the Holy City, as people would welcome a king returning to his kingdom (John 12:13).  In this case, it is a welcoming of the Messiah, as a son of David the king.  My study Bible explains that by this time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom.  But in humility, Jesus shows in His appearance at this occasion that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He does not ride on a horse nor in a chariot as a conquering king of the world.  Rather, He enters on a donkey, which is a sign of humility and peace, as indicated in the quotation from Zechariah 9:9.  My study Bible says that this entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It says it's also a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  Additionally of note is that St. Matthew reports a colt in addition to a donkey.  In patristic commentary, my study Bible says, these two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  At Vespers of Palm Sunday, the Orthodox sing, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from belief to faith."

 

 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  The people who spread their clothes before Jesus did so as paying reverence to a King.  My study Bible explains that this is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh -- even our very lives -- for Christ.  

 

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  so the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  The cry of the multitudes comes from Psalm 118:25-26, verses associated with messianic expectation.  This was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

 

 Jesus is greeted as a returning king, come home to His city, His kingdom after a long absence.  In this manner, the multitudes greet Him and welcome Him as Messiah, Son of David (see yesterday's reading, above), who comes to them in the name of the Lord.  But, as my study Bible explains, this celebration will be short-lived, on its very worldly terms.  This is because the expectation is wrong, even if His messianic status as King and Son of David is correct.  Jesus is returning to establish a Kingdom that is not one in the sense of a worldly conqueror, but in the sense of the spiritual reality He is bringing to re-establish and take control of a world given over to the evil one, the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), the "prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:1-3).  This is the way Christ's Incarnation is framed for us, and symbolized in the return and welcome of the King into the Holy City.  This is the prophesied King who is "lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey."  He is the One who comes as a weak human being, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, the "man of sorrows" who will be "numbered with the transgressors."  All of this reality is about to be brought to bear upon Christ, and in the Holy City of Jerusalem in the week that follows.  It will be an agglomeration of many factors, including the religious leaders' fear that Christ will eclipse them and be embraced as a king by all and set to rule over the temple, by the fears of Herod of Galilee and his soon-to-be friendship with Pontius Pilate, the Roman need for peace and control at all cost, and the threat of the religious leaders and the ruling Council who will stir the people against Christ.  But, as always with Scripture, there is so much more to this story than meets the eye, and we cannot understand what is happening here without accepting the spiritual truth and reality that is behind it.  Christ has come to draw us all toward God, to defeat the devil and death, to enable all of us to follow Him, and to establish His heavenly Kingdom even here in this world.  But all of this eclipses time, as it invites in all of us to participate in this journey and the establishment of this Kingdom.  We are all welcomed into the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12), to participate in Christ's life, death, and Resurrection so that we may in turn ascend with Him, even as He bears glorified human flesh in His Ascension.  All of this meets in this central place of this event in Jerusalem.  While it is true that Jesus is a King, and this is His Holy City, there is so much at the same time that is not true but will seemingly prevail.  And this is a key, in the sight of some of the great theologians of the Church, that the enemy of Christ who seeks to defeat Him will also be fooled by the malice he stirs, the desire to kill Christ, and in this sense tricked by his own devices into his defeat through the Cross.  This is the great mystery of our faith, and of what is called spiritual warfare:  that when we meet the evil among us, around us, even within us -- with faith -- so we wage the good fight and enter into the labors of others before us (John 4:38), following our Lord.  Let us bear His Cross and our own, as He has taught (Matthew 10:38).  For with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

 

 

Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey"

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

- Matthew 21:1-11

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho, on their way to Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"   They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples . . .   My study bible has several notes I will refer to in today's passage.  It notes of the entirety of today's reading that "Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday.  By Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom.  In humility, Jesus shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He does not ride on a horse or in a chariot, but on a donkey -- a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9).  This entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is also a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2)."

. . . saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  My study bible notes that Matthew here reports a colt as well as a donkey.  It says that Church Fathers see the two animals as representing the faithful Jews and the Gentiles who are brought together into this Kingdom.  At the Vespers of Palm Sunday, the Eastern Church sings, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from belief to faith."  Indeed, Matthew's gospel is noted for its "two's" -- e.g. two demoniacs, two blind men.

 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  My study bible says of the people who spread their clothes before Jesus that they did so as paying reverence to a King.  "It is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, and indeed our very lives, for Christ."

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."    The cry of the people is from Psalm 118:25-26.  My study bible points out that it was associated with messianic expectation.  During the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, feast of the coming Kingdom), it was recited daily for six days -- and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"  Let us note also that the crowds call Him the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.

Let us take on the idea of expectations here.  What do the people expect of this "prophet from Nazareth" coming into Jerusalem?  What do those expect who are singing this hymn from the feast of the coming Kingdom? All along in Matthew's gospel, Jesus has been careful not to openly state His identity as Christ.  He is not "just" a prophet.  It is only in chapter 16 of Matthew that Peter first confesses, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Peter is the man whose house in Capernaum had become their makeshift Galilean headquarters; he has lived with Jesus as disciple from the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  He is "first among equals" as apostle.  And yet, it is not until deep into Matthew's gospel, chapter 16, that this revelation is given.  Jesus is careful to note that, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  It was given to Peter by the Father, and it is on this rock that Jesus builds His Church.  Faith must defy our "worldly" expectations.  Jesus is a type of Messiah that will reach far beyond all and any expectation of what Messiah is.  He will not be a "national liberator" as a kind of material warrior or king (He has already refused the desire of those fed in the wilderness to make Him king).  Faith reveals to us things that are otherwise totally unacceptable, unforeseeable, even unconscionable in some sense (see Matthew 16:20-23).  Jesus does not come into Jerusalem like a king or great ruler, riding on a horse or in a chariot, with an army to follow Him and do His bidding.  His mount is a donkey and her colt!  His army are the people who call Him "the prophet from Nazareth" -- a poor town with a poor reputation in terms of "spiritual" expectations.  They are the ones who lay their clothes down in expectation of what might come of this prophet.  Nobody knows what the coming of the Kingdom means or will mean.  Hardly anyone expects what is coming in the immediate future, even though by now Jesus has warned His closest disciples several times about what is to happen in Jerusalem.  The power of faith in Christ also that which may defy all our own expectations, and we often forget that.  Faith can lead us to places where we are deeply disappointed, and at the same time resurrected to a place that is hardly imaginable before it is revealed to us.  But the key to faith is trust, through all things -- through disappointment of our own expectations, and on toward the Resurrection that awaits, that gives us new life and a new way to see things, as well as a new concept of who we are as people of faith.  Can we go with Him on this journey?  Can we await the fulfillment of Who He is?  Who He will be for us?  Where He calls us to follow?  It isn't always a simple or easy or comfortable journey; and yet it is one that will surpass every expectation we have.

Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,

'Behold, your King is coming to you,

Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!

'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

 

- Matthew 21:1-11 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho, on their way to Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.   Today's reading gives us the event which the Church celebrates on Palm Sunday.  This is called the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  By Jesus' time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom, my study Bible explains.  In humility, Jesus shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He does not ride on a horse nor in a chariot, but rather on a donkey -- a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9).  This entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  My study Bible adds that it is also a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  My study Bible also notes that, specific to Matthew, there is a colt as well as a donkey.  Some patristic interpretations see the two animals as representing the faithful Jews and the Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  An Orthodox Vespers hymn for Palm Sunday declares, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from unbelief to faith."  Those who spread their clothes before Jesus do so as if paying reverence to  King.  Again, there is a spiritual interpretation to this, in which it  is understood as indicating our need to lay down our flesh, and even our very lives, for Christ.

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  The cry of the multitudes comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation.  It was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles, and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

Jesus comes into the Holy City of Jerusalem, from east, as prophesied Messiah, in the image foretold by Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9).  We see the powerful meanings of images and symbols, this one given to Zechariah centuries before in a vision of this event.  Zechariah was born during the Babylonian exile, and returned to Judah in 537 BC, encouraging the returning captives to rebuild the temple.  His prophecies, as characterized by my study Bible, are messianic, apocalyptic, and eschatological -- powerful and rich in symbol, and telling us many things about Christ which inform our own understanding of things to come.  Among many other things in the context of apocalyptic and eschatological understanding of Christ, Zechariah foretold His coming in lowliness and humility (Zechariah 6:12, 13:7), His rejection and betrayal for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13), and His crucifixion (Zechariah 13:5-6).  Jesus affirms the prophecy Himself when He quotes from Zechariah 13:7 in Matthew 26:31.  In this kind of vision, Zechariah was given an understanding that works through symbols and images which not only foretell something that is to happen, as in Christ's Triumphal Entry, but also does so outside of time, in compressed images that convey both symbolic meaning in what we might call "heavenly" terms, as well as the worldly reality of Christ's earthly life.  This is the nature of vision.  But Christ shows His own understanding of the prophesies about Himself in today's reading (and in His quotation of Zechariah to the disciples which will come in chapter 26).  So we accept both the affirmation of Christ's understanding and the meanings in these images of the lowly colt of a donkey and the Prince of Peace (from the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6).  That is, He who does not meet the people's expectations and hope for a political Messiah who will free them from the Romans and establish a magnificent earthly kingdom for Israel, but who nevertheless fulfills the prophecies and expectations given by God.  How can one be what God calls one to be, and yet disappoint and anger so many?  This is a question for all the prophets and saints that have come before us, for the disciples and immediate followers of Christ, and -- of course -- for Christ Himself who already understands this all too well.  For "success" in the eyes of the world and the earthly goals of life is often a far different picture (indeed, radically and totally different) than the picture of a life which is successful in God's terms, and which "successfully" fulfills God's will for that holy person.  There is no greater example than Jesus Christ, and He is the One whom we follow above all, and who sets the pattern for all the rest.  Can we follow our Prince of Peace, the Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep who will be scattered?  How well do we understand the things of God as opposed to the things of men (Matthew 16:23)?  How brave are we when it comes to carrying the cross He asks of us?   With what courage could we accept a mission which calls us out of the world (John 15:19)?

 

 

Behold, your King is coming to you

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt tied with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

- Matthew 21:1-11

On Saturday, we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho, heading toward Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt tied with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  Today we read of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  In the Church, this event is celebrated on Palm Sunday.  At this time, says my study bible, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control, and to reestablish the kingdom of David.  Jesus enters but not as conquering king with a mighty army.  He requests His disciples to find a donkey with a colt.  These two animals, found in Matthew's Gospel, are traditionally seen as representing faithful Jews and Gentiles who are brought together in Christ's Kingdom.  

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey,  A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "   The daughter of Zion is the Bride of Christ, Jerusalem prefiguring the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers.   The New Jerusalem is His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  This entrance into the Holy City, says my study bible, declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.   The prophecy is taken from Zechariah 9:9.   Christ enters as Prince of Peace, not warrior king.  He is displaying His word that as King He is gentle and lowly of heart, that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:29).

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:   "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."   The people spread their clothes did so as paying reverence to a King.  My study bible tells us that the spiritual interpretation of this is the need to lay down our flesh, our very lives, for Christ -- the deepest humility.  The cry of the people is from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation.  It is the recitation repeated daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of the Coming Kingdom, Sukkot), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

How does Christ enter His Kingdom?  Today's scene of crowds waving palm branches and spreading their clothes teaches us about the welcoming of a King.  The spiritual interpretation of Christ coming into our hearts is an important one, as we come to understand that no matter what else is portrayed here, the King who comes to our hearts is the Bridegroom of the soul, before whom we lay down all that makes up our lives, all that we think we are, and hope to be.  The heavenly Jerusalem is prefigured here, too, as this is the inauguration of a Kingdom that is fulfilled at the end of the age, upon His return, the Second Coming.  His Kingdom, we know, lives within us and among us in this world.  It is present in His Church, His Bride, present in the work of the Spirit, which is "everywhere present and filling all things" (from the Orthodox prayer to the Holy Spirit).  It is important to remember that all of this is in fulfillment of Jewish spiritual heritage, the true search for the Kingdom, the expectations of Messiah.  Today, many of us are tempted to think that liberation is only political, only philosophical, only in an abstract sense.  But none of this understands the power Christ brings into the world as a spiritual force, spiritual realm and reality.  Jesus has told us, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth," and that "the Father is seeking such to worship Him"  (John 4:23-24).  To worship in spirit and truth, and to acknowledge God as Spirit, isn't just to consider our faith some sort of abstraction of philosophical ideal.  The ancients who welcomed Christ into their hearts and minds were well-steeped in philosophy and abstraction, and political theory!  The Fathers of the Church, those who gave birth to theology, were all trained in the highest educational standards of the classical Hellenistic world, fully knowledgeable of all philosophical schools up until their time, and Christianity shone as a way beyond such thought.  To worship in spirit and in truth is to include all that is true and that serves truth, including philosophy -- but there is more.  There is the reality of spirit -- and the reality of the spiritual kingdom to which we belong.  We enter with our hearts.  The currency of this kingdom is love, the softening of hearts, something that can't happen based only upon ideological or philosophical abstraction.  To stay purely in intellectual capacity is to remain in danger of a hardened heart, or perhaps to find an easy sentimentalism that substitutes for honesty, for seeing what is, including the evil in the world.  To enter into this kingdom we have to be at full capacity:  heart, mind, soul, strength, spirit all engaged.   This consciousness is sometimes called "the mind in the heart," meaning the whole person, more in fact than just emotion and intellect.   There is no substitute.  In this marriage, there is nothing reserved.   There can be no real repentance without this level of engagement:  all "clothes" off, laid at His feet, for a total transformation of all that we are.  Can we engage with the fullness of the heart and find His Spirit that leads us?

Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey"

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall just say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." 

- Matthew 21:1-11

 Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho on their way toward Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

  Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall just say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"   Today's reading gives us the image of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday (so named for the branches spread by the people on the ground, verse 8).  My study bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah who would deliver Israel from Roman control and reestablish David's kingdom.  But in humility, Christ shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He doesn't ride on a horse nor in a chariot, but rather on a donkey -- which is a sign of humility and peace (see Zechariah 9:9, quoted by the people who welcome Him).   Noteworthy also is that Matthew reports a colt as well as a donkey.   In patristic commentary, the two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom, the colt being an image of the "untamed and uninstructed Gentiles who would pass from unbelief to faith" (Vespers of Palm Sunday Orthodox hymn).  My study bible adds that the entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is also a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers, and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  The people who spread their clothes on the road before Jesus did so as if paying reverence to a King.  My study bible says that this is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, and even our very lives, for Christ.  The people's cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26, associated with messianic expectation.   It was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (Heb. Sukkot, also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom).  On the seventh day of the festival, as branches were waved it was recited seven times.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

 Jesus enters into Jerusalem, welcomed by the crowds.  We note that they call Him "the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  This is not precisely who Jesus is, although He is welcomed in a way that suggests the welcoming of a king, or the Messiah.  The verses from the psalm they chant are used at the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, which commemorates the time Israel wandered in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.  Perhaps the text is meant to give us a sense that although these crowds welcome Him, all is not understood about Jesus.  There are mixed messages running through the crowds, and this is something important for us to understand.  Is He a prophet?  The Church does not say so, and He has indicated this is false in this reading, in which He asked the disciples specifically who people say that He is, and who do they think He is.  The messianic expectations of the time also lead to those in the crowds expecting the manifestation of a kingdom of Israel that will last forever -- if He is truly the Messiah, people will reason, then why is this new kingdom not appearing for them?   They've surely heard of the miraculous cures that have happened and all about His ministry.  Jesus even enters into Jerusalem from the East, as was expected of the Messiah.  But in His choice of transportation we find an expression of humility, not a warrior king, and that is indeed a message about what type of Messiah He is.  In John's Gospel, Jesus teaches to the Samaritan woman that "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).  The people who will remain His followers must see through all of this, the worldly expectations, the varied and conflicting messages that stir the crowds, the misunderstandings -- and the intentions of the leadership -- in order to understand precisely what this means.  What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth?  How do we see past our own worldly expectations to find spirit and truth to lead us?  Neither do the people expect that the Messiah is divine, but rather an exalted human being.  Jesus defies all expectations in His ministry.   He defies the expectations, desires, and even demands of the desired Messiah.  He challenges every assumption about Himself.  Even these who proclaim and welcome Him do not necessarily understand Him.  There is an important message for all of us here, in that it is not what the crowds say about God or Christ that matters.  It's not what the rest of the world thinks about our faith that counts.  The God who is Spirit and must be worshiped in spirit and in truth will often be misunderstood and miscategorized, ill-defined and distorted by people's desires of God.  But the message of the heart is something else altogether, and it requires great humility to accept it -- and ongoing prayer to continue in His path for us.  God's life of spirit and truth will always ask of us to tear away our expectations, to check our own desires and projections, and to find His love, His way.  Without the necessary humility, we won't come to that understanding of the life He gives us -- and without the commitment to spirit and truth in the heart, it's much too easy to be misled by the strong emotions and persuasion of the crowds of our times.  Let us consider this Man on the donkey's colt, and remember that He became one of us for all of us.  So many expectations are always placed upon Him.  Will we, too, be disappointed if He doesn't fulfill all of ours?  Or will we be capable of shoring up our faith and resetting our compass to His light?