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?