Spontaneity And Intent

Spontaneity and Intent

Matthew 21:4-9, NKJV

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5“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.’” 6So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9Then 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!”

Setting the Scene

The crowd that enveloped Jesus during the Triumphal Entry was, for the most part, not present because of Jesus but because of the Passover. There would have been thousands of pilgrims in the capital for this grandest of the Jewish religious celebrations, remembering God’s great act in liberating his people from captivity in Egypt. This would have been on many troubled minds regarding their current subjection under Roman rule. The possibility that Jesus could be the long-awaited king who would return the glory of David’s kingdom to Israel fueled praise from the multitude.

John 12:12-13 tells us that as news of Jesus’ approach reached Jerusalem, people left the city to meet him. Taking their cue from the disciples’ seating Jesus on the colt, others spread their coats on the road in front of the donkey, a tradition mentioned in 2 Kings 9:12-13.

Jesus’ actions fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy (Zechariah 9:9). The response of the crowd confirmed that the people were looking for some kind of king who would come “in the name of the LORD.” Each of the Gospel writers captured a little different flavor of the crowd’s response, but all of them include that phrase. Although fifteen psalms are traditionally associated with the pilgrims’ arrival in Jerusalem (Psalms 120–134), the phrases and actions used by the crowd in relation to Jesus are found in Psalm 118:26-27: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar” (NIV).

Getting Personal

What are some of the ways you publicly acknowledge Jesus’ presence in your life?

From what kinds of “captivity” have you been delivered because of Jesus?

The crowd’s understanding of Jesus was woefully shortsighted and narrow. That disconnect between expression and understanding ought to continually remind us that God is not distracted or fooled by external acts; he reads our hearts.

Talking to God

Ask the Lord to develop in you the humility of knowing and understanding that leads to genuine, exuberant praise.