1As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.2“Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me.3If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
4This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,
5“Tell the people of Jerusalem,
‘Look, your King is coming to you.
He is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.’ ”
6The two disciples did as Jesus commanded.7They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.
8Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.9Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,
“Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!”
10The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. 11And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
The “entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.” And they should have been. Their eternal King was coming. They did accept Jesus like a king, but not the King he truly was. The city was welcoming the conquering Messiah who would destroy the Romans and establish the Israelites as the supreme power on earth. That was the king they wanted and that was the king they thought they were welcoming.
They should have known something was wrong. Jesus didn’t ride in on a stallion brandishing a sword. No, he came riding a donkey’s colt. A beast of burden. A beast known to carry loads that weren’t its own. And it was all predicted in the Old Testament. It is one of the best reasons to know and study the entire Bible. Matthew quotes Zechariah 9:9. If you study the entire Bible you will find so many Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Jesus that your faith will explode.
But even more important, you will get to know the real King of kings. How often don’t we want Jesus in our lives as long as he is what we want. We want the perpetual Santa Clause or the big brother who can rescue us when we get ourselves into a mess. We are as likely to welcome the wrong king into our lives as the people of Jerusalem did that day.
Our King is humble and quiet. He, like the animal he rode, carried the weight of sins he didn’t commit. He was kind and gentle and concerned about spiritual and eternal victory, not just beating the Romans and ruling the Earth. That is the King that rode into Jerusalem. That is the King that comes to us. And that is exactly the type of follower our King is calling us to be.
Lord, help me to see you as you are, not who I want you to be. Help me to welcome you, and follow you, and be changed by you. Make me like you Lord. Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*
