Scripture Reading(s)
Matthew 21:1-11
21:1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
21:2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.
21:3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.”
21:4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
21:5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
21:6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them;
21:7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
21:8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
21:9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
21:10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?”
21:11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Reflections
The events that took place here were not ones that the Jewish people could ignore or merely look to as another important event. It had been prophesied that a messianic prophet would come, mounted on a donkey and colt. In response to them seeing their Messiah, they were filled with joy and worshiped and praised Him.
There is one major lesson that I want to draw attention to in this passage. In verse 5 it says “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The key word here is “humble”. Christ came to relate and meet the needs of the people. His goal was to come in meekness and love.
Humility is what drove Him to come to this earth. Humility is what caused Him to have compassion on the sick, poor and needy. Humility is what caused Him to have His clothes torn, submit to brutal beatings, mocking, being spit upon, and finally nailed to a cross and put to death.
The joyful response that the people had to their arrival of the Messiah is one that we should also have when we think about the coming of our Lord and Savior. Each of us has an open invitation to come to Him and surrender our sin and live a life that is full of HIS joy, peace, and hope.