Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.”

Jerusalem was a buzz. Jesus was coming. Many people had heard of him. He was the one who made the blind to see, raised the dead but also the one who threatened the power of the Pharisees. He was coming to keep the feast, but many were wondering what would he do when he finally gets here?

As a crowd journeyed towards Jerusalem with Jesus walking amongst them, his eyes fixed firmly on what lay ahead. In Bethany, 2 miles from Jerusalem, an unridden colt was tethered totally unaware of its place in history or its role in fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. ‘

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey’.

Jesus sent two of his disciples to Bethany to find the colt and bring it to him. I suspect this would have seemed an odd request and the disciples must have wondered why they were being sent which just increased the mystery and anticipation in the air.

As Jesus humbly rode on the colt, he was faithfully fulfilling Gods plan, and here on Palm Sunday, we can see important steps on the road towards fulfilling that plan. Jesus knew God had called him to do this, although he did not know exactly how it would end. As Jesus journeyed towards Jerusalem, the crowds surrounding him increased and some spread their cloaks on the road. This was the arrival of the promised King, but he was not arriving with the majesty many expected. There was singing and shouting Hosanna, palms were waved, and the atmosphere was electric with anticipation.

Amongst all the noise and celebration, there were also Pharisees in the crowd who didn’t share the joy of the moment. They were threatened by Jesus’s arrival and feared their power would be undermined. They tried to stop Jesus and the crowds from proceeding but Jesus answered defiantly ‘I tell you, if they were silent, the stones would shout out ‘ We are then told as Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city he wept over it and said “If you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes’.

Palm Sunday is such a familiar day in the Church calendar. Palm crosses are often handed out and symbolically some Churches process through nearby streets carrying palm branches which were widely associated with victory and triumph during the time in which Jesus lived. But Palm Sunday is a time of mixed emotion because even as the crowds celebrated Jesus as King, we know what is coming, in a matter of days the crowd who praised his arrival so triumphantly would turn on him and seek his death. It is therefore a time for us to reflect on our faith and to prepare for the solemnity of Holy Week, which culminates in the celebration of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus. In 2020 Archbishop Justin Welby summed up the day and coming week beautifully, ‘Palm Sunday confronts us with God being disruptively different. God the revolutionary. We see God who takes on the pain, who walks the journey of Holy Week, deeper and deeper into a darkness we cannot enter. God in Jesus lets his friends deny and betray him. God, in Jesus, suffers rejection and abuse, and the ultimate desolation of a lonely yet innocent death. All the worst of human experience is heaped on Jesus.’

(Adapted from The things he did by Stephen Cottrell)

What emotions does this passage evoke in you?
Does it resonate with any experiences from your own life?
How are you arriving today at the start of Holy week?

Loving God, give us joy in our hearts as we shout Hosanna, welcoming Jesus our King with palms, celebrating all that we hope for as the Easter story unfolds. Then, as the journey of Jesus turns towards Good Friday, help us know that you are with us when celebration turns to sadness. Give us the faith we need to follow you on the way of the cross, which leads to life.

Amen