This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
Matthew 21:4-5 NIV
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
Judea, in the time of Jesus, was under Roman rule. The people chaffed at their subjection to the Romans and longed for their freedom. Freedom that the Old Testament prophets had foretold. A time when Israel would once again have a powerful king who would sit on David’s throne at the head of a free and prosperous nation. It was a hope that inspired many during Jesus’ day. And many of them hoped Jesus would be that king. His disciples certainly did. And the crowd that shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David” did as well.
Indeed, Jesus had come to be a king, inaugurating a kingdom that would never end, and setting his people free. And he was the king foretold by the prophets. But not in the way the people were looking forward to.
A conquering king, the kind hoped for by Israel, would have entered Jerusalem on a charger at the head of an army, driving out the Romans. He would have become king through military might, killing his enemies, and making Jerusalem his capital.
Instead, Jesus entered on a lowly donkey at the head of a mob, singing his praise, and going to his death at the hands of the Jewish and Roman authorities. But in his death and resurrection, he defeated the real enemy, death (Heb. 2:14-15). And he established an everlasting kingdom that will never come to an end.
Many today who follow Jesus still want to join the first army. To take up arms, attack those who oppose them, and set up an earthly kingdom.
But to truly follow Jesus, we must be part of a different army. An army that wins, not by its strength of arms, but by taking up our cross and following Jesus’ example (Matt. 16:24). We win, not by fighting, but by surrendering our lives to the Lordship of Jesus and following him to the cross.
So which Jesus do you follow?
