Dogwood Series No. 3
The next day, the great crowd that had gathered for the Feast
Heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem.
They took palm branches and went out to meet Him…
On Sunday, Jesus made a king’s entrance into Jerusalem. Fulfilling a prophecy in Zechariah, He rode the path from Bethany to Jerusalem on a young donkey:
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem.
See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation,
Gentle and riding a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
The crowds in the great city heard that Jesus was coming, and went out to meet him, waving palm branches and spreading their cloaks in the roadway. The words they chanted were both ancient and modern, and identified the rider as the Messiah, the King of Israel:
Hosanna!
O Lord, save us! O Lord, grant us peace!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Psalm 118:25-26
Many of the voices shouting, “Hosanna!” would soon be wailing, “Crucify Him!” Jesus was fully aware of that, but the journey on a colt with the adoration of the crowd was necessary for the fulfillment of all that had been written, as well as to open the eyes and minds of the people for what was to come. He accepted the praise amidst the hypocrisy, and when the Pharisees demanded that He hush the people, He replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones would cry out!” [Luke 19:40]
So the Pharisees said to one another,
“See, this is getting us nowhere.
Look how the whole world has gone after Him.”
John 12:19
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