the arrival – it begins…
Any follower of Jesus Christ will tell you that Easter culminates the most significant week in the Christian calendar and perhaps in all of human history. Last year on Palm Sunday the sermon at our church traced the movements of Christ throughout the historic week preceding Resurrection Sunday. The sermon was thought provoking and extremely moving but, once my interest was peaked, it was simply not enough. So, I determined to embark on a personal study of the final week in the life of Christ. During this season of Lent I’ll be recording my findings and thoughts in my journal.
Matthew 20:17; Mark 10:32, Luke 18:31
In my estimation - the first thing to consider would be Christ’s mind-set as he approached Jerusalem and the Passover Feast. Matthew tells us he foretold his crucifixion and resurrection and began preparing his followers for what was to come as they traveled toward the city. Matt. 20:17-19 He took them aside and told them, “Look, this is what is going to happen to me when we reach the city.”
Apparently His followers took this news calmly enough, each putting their own agenda ahead of his. Mama Zebedee jumped right in to make certain that if there was going to be a change in the power structure her boys would be first in line to receive the best seats in the house. “You don’t know what you’re asking.” he told them. They really didn’t have a clue what was coming. The Living Bible says when he gathered them around him and told them what was to come, “they didn’t understand a thing he said. He seemed to be talking in riddles.” Luke 19:34-35
Jesus knew what was coming. He understood what would be required of him; knew and understood that there was no other way to accomplish his purpose except to be mocked and beaten and crucified. How could any man deliberately and willingly set out to go through such horror? Because he was all man and he had a goal? Because he was all God – and he had a goal! …and he will be raised on the third day.
Sometimes, in the natural or in the spiritual, the only way to get to the goal is to go through the hard part. Jesus knew, had always known, probably from childhood, the hard part was coming and yet he pressed on toward his goal; taking with him the followers and hangers-on who would play a pivotal roll in the completion of his project. Judas, Matthew, Peter and John to name a few. I seriously doubt his followers and hangers-on even came close to comprehending the enormity of what they were a part of. And I honestly believe most of us are the same; we go through the hard parts of our lives, pressing on toward our goals, without ever completely comprehending God’s long term goals.
So…with his mind set on the goal, Jesus traveled from Jericho to Jerusalem (a distance of approximately 47 kilometers, about nine and a half hours walking – according to Google maps). We aren’t told exactly how long this journey took. We are told as he went out of Jericho a crowd followed him, probably surrounding him and asking him for a touch or a word. Matthew 20:29-34 Matthew says he took pity on two blind men in the crowd and healed them. There were others healed, but many of those went unrecorded as the crowd was ‘a great multitude’. We do find the story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark’s gospel. Mark 10:46-52 And again in Luke 18:35-43.
I think it is safe to assume there were many healed as Jesus made his way toward Bethany, Bethphage and Jerusalem, because as John tells us in closing his gospel record. “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book.” John 20:30 And, “But there are also many other things which Jesus did, were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25
John mentions the rising tension among Jesus’ followers in Bethany ‘about six days before the Passover’, when Mary anointed his feet with expensive oil and Judas objected to her wasteful extravagance, suggesting the money could have been better spent on caring for the poor. John 12:1-8 Mark, places the account of James and John posturing to be honored with seats at Jesus’ right and left in glory immediately after his announcement that they were going to Jerusalem…where the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes and condemned to death. Mark 10:35-45.
All in all, I would guess everyone in Jesus’ company was jittery and on edge. I can imagine them bickering with each other, like a houseful of children getting ready for church, throughout most of the week prior to their arrival in the Holy city. Try to picture it. Jesus is a dead man walking, with a certainty of the suffering to come; his disciples were stumbling along with him because they had no where else to go, and the enemy was pressuring all of them, looking for a way to discredit the ministry and the man. I know with certainty, from experience, there are demonic forces specially assigned to bring strife, disturbance and, if possible, the ultimate humiliation to anyone with a specific goal assigned by God to fulfill His plans.
On the day of Jesus arrival in Jerusalem “a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that he was coming” John 12:12-19 “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” John says some of the crowd who went to meet him, were in the same crowd present when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and that was the reason they rushed to meet him again. They were hoping for another show of miraculous power, among other things. They were also looking for a king to free them from Roman oppression. Matthew tells us “most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” Matthew 21:8-9
When the crowd covered the road with branches and their own cloaks it was an act of royal homage, similar to our ‘red carpet’ treatment of celebrities today; in Jesus time this was an honor reserved for kings and emperors.
We are told he came riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The cultural and political significance of Jesus entering the city of God, riding on a donkey can be found in three points:
1) the donkey was traditionally a mount for kings and rulers in the ancient Near East. (Judges 1:4; 12:14; 25a 16:2) Jesus rode the donkey to make a public claim to be the king of his people.
2) the act of riding into Jerusalem near Passover invoked a central image of Messianic implication linked to Biblical texts (Gen 49:10, Isaiah 62:11, Zechariah 9:9) Jesus act told the Jewish world he was claiming to be the Messiah. And
3) rather than choosing a horse, associated in Old Testament times with war and human pride, the donkey may have been picked to send a message of peaceful humility. Jesus, in this interpretation, was making a statement regarding the nature of his kingship. (Ps. 20:6-9, 33:16-18, 147:10-11)
Personally, I find the idea that he comes riding on an unbroken colt, near to weaning, the most interesting fact. Do you have any idea what is required to ride an unbroken colt? And yet, the wild bucking bronco ride I would expect is simply not mentioned. He is God and has power and control over even a young male donkey!
Much as in our modern world, the arrival of Jesus prompted two dramatic reactions. Those who believed in him and followed his teachings were thrilled by his arrival and held an extravagant celebration in his honor. Those who opposed his teachings or doubted his kingship, or were threatened by his power and wisdom were angry, offended, agitated and prepared to go to great lengths to stop him, using any means they could.
And so it begins… the week that would change the world!
