The Triumphal Entry

It was a spring day in Judea, and the Passover festival was less than a week away. Jerusalem was already thronging with pilgrims. As was his custom, Jesus with his disciples, accompanied by a crowd of supporters, was himself journeying to Jerusalem, although he had already warned his disciples that this would not be a normal Passover and that it would end with his betrayal and death.

The first extraordinary event that week concerned Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, an event which is recorded in all four of the gospels. Jesus sent two of his disciples into a nearby village where they would fetch a young donkey for Jesus to ride on. Jesus told them what to say if anyone challenged them as to why they were taking the donkey.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowds waved palm branches and spread those branches and their cloaks on the road. They cheered him and sang psalms of praise.

The symbolism of these events would not be lost on those who were there at the time – they were the actions of someone welcoming a King. Both Matthew and John make an explicit reference to the fulfilment of the prophesy in Zechariah 9:9, that their King would come riding on a donkey.

Yet within a week the mood completely changed and, egged on by the Chief Priests and other leaders, the crowd were calling for Jesus to be crucified, and declaring that they had no King other than Caesar, the Roman Emperor. One of Jesus’ disciples had betrayed him to the authorities, and others had run away and denied that they even knew him. Jesus went to his trial and his death alone. Ironically however, the notice fixed to the cross proclaimed that Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews, despite the protests of the Jewish leaders.

What does it mean to say that Jesus is King? Throughout most of history kings took or maintained their position through force; anyone reading the books of 1 and 2 Kings cannot miss the role of the king in leading the army against other nations, or being involved in plots to replace the existing ruler.

But Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom is not from this world; otherwise his servants would have fought to prevent His arrest (John 18:36). In his kingdom worldly values are reversed so that: “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26).

This is what we are remembering this Palm Sunday.

Adrian Rudd