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A ride on a donkey Matt 21:1-9 “ now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them." Luke 19:30 adds you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.” “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying : Zech. 9:9 is then quoted "Tell the daughter of Zion,' Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.” Most kings ride on white horses into a city as they conquer, here Jesus comes into the Holy city before all humbly, in fact more humble than any other man, in a humiliating way, why? Notice there were two animals, Jesus sat on the colt that was led by the parent donkey. A colt is a child of the parent, the father. It was an animal that was never used to serve man yet. Christ rode into Jerusalem on it, he was separated for this useful purpose. Throughout the Old Testament we find the donkey was one of the means of transportation in their time. We also read in Ex 13:13 “ But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; Mt.21:8-9 “ And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! (pronounced hoshanna) 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest.” V:15 we read of the “ children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David !" That’s about all the religious leaders could, acknowledging him in the streets was bad enough but coming from within the temple infuriated them. At the beginning of ministry when he visited the temple Jesus said ‘ Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" (John 2:16) At the last week of his ministry at the temple he drove out “those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, " It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves. '" (Luke 19:45-47) While they cried out to welcome him into Jerusalem him by citing the first part of Ps. 118 they neglected the second which is even more important. Ps. 118:26-29 “ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You . Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. During this last week he tested the people just as the religious leaders tested him. They tried to find fault with him each day he came to Jerusalem until his crucifixion. He tried to find faith in them. This would be his last confrontation with them before completing his mission of being sent to earth. He was the sacrifice, the altar was his crucifixion. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Salavtion comes to those who acknowledge this. |
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