A Mixed Multitude

Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, which began in 9:51, is now reaching its final stage, and the tension mounts. Jesus, resolute in 9:51, goes on ahead. He knows what awaits him in Jerusalem.

For the last section of the journey, Jesus rides on a donkey. This is significant, and the Pharisees would not have missed the point. Up until now, Jesus has always travelled on foot. Now he enters the city like a king, just as the prophet Zechariah had said he would (Zechariah 9:9). But not a triumphant king, who would have ridden a horse. Jesus rode a donkey, lowly, as the prophet had foreseen. His kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world.

The crowd welcomes him with shouts of "Hosanna!," which originally meant "Save us now" (see Psalm 118:25-26). No doubt there were all sorts of people in the crowd. Thousands would have come to Jerusalem for the Passover. Some would have been present as Jesus had performed miracles in Capernaum, further north. Some might have thought that he was coming to wrest political power from the rule of the Romans. Perhaps there were some who understood what was really going on.

The religious elites were stubbornly blind. For them, the time was up (v. 42). If only they had understood! Jesus was not coming to overthrow the Romans. If only they knew the fragility of political power! A generation later, the Romans would overthrow Jerusalem and destroy the temple. It brought Jesus to tears.

Feel the emotion as you read these verses. Feel the tension. Who is this Jesus?

Respond in Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to be a thoughtful disciple, not one just following the crowd. Open my eyes to understand what was going on then, and what is going on now. I pray that I may follow you with all my heart. Amen.

Annabel Robinson

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®).