Read Mark 11:1-11
THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY
This was Sunday of the week that Jesus would be crucified, and the great Passover festival was about to begin. Jews came to Jerusalem from all over the Roman world during this week-long celebration to remember the great exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12). Many in the crowds had heard of or seen Jesus and were hoping He would come to the Temple (John 11:55-57).
Jesus did come, not as a warring king on a horse or in a chariot, but as a gentle, peaceable king on a donkey’s colt, just as Zechariah 9:9 had predicted. Jesus knew that those who would hear Him teach at the Temple would return to their homes throughout the world and announce the coming of the Messiah.
The people exclaimed “Hosanna,” literally meaning “to save us,” because they recognized that Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, and probably they were still looking for Jesus to save them from the Roman government. They did not realize that in shouting out “Save us,” was what Jesus was riding into Jerusalem to do: to die on a cross and save them from their sins. They spoke of David’s kingdom because of God’s words to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-14. The crowd correctly saw Jesus as the fulfillment of these prophecies, but they did not understand where Jesus’ kingship would lead Him. This same crowd cried, “Crucify Him!” when Jesus stood trial only a few days later.