The Triumphal entry

Karine Chan

Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He told two of His disciples to go into the village ahead. He said they would find a young colt that they should untie and bring back. Jesus told them that if anyone asked them why they were untying it, they should answer, “The Lord needs it.”

Jesus told the two men to do this to fulfill an Old Testament prophecy (a word of God to a group of people). In the Old Testament it was written: “See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and riding on a colt.”

The disciples obeyed Jesus and found everything just as He said. They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their coats on the colt’s back. Jesus climbed on and began to ride toward Jerusalem.

As He rode along, many people who heard that Jesus was coming went out to meet Him. They spread their coats on the road. Some people also took branches of palm trees, spread them on the road, and began to praise Jesus, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Have you ever been to a parade? Depending on the type of parade, there may be marching bands, colorful floats, grand marshals, beauty pageant winners, and animals like horses. Parades are times of celebration. Sometimes parades focus on a certain holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving. Other times a parade may honor a person or group of people or an annual local festival or event. They are joyous, festive times to come together.

Jesus, the King of the World, entered Jerusalem riding on a lowly colt. People spread their coats and palm branches on the road. There were shouts of “Hosanna!” as Jesus rode past the people. It wasn’t the welcome you would expect for a king, but it was the perfect welcome for THE King.

Many years before Jesus came to earth, God spoke to men and told them to tell people of things to come. These were called prophecies. One prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9 tells of how Jesus would enter Jerusalem. The Bible tells us He would come gently, riding on a colt. Just as Zechariah foretold, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a colt. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy.

Jesus fulfilled many other Old Testament prophecies. Here are just a few you can look up in your Bible: Micah 5:2, Isaiah 7:14, Genesis 49:10, Isaiah 11:1, Isaiah 53:7, and Zechariah 12:10.

Jesus is God’s Son. When Jesus entered Jerusalem that week, He knew what was coming. He knew He would soon die on a cross, be buried, and then rise again three days later. Through the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, we can know that Jesus is the Messiah, the One who came to save us from our sins through His death on the cross.

Questions:

1. What did Jesus ask His disciples to do for Him before He entered Jerusalem?

2. How was the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 fulfilled as Jesus entered Jerusalem?

3. How did the people respond to Jesus as He passed by them riding on the colt?

Pray: God, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to earth. Thank You that He was the fulfillment of Your promises to save the world. Because Jesus died and rose again, we have the hope of eternity in heaven with You. Amen.