A Peaceful Triumph

As we’ve just completed our annual celebration/observance of the events of Holy Week (Palm Sunday, The Last Supper, The Crucifixion and the The Resurrection) I’m struck with how easy it is to simply “go through the motions” of observance, and in so doing to run the risk of missing the plethora of significant revelations and insights into the heart of God, the ministry of Jesus, and the purpose of the Cross and Resurrection.

Take, for instance, the Triumphal Entry of Jesus on Palm Sunday.  Mark 11 chronicles the disciples’ task of locating and requisitioning the donkey (or colt specifically), and then the peaceful procession of the Jews laying out their cloaks and palm branches for Jesus’ entry as they called out “Hosanna in the highest!”

If we skim right over these events, we can miss the depth of meaning and significance, and even find ourselves criticizing the Jews for turning so quickly on Jesus and crucifying Him just a few days later.  Why would they do that?  

But there are other questions worth asking about this text.  Why did Jesus ride in on the foal of a donkey rather than on a horse?  Why didn’t the Romans intervene?  Were the Jews simply praising Jesus, or were they asking for something?  And of course, why did the Jews change their minds and decide to crucify Jesus later that week?

Let’s start with the donkey.

Middle eastern officials often rode donkeys for civil, not military processions.  Notably, and perhaps of most significance to the Jews present was that Solomon himself rode on King David’s donkey as a part of his coronation ceremony in 1 Kings 1.  It’s entirely possible that the crowds were thinking of this as Jesus’ coronation procession, after which He would rise up and declare His kingly right – to declare war on the Romans and take back the Promised Land in military might.

Already this insight serves to answer the second question.  Why didn’t the Romans intervene?  There could be a few answers.  Perhaps the European/Roman culture didn’t utilize donkeys in the same way as the middle eastern cultures did.  Kings were often displayed and paraded on horses, and this would have been immediately recognized as a royal, if not militant claim.  But even if donkeys were used in these same sorts of civil processions, it’s almost certain that the Romans didn’t know the history of Solomon’s coronation, and so they didn’t perceive any threat from this curious display.

But Jesus wasn’t just riding on a donkey, He was riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  This was another somewhat common custom when “unspoiled” animals would be set aside for a specific or even “holy” purpose.  And of course the younger animal would also symbolize less aggression – i.e. peace and humility.

This was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9, which goes on to explain/promise the dominion of this savior king to be expansive, and to usher in a reign of unprecedented peace. 

Next let’s look at “hosanna” and “son of David” (which several of the gospel accounts include).

“Hosanna” simply means “O Save.”  The people were looking for a deliverer – a messiah that would save them.  And “Son of David” was a recognition of Jesus’ royal lineage.  The people were primarily quoting from Psalm 118.  Psalms 113-118 compose the “Hallel,” which was sung regularly during the Passover season, so this would’ve been fresh in everyone’s mind.  The Hallel is quoted/sung about the (future) redemption for which the people hoped.  In Psalm 118 in particular (the section where “O Save” shows up), the Psalmist is making the salvation request to the Lord.  And so it is interesting that the crowds were announcing Jesus’ claim to royalty as a son of David while also quoting a Psalm that referred to God.  Perhaps they were beginning to believe that God really had taken on flesh to dwell among them.

“Hosanna in the highest” also conjures a peculiar image – “O save in the highest.”  It could be emphasizing the reference to Lordship as just mentioned above, or perhaps “in the highest” was meant in the sense of “save us utterly and completely from our oppressors.”  But what if the words were right and it was the intention that was wrong?  What if “in the highest” was referring to a salvation in the highest places – a salvation in the part of us that is the most unique and the most like God – that is, a salvation of our spirit?

It is fascinating that Jesus neither rebukes the crowds nor the words they use, even though it seems clear that they misunderstood the nature of salvation and the very ministry and mission of Jesus.

So then, why did the crowds turn on Jesus shortly after the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday? 

A couple of insights may prove helpful here.  First is what Jesus did immediately after arriving in Jerusalem.  Both Matthew and Luke record the account of Jesus entering the Temple courts and driving out the money changers and merchants.

To understand this event, we have to first understand that this version of the Temple was referred to as Herod’s Temple.  The original temple, commissioned by Solomon, had effectively a single court and every Israelite and Gentile would have equal access.  Only the priests operated and maintained the interior of the temple, including the holy of holies, but outside of that there was no hierarchy or separation.  This temple was destroyed, and years later Zerubbabel and others rebuilt the temple in a similar fashion.  Centuries later, Herod wished to leave his architectural mark on the temple by renovating it and expanding the courts.  Unfortunately, Herod did what the Jews had been hoping, which was to introduce a system of hierarchy to temple worship, making it more difficult for most people to approach the temple and to pray/worship peacefully.  Where there used to be a single mixed court, now there was the Jewish/Israelite court (nearest to the temple) followed by the court of women (effectively second class citizens) and lastly the court of the gentiles (effectively third class citizens).  Beyond the walls of the courts then was the marketplace, where money changers and merchants would conduct their business.  

The Jews had largely always viewed themselves as God’s chosen people, and had come to idolize their national identity to the extent that they didn’t even want to worship along side of gentiles or women.  So this very layout of Herod’s design only served to reinforce the idea of a temple hierarchy that comes about from the will of man, rather than from the will of God.

To top it all off, adding insult to injury, money changers and merchants had been invited into the court of the gentiles to conduct their business, but their business should have been conducted out in the marketplace.  The noisy and distracting hustle and bustle would not have affected the Jewish men or even the Jewish women, but it would’ve been incredibly troublesome to the gentiles who were in Jerusalem seeking to worship God at the temple.  All of a sudden, Jesus’ display makes much more sense because He was attempting to remind the people of the purpose and original design of the temple.  This was meant to be a house of prayer for all people, not a way to assert moral or nationalistic dominance, not a way to separate people from God.

In short, Jesus’ message rebelled against the idolatrous nationalism of the day.  His message was that we all have the same access to God, and even salvation (of the soul) will be for all people – not just the nation of Israel.

So this is the first helpful insight.  The second helpful insight comes from Zechariah 9:9-10.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of the donkey.  I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow of war will be cut off.  And He will speak peace to the nations; and His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Chariots, horses and bows were images of warfare and violence, but here in this prophetic text we see that Israel’s king will be peaceful.  The weapons and implements of warfare will be cut off – that is, they will not be the methods utilized by the king.  Salvation does not come with war, but with peace.  And He – their king – will speak peace to the nations, not just to the Jews.

And so we get the picture that the crowds on that Palm Sunday were largely filled with people who were doing their best to disregard the Law and the Prophets and the clear guidance these offered in regards to their coming savior.  They instead were preferring a sort of pax romana – the “peace” of Rome, which comes about by violently obliterating all opposition.  They preferred to replicate the folly of darkness rather than to walk as children of the light.

So may we learn from their mistakes.  But more importantly may we learn from our Lord and His peaceful triumph.  This triumph, as Paul noted to the Ephesians, is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.