Zechariah 9:9

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

The day we have decided to call “Palm Sunday” is the day that Jesus entered into Jerusalem during the time of the Passover, before His arrest and crucifixion. Jesus did this to fulfill the prophesy of Zechariah 9:9.

Mark 11:1-11 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. 4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. 5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? 6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. 8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawedthem in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: 10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

According to tradition and culture the donkey was considered an animal of peace, while the horse was considered an animal of war. – Jesus came to bring peace through the blood of  His cross. –  Colossians 1:20

Maybe this symbolism is why the donkey is the only animal in the world to have a cross on it’s back.

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6 He is humble – Matthew 11:28-30

According to Tradition: Palm branches represent victory of the spirit over the flesh. Spreading garments and palm branches was a customary way for the subjects of a king to honor him. Hosanna is a word used in recognition of a rescuer or savior. They took this from Psalm 118:25-26. Hosanna can be heard in 2 ways: “save us, please”. And “salvation, thank you”.  It’s clear that these people knew the scriptures and connected Jesus to those scriptures when they saw Him coming. I believe theytruly recognized Him as Savior and King. But did they really understand what was happening? Probably not. They connected this coming King and Savior as someone who would bring peace by freeing them from Roman rule. But we know that Jesus came to bring peace between us and God through sacrifice… Prophesy fulfilled!

But I want us to notice something in verse 11>

11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. 

During Jesus’ entry, the “regular” people knew Him. He was recognized. There was celebration. It was like a parade. But when He came to the temple the big party had turned into a non-event. He wasn’t noticed. He wasn’t recognized. He wasn’t acknowledged. According to the word, He came and looked around to see what was going on. Then He left.

Why is that?

I think the religious leaders of the day, were not waiting for a savior. The were not watching for Him. We can be sure they knew who Jesus was, but we can also be sure they were never going to recognize Him for who He truly is.

If there was ever a time, it’s  now. Let’s look and listen. Let’s wait and watch for the Savior together. Let’s know Him when we see Him. And let’s rejoice because He is here with us and we know Him for who He is: The King of kings and the Lord of lords.