CV.
JESUS' TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.
(From Bethany to Jerusalem and back, Sunday, April 2, A. D. 30.)
aMATT. XXI. 1-12, 14-17; bMARK
XI. 1-11; cLUKE XIX. 29-44; dJOHN
XII. 12-19.
c29 And
d12 On the morrow [after the feast in the house of Simon
the leper] cit came to pass, when he he drew nigh unto Bethphage
and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet,
a1 And when they came nigh unto [572] Jerusalem,
and came unto Bethphage unto {bat} athe mount of
Olives [The name, Bethphage, is said to mean house of figs,
but the derivation is disputed. Canon Cook and others think that the region
on the eastern slope of Olivet was called Bethphage, and that Bethany was
located in it. If it was a village, all trace of it has long since vanished,
and it is not worth while to give the guesses and surmises of commentators
as to its location. But it was evidently near Bethany], then
Jesus sent {bsendeth} two of his {cthe} disciples,
b2 and saith {a2 saying} unto them, cGo
your way into the village [probably Bethphage, for Jesus started from
Bethany] athat is over against you, band straightway
as ye enter into it, aye shall find an ass tied, and a colt
btied, awith her: bwhereon no man ever
sat; loose him, {athem,} band bring him. {athem}
unto me. [Numerous Scripture references show that the ass was held
in high estimation in the East. The sons of the judges used them, and David's
mule was used at the coronation of Solomon (Judg. x. 4; I. Kings i. 33).
It is specifically stated that no man had ever sat upon this colt, for
if the colt had been used by men it would have been unfit for sacred purposes--Num.
xix. 2; Deut. xxi. 3; I. Sam. vi. 7.]
3 And if any one say aught unto you,
31; cAnd if any one ask you, {bsay unto you,} Why
do ye this? cWhy do ye loose him? thus shall ye say, The Lord
hath need of him. {athem;} band straightway he will
send him. {athem.} bback hither. [The owner of
the ass was no doubt a disciple or well-wisher of Jesus, and therefore
readily consented to respond to the Master's need. Such a well-wisher might
readily be found in a multitude ready to lay their garments in the road
to honor Christ. The words "send him back" are usually construed to be
a promise on the part of Christ that he would return the colt when through
with him. But such a promise seems rather out of keeping with the dignity
of the occasion. We prefer to construe the words as referring to the movements
of Christ's two messengers from the neighborhood of Bethany to Bethphage
and back again, or to a backward [573] movement
along the caravan's line of march.]
a4 Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken through the prophet, saying,
5 Tell ye the daughter of Zion [the poetical name for the city of Jerusalem],
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, And
upon a colt the foal of an ass. [The prophecy is a combination of Isa.
lxii. 11 and Zech. ix. 9. This is the only instance in which Jesus rode.
He entered in meekness, for the ass was a symbol of peace as the horse
was of war (Job xxxix. 19-25), but there was nothing degrading about riding
such a beast. The Eastern ass is smaller, but livelier, and better framed
than the specimens found in our country. They constituted a chief asset
in the property of the wealthy--Gen. xii. 16; xxx. 43; Job xlii. 12; I.
Chron. xxvii. 30; I. Kings i. 38.]
6 And the disciples {cthey} that were sent away, aand
did even as Jesus appointed them, cand found even as he had
said unto them ba colt tied at the door without in the open
street [the streets being narrow, one would very seldom see an ass
tied in one]; and they loose him.
c33 And as they were loosing the colt, bcertain of
them that stood there cthe owners thereof said unto them, Why
loose ye the colt? bWhat do ye, loosing the colt?
6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had said: and they let them go.
7 And they bring {abrought} the ass, and the colt, {chim}
bunto Jesus, aand put on them their garments
[The garments were the loose cloaks worn over the tunics or shirts. This
cloak survives in the abba or hyke of the modern Arab. The unbroken colt
would of course have no saddle, and these loyal disciples lent their cloaks
to supply the deficiency, and to do Jesus royal honor. Compare the enthronement
of Jehu (II. Kings ix. 13). They prepared both beasts, not knowing which
he would choose to ride]; cand they threw {bcast}
ctheir garments upon the colt, and set Jesus thereon. aand
he sat thereon. {bupon him.} da great multitude that
had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to [574] Jerusalem,
13 took the branches of the palm trees, and went forth to meet him
[Palm-trees were never abundant in Palestine, but there were many around
Jericho, through which city these Galilean pilgrims had so recently come.
They were date palms, the leaves of which were often ten feet in length.
They are now comparatively rare, but are found in the plains of Philistia.
The palm branch is emblematic of triumph and victory--Lev. xxiii. 40; Rev.
vii. 9; I. Macc. xiii. 51; II. Macc. x. 7], and cried out, Hosanna:
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, even the King
of Israel [The shouting appears to have been started by those who came
out of Jerusalem; it is evident, therefore, that the apostles who were
approaching the city with Jesus had nothing to do with inciting this praise.]
14 And Jesus having found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
15 Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's
colt. 16 These things understood not
his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered
they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these
things unto him. [The apostles were not conscious that the prophecies
were being fulfilled nor did they understand that Jesus was approaching
a heavenly rather than an earthly coronation. But after Jesus was glorified,
their understandings were spiritually illuminated (John xvi. 13). They
not only remembered the prophecy, but saw in what sense it was that Jesus
was king, and how badly mistaken they had been when they expected him to
antagonize the Romans. The greatness of her king would have removed all
cause for fear if Jerusalem had but accepted him.]
17 The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out
of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, bare witness. [The two parts
of the miracle--the calling and the raising--are both mentioned as alike
impressive, sublime, and wonderful.]
18 For this cause also the multitude went and met him, for that they heard
that he had done this sign. [It is evident from this that the testimony
of those who [575] witnessed the raising of
Lazarus had enthused the pilgrims in Jerusalem and had sent a large band
of them forth charged with that ardent admiration which produced the shouting
of the triumphal entry.] 19 The Pharisees
therefore said among themselves, Behold how ye prevail nothing: lo, the
world is gone after him. [Again, as at John xi. 47-49, we notice the
self-confessed impotency of the Pharisees, but the Sadducees, under the
determined and more resolute leadership of Caiaphas, did not participate
in this despair. The Pharisees speak of the world as if its acquisition
by Jesus was their loss.]
c36 And as he went, athe most part of the multitude
{bmany} [Matthew would have us know that the demonstration
was no small affair, but was well-nigh universal. Josephus estimates that
the number present at one passover was three million, or about one-half
the population of Judæa and Galilee. The language of the Pharisees
in verse 19 above--"the world"--shows that there
must have been indeed an immense multitude. The people had always been
ready to acknowledge Jesus as king, and, seeing that he had now an evident
disposition to accept their homage, they hastened to render it] spread
their garments {ain} bthe way; and others aspread
bbranches, ain the way. bwhich they {acut}
bhad cut from the fields. {atrees,} [It has been
the custom of all lands to bestrew in some manner the pathway of those
who are thought worthy of the highest honor. When Lafayette visited our
fathers after the Revolution, the roads over which he approached our cities
were strewn with flowers. Thus over flowers Alexander entered Babylon,
and Xerxes crossed the bridge of the Hellespont over a myrtle-strewn pathway.
Monier tells of a Persian ruler who in modern times made his honored progress
over a road for three miles covered with roses. But it is more natural
to contrast the entry of Jesus with the Roman triumphs so popular in that
day. The wealth of conquered kingdoms was expended to insure their magnificence.
We find none of that tinsel and specious glitter in the triumph of Christ.
No hired multitudes applaud him; no gold-broidered banners [576] wave
in his honor. There is nothing here but the lusty, honest shout of the
common people, and the swaying of the God-made banners of the royal palms.
The rich in purse, the learned in schoolcraft and the high in office were,
as usual, not there--I. Cor. i. 26.]
c37 And as he was now drawing nigh, even at the descent
of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice
and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had
seen [John has shown us just above that the raising of Lazarus was
most prominent in their thoughts];
a9 The multitudes that went before him, and that followed
[Jesus approached the city leading a multitude of pilgrims, and we have
seen from John's account above that another multitude came out of the city
to meet him: Jesus approached the city between two great multitudes.] cried,
saying, bHosanna [This is the Greek form or spelling of
two Hebrew words, Hoshiah-na, which means, Save now, or, Save, I pray,
na being a particle of entreaty added to imperatives. The two words are
taken from Ps. cxviii. 25, which was recognized as the Messianic Psalm.
The shout "Hosanna" was customarily used at the feast of the tabernacles
and the other festivals. It was a shout of exaltation about equivalent
to "Salvation"]; aHosanna to the Son of David
[see p. 357]:blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord [Ps. cxviii. 26];
cblessed is the King that cometh in the name of the
Lord: b10 blessed is
the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father David: cpeace
in heaven, and glory in the highest. aHosanna in the highest.
[This phrase is taken to mean in the highest degree or highest strains
or in the highest heavens. It is likely they were calling upon heaven to
participate in glorifying and to ratify their shouts of salvation. The
Evangelists give us the various cries of the multitude, for they did not
all cry one thing. The cries, if seriously construed, were a fore-recognition
of the Messiahship of Jesus, but popular cries are soon caught up and are
as fickle as the impulses which beget them. But the public recognition
of the Messiahship of Jesus gave [577] weight
to the accusation made by Simon Peter on the day of Pentecost that they
had slain the Messiah--Acts ii. 36. Comp. Acts iii. 14, 15.]
c39 And some of the Pharisees from the multitude [not a
committee sent from Jerusalem for that purpose] said unto him, Teacher,
rebuke thy disciples. [It is possible that these may have been moved
with an honest fear that the enthusiasm of the people would call down the
vengeance of the Romans (John xi. 48), but it is more likely that they
were prompted solely by envy.] 40
And he answered and said, I tell you that, if these shall hold their peace,
the stones will cry out. [The expression is probably proverbial (Hab.
ii. 11). The meaning is that the occasion of the great King's visit to
his city (Matt. v. 35) was so momentous that, if man withheld his praise,
inanimate nature would lend its acclamations.]
41 And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it,
42 saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which
belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. [The summit
of Olivet is two hundred feet higher than the nearest part of the city
of Jerusalem and a hundred feet higher than its farthest part, so that
the Lord looked upon the whole of it as one looks upon an open book. As
he looked upon it he realized the difference between what his coming might
mean to it and what it did mean to it; between the love and gratitude which
his coming should have incited and the hatred and violence which it did
incite; between the forgiveness, blessing and peace which he desired to
bring it and the judgment, wrath and destruction which were coming upon
it. The vision of it all excited strong emotion, and the verb used does
not indicate silent tears, but audible sobbing and lamentation. The day
then passing was among the last before the crucifixion, which would present
to the Jews a strong motive for repentance. Had Jerusalem hearkened unto
Jesus then, he would have saved her from that self-exaltation which proved
her ruin. But bigotry and prejudice blinded her eyes.]
43 For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up
a bank about thee, and compass thee round, [578] and
keep thee in on every side. [from where Jesus then stood he could see
the houses which were to be thrown down, he could locate the embankments
which would be built, and he could trace almost every foot of the line
of the wall by which Titus in his anger girdled the city when his embankments
were burned--Jos. Wars V. 6. 2, 11. 4-6, 12. 1, 2],
44 and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee
[the city is figuratively spoken of as a mother, and her citizens as her
children]; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another;
because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. [The term "visitation"
usually refers to a season of judgment, but here, as elsewhere also (Ex.
iv. 31), it means a season of grace. To not leave one stone upon another
is a proverbial expression descriptive of a complete demotion, but in the
overthrow of Jerusalem it was well-nigh literally fulfilled. Thus, while
the people rejoiced in the present triumph, the prophetic eye and ear of
our Lord beheld the judgments which were coming upon the city, heard the
bitter cry of the starved defenders during the siege, the screams of the
crucified left to perish upon their crosses after its capture, all ending
in the final silence of desolation when not one stone was left upon another.]
b11 And he entered into Jerusalem [his route led him down
the steep face of Olivet, past Gethsemane, across the stone bridge which
spans the Kedron, and up the slope of Moriah to the eastern gate of the
city], a10 And when he was come
into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this?
11 And the multitude said, This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of
Galilee. 12 And Jesus entered into the
temple of God [here Matthew tells of the cleansing of the temple, which
evidently occurred the next day], 14 And
the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that
he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna
to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,
16 and said unto him, Hearest thou what [579] these
say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; did ye never read [Ps. viii. 2
as rendered by the LXX.], Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
thou hast perfected praise? [Matthew mingles this scene with events
which apparently occurred on Monday, but the enthusiasm and the Hosanna
cry evidently belonged to the triumphant Sunday. The presence of our Lord
in the temple should, indeed, have been heralded with joy, for as that
was the day in which the paschal lamb was presented and set apart, it was
fitting that Christ our passover should be presented there amidst rejoicing.]
band when he had looked round about upon all things, it being
now eventide. [a general expression covering the period both before
and after sunset],ahe left them, and
went forth out of the city bunto Bethany with the twelve aand
lodged there. [Having inspected the temple as his Father's house, Jesus
withdrew from it, for in the present state of rancor which fermented within
his enemies it was not safe for him to spend the night within Jerusalem.]
[FFG 572-580]
