Three times, during the final week prior to his crucifixion, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. The first time he reached Mount Olives, while coming from Jericho, and, as he descended the mount amid cries of “Hosanna to the Son of David,” the pilgrims in the city were moved and wondered, who this might be (Matthew 21:10-11). When Jesus saw the buying and selling in the Temple, he was moved with anger and cast all the businessmen and their clients out of the Temple compound, overturning their tables, sending them running for their coins, as they spilt onto the Temple floor. This scene would be repeated twice more in four days,[1] as Jesus admonished the Jewish authorities, saying they had changed his Father’s House of Prayer into a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46).
Mark and John record Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:12-19; John 12:12-19), the entry when the pilgrims came out of the city to greet him, laying their cloaks and palm branches before him, as was done earlier in Jewish history for the Simon Maccabees after he cleansed the Temple and cast the Syrian king out of the land[2]
Make no mistake, the Jewish pilgrims wanted Jesus crowned as King. Their shouts of Hosanna to the King of Israel! Hosanna to the Son of David (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9; John 12:13) were cries to their King to save them now, not from sin; that’s a modern concept. What they wanted Jesus to do was save them now from Roman oppression.[3] The Jews had no concept of a need to be saved from their sins; they had a sacrificial system in place for that sort of thing. They were expecting a king in royal robes, sitting on a throne in Jerusalem, a great general who would lead them from victory to victory over their enemies! No doubt, Pilate had recently entered the Antonia that was joined to Jerusalem, and he came in with full military display of armed men riding upon their war horses. In contrast, however, Jesus came into the city as an ambassador of peace riding upon a colt of an ass (Matthew 21:5; John 12:15; cp. Zechariah 9:9).
The Gospel of John records that the Greeks, vis-à-vis the pilgrim Jews of the Diaspora, wanted to see Jesus immediately after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem (John 12 :20-22). Nevertheless, they were disappointed in him (John 12:34),[4] because he spoke of his death (John 12:31-33), which was totally contrary to what they had been told, vis-à-vis the Messiah, when he would come, would never die. The Jewish Messiah could not be killed (cp. Matthew 16:21-22)!
What sort of King was Jesus, when he discouraged or alienated everyone who wished to support him? At least twice during his public ministry, he had the people eating out of the palm of his hands. He had their support. He could have taken the reigns of royal authority and reigned. Yet, not only did he refuse, but he alienated those who wished to make him king! Nevertheless, Jesus did speak of the Kingdom of God, but it was something within men’s hearts (Luke 17:21), not a reinstated throne of David within the city of Jerusalem.
Just when the people were ready to receive Jesus with great hope in his ability to rule, Jesus didn’t seem to be enough. His unwillingness disappoints. The people’s hopes are dashed, while Jesus offers to heal their spiritual blindness, their walk in the spirit, to raise them up from spiritual sleep and cleanse them from their spiritually leprous lives, saying that those among them, who aren’t offended in him, are blessed (Luke 7:20-23). What kind of King is this?
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[1] See my earlier study in the Gospel of John, The World Has Gone After Him!
[2] See 2Kings 9:13; 1Maccabees 13:51
[3] The term, Hosanna (G5614) means: oh save! Save now! Help now!
[4] Two years earlier during Jesus’ second Passover season, Jews of Galilee sought to make him king, but Jesus departed into a mountain to avoid it being done (John 6:15).
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