MATTHEW 21:1–17, JESUS’ TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM
HOSANNA AND HOLINESS: THE KING WHO SAVES AND PURIFIES
Introduction
Each year on Palm Sunday, the Church relives Jesus’ solemn entry into Jerusalem, the final public revelation of His messianic identity before His Passion. The crowd welcomes Him with branches and acclamations, unknowingly receiving the true Paschal Lamb whom God sends to replace the old sacrifices of the Temple. Their cry, “Hosanna—save us now,” becomes the prayer Jesus will answer through His Passion, death, and Resurrection. Yet the same entry that fills the streets with praise leads Jesus into the Temple, where He confronts corruption, exploitation, and desecration. The King who comes in peace also comes in holiness. His one-man cleansing of the Temple shocks the authorities and hardens their resolve to destroy Him. Palm Sunday thus holds together two realities: joyful welcome and urgent conversion.
Bible Passage (Matthew 21:1–17)
As Jesus and his disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.” This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: “Say to daughter Zion, ‘Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying in the temple area. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. He said to them, “It is written: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of thieves.” The blind and the lame approached him in the temple area, and he cured them. When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wondrous things he did and the children crying out in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant and said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read this: ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have brought forth praise’?” And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany, and there he spent the night.
Background
Matthew presents this entry as the fulfillment of prophecy: the King comes “meek,” riding confirming Zechariah’s vision of a peaceful, humble Messiah rather than a warrior king. The Mount of Olives is charged with expectation in Jewish hope, associated with God’s saving intervention. Jesus’ entry also connects to Passover: Jerusalem is crowded with pilgrims, sacrifice is in the air, and the Temple is the heart of Israel’s worship. Yet Jesus immediately reveals that His mission is not to preserve a system corrupted by exploitation, but to restore true worship. The cleansing of the Temple recalls prophetic denunciations of empty religion and injustice and signals that Jesus’ sacrifice will inaugurate a new and definitive covenant.
Opening Life Connection
Many people welcome Jesus with enthusiasm when life is peaceful, but struggle when His presence calls for change. We can say “Hosanna” with our lips yet resist conversion in our habits, choices, and priorities. We may also feel disturbed when Jesus confronts what is comfortable but unholy. This Gospel is deeply personal: it asks whether we want Jesus only as a comforting Savior—or also as the Lord who purifies our hearts and reorders our lives. True Palm Sunday faith welcomes both His mercy and His cleansing.
Verse-by-Verse / Phrase-by-Phrase Reflection
“They drew near Jerusalem… on the Mount of Olives”
Jesus approaches the city where He will suffer and be glorified. The Mount of Olives becomes the threshold between welcome and rejection, praise and Passion.
“Jesus sent two disciples”
The entry is not accidental; Jesus directs it. He chooses how He will reveal His kingship—through humility, not force.
“You will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her”
The animals are ordinary, not regal. Jesus claims kingship by lowering Himself, showing that God’s power is gentle and saving.
“This happened… to be fulfilled”
Matthew emphasizes fulfillment: Jesus is not improvising a symbolic gesture; He is completing God’s long-promised plan.
“Your king comes to you, meek”
Meekness is not weakness. It is strength under control, a love that refuses violence, a kingship rooted in peace and truth.
“The very large crowd… spread their cloaks… cut branches”
Cloaks and branches become signs of honor. The people publicly proclaim that Jesus is worthy of the royal welcome.
“Hosanna to the Son of David”
The crowd invokes a messianic title. They cry, “Save us now,” acknowledging Jesus as the promised heir of David.
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”
The words of Psalm 118 become a living proclamation. Jesus enters not by His own ambition, but as the One sent by the Father.
“The whole city was shaken”
Jerusalem is disturbed because Jesus forces a decision. No one can remain neutral when the true King arrives.
“Jesus entered the temple area and drove out… buying and selling”
The King goes straight to the heart of worship. He refuses a religion that permits exploitation, noise, and injustice under the cover of sacred routine.
“My house shall be a house of prayer”
Jesus reveals God’s intention: the Temple exists for communion with God. Prayer, not profit, belongs at the center.
“But you are making it a den of thieves”
This is not merely commerce; it is corruption. The Temple has become a hiding place for injustice, not a refuge for holiness.
“The blind and the lame… he cured them”
Once the Temple is purified, mercy flows. The place of worship becomes again a place of healing. Jesus restores dignity to the excluded.
“The children crying out… Hosanna”
The simplest voices proclaim the deepest truth. Children recognize what proud hearts resist: the King is here.
“Out of the mouths of infants… you have brought forth praise”
Jesus defends the children by Scripture, showing that God Himself delights in the praise of the little ones.
“He went out… to Bethany”
Jesus withdraws to a place of friendship and rest. Bethany becomes a refuge of love in contrast to the hostility of the city.
Jewish Historical and Religious Context
During Passover, Jerusalem overflowed with pilgrims, and Temple worship intensified. Sacrificial animals and money exchange were practical needs, but the Court of the Gentiles—meant to be a space of prayer—had been turned into a marketplace, often marked by exploitation. Jesus’ prophetic action resembles the tradition of reformers who defended the holiness of worship, and it echoes the prophets who condemned injustice mixed with religion. The cry “Hosanna” came from Israel’s liturgical prayer life, and the title “Son of David” expressed messianic hope. By receiving these acclamations and cleansing the Temple, Jesus reveals Himself as Messiah and as the Lord of the Temple.
Catholic Tradition and Teaching
Palm Sunday opens Holy Week, where the Church contemplates the mystery of salvation: Christ the King reigns from the Cross. Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple also illuminates Christian identity: through Baptism and the Holy Spirit, believers become temples of God, called to purity of heart and integrity of worship. True religion must never be reduced to external rituals while the heart remains divided. Jesus invites the Church to safeguard holiness, defend the poor, and ensure that worship remains prayerful, reverent, and free from exploitation.
Historical or Saintly Illustration
Saint Francis of Assisi loved the Eucharist and insisted on reverence for churches and sacred vessels. He warned against treating holy things casually and urged believers to honor Christ’s presence with purity and humility. His life reflects both sides of this Gospel: joyful praise of Jesus and zealous concern for holiness in God’s house.
Application to Christian Life Today
This Gospel calls believers to welcome Jesus not only with celebration but with surrender. Palm branches in our hands must become obedience in our lives. It also challenges the Church to protect the dignity of worship and the vulnerable: faith must never become a cover for injustice, greed, or spiritual manipulation. In families, it invites parents to nurture children’s faith, since children can become powerful witnesses of simple devotion. Personally, it asks each of us: what must Jesus overturn in my heart—resentment, dishonesty, impurity, pride, indifference—so that my life becomes a true house of prayer?
Eucharistic Connection
Jesus enters His Temple to restore true worship, and in the Eucharist He establishes the perfect worship: His own sacrifice offered to the Father. At Mass, we proclaim “Hosanna” and “Blessed is he who comes,” welcoming Christ not only into Jerusalem but into our hearts. The Eucharist also purifies us: Christ comes to cleanse His living temples so that we may worship in spirit and truth and live what we receive.
Messages / Call to Conversion
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Welcome Jesus as King with sincere “Hosanna,” not only in words but in obedience of life.
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Let Christ cleanse your heart as His temple, driving out whatever corrupts prayer and holiness.
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Refuse any form of exploitation, injustice, or hypocrisy that hides behind religion.
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Make room for the “little ones”—especially children and the vulnerable—who teach us pure faith and praise.
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Enter Holy Week with commitment: follow the King from palms to the Cross, trusting that His sacrifice will save and renew you.
Outline for Preachers
• Context: Palm Sunday, Passover, and Jesus’ final approach to Jerusalem
• Life connection: welcoming Jesus while resisting His call to change
• Key phrases: “Hosanna,” “Son of David,” “house of prayer,” “den of thieves”
• Jewish Passover setting and messianic expectations
• Temple worship, Court of Gentiles, and the meaning of Jesus’ cleansing
• Catholic teaching: Christ the King, Holy Week, and the believer as God’s temple
• Saintly illustration: reverence, purity of worship, and love for Christ
• Application: personal purification, reverent worship, justice, and care for the vulnerable
• Eucharistic connection: “Blessed is he who comes” and Christ’s perfect sacrifice
• Key messages and call to conversion
