Holy Week
Palm Sunday: Matthew 21: 1-17
JESUS' TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM
INTRODUCTION
Every year we celebrate the Palm Sunday
remembering Jesus’ ceremonial entry into the Temple of Jerusalem before
his self-sacrifice. The people welcomed the perfect “lamb” that God sent
to replace the animal sacrifices in the Temple. Jesus answered through
his passion, death, and resurrection, the traditional “Hosanna” appeal
of the people to God for their salvation. The peace-loving and
compassionate Jesus became furious when he saw the sacrilege and
exploitation in the Temple. His one-man protest shocked the authorities
that ignited their revenge against him and speeded up his crucifixion.
BIBLE TEXT
The Entry into
Jerusalem
(Matthew 21:1) When
they drew near Jerusalem and arrived at Bethphage, on the mount of
Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, (2) saying, “Go to the village
in front of you, and as soon as you enter, you will find there a donkey
tied up with its colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. (3) If
anyone says something to you, say: ‘The Lord needs them, and he will
send them back immediately.’” (4) This happened to fulfill what the
prophet had said: (5) Say to the daughter of Zion: See, your king comes
to you in all simplicity, riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of
a beast of burden. (6) The disciples went and did as Jesus had
instructed them, (7) and they brought the donkey with its colt. Then
they threw their cloaks on its back, and Jesus mounted. (8) Many people
also spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut leafy branches
from the trees and spread them on the road. (9) The people who walked
ahead of Jesus and those who followed him began to shout: Hosanna to the
Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna,
praise to him in the highest heaven! (10) When Jesus entered Jerusalem,
all the city was disturbed. The people asked, “Who is this man?”
(11) And the crowd answered, “This is the Prophet Jesus, from Nazareth
in Galilee.”
The Cleansing of the Temple
(12) So Jesus went
into the Temple and drove out all who were buying and selling in the
Temple area. He overturned the tables of the money changers, and the
stools of those who sold pigeons. (13) And he said to them, “It is
written: My house will be called a house of prayer. But you have turned
it into a den of thieves.” (14) The blind and the lame also came to him
in the Temple, and he healed them. (15) The chief priests and the
teachers of the Law saw the wonderful things Jesus had just done, and
the children shouting in the Temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
(16) They became indignant and said to Jesus, “Do you hear what they
say?” Jesus answered them, “Yes. Have you never read this text: From the
mouths of children and infants you have ordained for yourself perfect
praise?” (17) So leaving them he went out of the city and came to
Bethany where he spent the night.
INTERPRETATION
(Matthew 21:1) When they drew near
Jerusalem and arrived at Bethphage, on the mount of Olives, Jesus sent
two of his disciples.
When they drew near Jerusalem
Arrived at Bethphage, on the mount of
Olives.
The passion and crucifixion of Jesus matched
with the Jewish Passover observance. It started with the sacrificial
lamb’s selection that should be free from all blemish. Jesus was the
perfect “lamb” without blemish from birth that God sent to offer as a
sacrifice for the atonement of all humanity. The Israelites selected the
sacrificial lamb on the tenth day of Nisan which according to Christian
calendar was on Sunday, April 2nd that year. The people
welcomed Jesus to the Temple that day as their redeemer. After Jesus
cleansed the Temple, the agitated priests confirmed the people’s
selection by their decision to kill him. The Israelites sacrificed the
pascal lamb on the 14th of Nisan. That was on Thursday, April 6th from
sunset to April 7th sunset that year. The crucifixion of Jesus was on
Friday, April 7th, before sunset.
Pilgrims brought the paschal lamb from
Bethphage and led to the Temple mount. People selected Jesus, the
perfect lamb of God, and led to the Temple for sacrifice along the same
route. When Pilate gave a choice, the people confirmed their selection
of Jesus for crucifixion, instead of the blemished Barabbas.
Jesus sent two of his disciples.
(2) … saying, “Go to the village in
front of you, and as soon as you enter, you will find there a donkey
tied up with its colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.”
Go to the village in front of you.
You will find there a donkey tied up
with its colt by her.
Scholars assume that Jesus used both donkey
and colt one after another. The Pharisees and Scribes enforced
burdensome rites and ceremonies of the law over the Jews like the donkey
that had to carry heavy loads. The colt which was wild and untamed, was
allegorical of the Gentiles. Christ used both donkey and its colt
symbolizing the Jews and the Gentiles and lead them to the heavenly
Jerusalem.
(3) “If anyone says something to you,
say: ‘The Lord needs them, and he will send them back immediately.’”
Jesus had pre-arranged the donkey with its
owner. So, the entry of Jesus on the donkey was Jesus’ pre-planned
activity, though others were unaware of it.
(4) This happened to fulfill what the
prophet had said: (5) Say to the daughter of Zion: See, your king comes
to you in all simplicity, riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of
a beast of burden.
This was Jesus’ first time use of animal ride
since he started his public ministry. He used the animals for his last
entry into Jerusalem not because he wanted them for his journey, but for
establishing his kingship as the fulfillment of the prophecy. Matthew
confirmed that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies
by quoting from Zachariah 9:9 combined with Isaiah 62:11. Prophets had
the practice of using symbolic actions to communicate a message to the
people in a non-verbal and memorable manner.
(6) The disciples went and did as Jesus
had instructed them.
The disciples were not aware of what Jesus
intended. They obeyed the order of their master. Mark gives more details
of this. “They went off and found the colt out in the street tied at the
door. As they were untying it, some bystanders asked, ‘Why are you
untying that colt?’ They answered as Jesus had told them, and the people
let them go.” (Mark 11: 4-6).
(7) And they brought the donkey with
its colt. Then they threw their cloaks on its back, and Jesus mounted.
According to Mark and Luke, Jesus rode on the
colt only. Matthew mentions the use of both colt and donkey to fulfill
the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. When there were two donkeys, one was for
ride, and the other was for carrying the luggage. It is not clear
whether Jesus rode on one after another or on the colt only.
Laid their cloaks over them
He sat upon them
(8) Many people also spread their
cloaks on the road, while others cut leafy branches from the trees and
spread them on the road.
When people wanted to make Jesus King of the
Jews because he had multiplied loaves of bread (John 6:15), Jesus had
declined it. People have been expecting that the Kingdom of God would
appear soon (Luke 19:11). Jesus received the welcome of the people when
the time came for him to reveal that he was the spiritual king of the
world and fulfillment the prophesies.
Many people
Spread their cloaks on the road.
Others cut leafy branches from the
trees and spread them on the road.
On the anniversary of the rededication of the
Temple after the Maccabean war, people used branches of trees with
leaves and palms to sing hymns of grateful praise to God (2 Mac. 10: 7).
Jesus was also on the way of purification of the Temple that the Jewish
leaders had profaned.
(9) The people who walked ahead of
Jesus and those who followed him began to shout: Hosanna to the Son of
David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna, praise
to him in the highest heaven!
The people who walked ahead of Jesus
and those who followed him.
There were several crowds following Jesus and
the crowds coming down from the Temple to meet and greet Jesus at Kidron
Valley. So, there was a superb view of Jesus in the middle of crowds
greeting him from two mountain tops, the Mount of Olives, and the Temple
Mount.
Hosanna
Hosanna is two
words combined: Hoshia-na means “save now.” It refers to Psalm 118 that
had been a liturgical hymn of the Feast of Tabernacle seeking God’s
salvation of humanity. Using palm branches was also the native Jew’s
acclamation of jubilation and their welcome to the pilgrims.
Hosanna to the Son of David
Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord.
Hosanna in the
highest.
(10) When Jesus entered Jerusalem, all
the city was disturbed. The people asked, “Who is this man?” (11) And
the crowd answered, “This is the Prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in
Galilee.”
All the city was disturbed.
This disturbance of Jerusalem corresponds to
a similar horror happened when the Magi visited King Herod searching for
the newborn King of Jews (Matthew 2:2-3). There was a life threat for
Jesus after that. Here also, life threat happened for Jesus after this
solemn entry in the Temple.
The people asked, “Who is this man?”
The Cleansing of the Temple
Jesus’ initiative to purify the Temple was
his unusual physical protest towards the Jewish authorities for defiling
the Temple. This reminds us of the Maccabean Revolt from 167 to 160 B.C.
led against the misuse of the Temple by Seleucid rulers and the corrupt
Jewish priests under the Hellenistic influence. Maccabees led rebellion
and guerrilla wars against the worship of Greek gods and won victory
over the Seleucid rulers and Hellenized Jews. The Maccabees entered
Jerusalem in triumph, cleansed the Temple, and reestablished the
traditional Jewish worship.
The cleansing of the Temple by Jesus was also
a revolt against the Jewish religious leaders who desecrated the Holy
Temple by allowing trade at the Court of the Gentiles and exploiting the
pilgrims. Like the priests during the Maccabean revolt were corrupt by
the bribery they gave to Seleucid rulers for their position, the clergy
during Jesus’ public ministry were corrupt and unjust by the bribery
they gave to the Roman authorities. They also received bribery from the
exploiting merchants in the Temple.
(12) So Jesus went into the Temple and
drove out all who were buying and selling in
the Temple area. He overturned the tables of the money changers, and
the stools of those who sold pigeons.
The temple area
Buying and selling
Leviticus chapters 1 to 7 describe various
offerings. Israelites offered five kinds of sacrifices: The burnt
offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and
the trespass offering. Pilgrims coming from faraway places found it
convenient to buy sacrificial animals somewhere near the Temple. They
were buying animals and birds for sacrifice and exchanging foreign
currency to the acceptable Temple money. Such business started in the
Temple area after the return of Jews from Babylonian captivity. By that
time, Israelites had gone worldwide and came to the Temple from Gentile
countries.
Money changers
Selling doves
He overturned the tables… and the seats.
(13) And he said to them, It is
written: My house will be called a house of prayer. But you have turned
it into a den of thieves.
Jesus justified his action by quoting from
Isaiah 56:7 and combined it with a phrase from Jeremiah 7:11. Jesus
claimed that the Temple was his house because he was the God incarnate.
Using the “den of thieves,” Jesus confirmed the prevalent exploitation.
His cleansing of the Temple corresponded to the cleansing of houses to
prepare for the Passover.
(14) The blind and the lame also came
to him in the Temple, and he healed them.
The blind and lame were coming for alms from
the worshippers. They had no permission to enter inside the Temple (2
Samuel 5:8). When they saw Jesus, they came after him for help. Even
during the serious action of cleaning the Temple, Jesus showed
compassion to the less fortunate. Instead of giving alms that he could
not afford and would not resolve the problems of the blind and the lame,
he healed them as a permanent solution. Jesus came to this world not
merely to resolve our temporary troubles, but to save us from eternal
damnation.
(15) The chief priests and
the teachers of the Law saw the wonderful
things Jesus had just done, and the children shouting in the Temple
area, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
The chief priests
The teachers of the Law
The wondrous things
Children
(16) They became indignant and said to
Jesus, “Do you hear what they say?” Jesus answered them, “Yes. Have you
never read this text: From the mouths of children and infants you have
ordained for yourself perfect praise?”
“Do you hear what they say?”
Have you never read the text…?
(17) So leaving them he went out of the
city and came to Bethany where he spent the night.
He went out of the city and came to
Bethany
MESSAGE
1. Every year, the people who gathered in
Jerusalem used to sing Hosanna that means “save us now.” God answered
that prayer by sending his Son for self-sacrifice as a ransom for us.
Pilgrims welcomed Jesus while the Jewish authorities rejected him. As we
imitate the pilgrims of Jerusalem welcoming Jesus holding palm leaves,
let us also invite Jesus to our lives.
2. Jesus cleansed the Temple because of the
unacceptable practices there. We, who have received the Holy Spirit
through the sacraments and received the precious body and blood of
Jesus, are now the temples of God. What would Jesus drive out from us if
he comes now to our lives?
3. Even during his serious action of
cleansing the Temple, Jesus cured the blind and the lame who came
seeking his help. Let us find time amidst our busy schedule to help
those who need our love and help.
4. Jesus always loved children and
appreciated their devotion to him. Let us facilitate our children coming
close to God through Jesus.
5. The Israelites welcoming Jesus into the
Temple of Jerusalem as their savior on the Tenth day of Nisan and the
High Priests deciding to kill him represented people’s selection of the
lamb on that same date for sacrifice on the day of Passover. While
welcoming Jesus as our Savior, let us also join him in offering
ourselves as sacrifice for God’s mission in our lives.
6. The second preparatory step of the Passover was cleaning the house and destroying all the leaven in the house. Leaven stood for sin. Jesus cleaned the Temple that was his house (Matthew 21:13) to prepare for his sacrifice for the Passover. We also need to clean ourselves from sin so we can offer our lives to God as a holy sacrifice.