As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

Matthew 21:1 – 5

Jesus’ hour had come, his entrance into Jerusalem at the time of the Passover, the time to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God on the earth.  It was no longer a prediction but a current event, the Kingdom was being established.  Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem as the promised Messiah, the very Son of God.  Jerusalem, receive your King!!  Hold on.

His little group came over the brow of the hill above the Mount of Olives where the glistening dome of the newly built Temple shone in all its brilliance.  It was built by the Romans who occupied the Land.  The Jews loved it.  Even though they were not an independent nation they enjoyed much freedom within the bounds set by Rome.  The Temple dominated the Jerusalem skyline.

Then strange things happened, first, Jesus did not seek for a great war-horse upon which he would ride into the City, the way of all kings of the earth. What kind of a kingdom is he hoping to set up without an army, without soldiers, without shining weapons, without fanfare, without bugles blaring, announcing the appearance of the king?  So, it must have been a shock to the disciples to understand what was going on.

It was customary for a king to ride into the city in all his splendor and power, on a war-horse!  But he did not.  He told his disciples to go into the city and find a quite ordinary donkey that he could ride, legs dangling.  Who ever heard of a king entering the city like that?  No one would pay any attention to such a person. Was this not the King of kings, the Cocreator of the universe, the son of God?  Who would have guessed?

The disciples recalled the prophetic word, “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”  We leave it at that.  I stand with the onlookers who see the faces of the disciples darken.  What is happening?  This never happened before!  What kind of king is this?  And what kind of a kingdom?

Join me in pondering this extraordinary event.  What happened is so shocking that we admit that we need the Holy Spirit of God to even begin to understand.  Lord, open my heart as Lent moves forward that I might truly worship aright.