The Final Days Of Jesus. (Monday)
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Monday, 30 AD. (4 Days Before His Death)
Early the next day, Jesus departed with His disciples from Bethany and arrived at the Mount of Olives. This area was a sort of suburb of Jerusalem and overlooked the city on its Eastern side. And while the vast majority of churches around the planet celebrate these events as "Palm Sunday," it is likely that they occurred on Monday.
While at the Mount of Olives, Jesus instructed two of His followers to go into an adjacent town and bring to Him a new mule that had never been ridden (Matthew 11:1-8). This was a tremendous honor in the ancient world and one of the nicest thing that was done for Him this week. It would be on this new mule that the Lord would ride into Jerusalem, with tears flooding His eyes (Luke 19:41-44).
Three things became clear in this display.
FIRST- As He rode toward the looming city, on the back of the bumbling colt, He was fulfilling messianic expectations for the end-time King, even though His disciples did not immediately understand it (John 12:16). In Zechariah 9:9-10, written 500 years before, the prophet foretold that a final King of Israel would ride victoriously into Jerusalem, humbly on a donkey, and would set up His eternal Kingdom there. In Zechariah 9:10, we discover this is an eternal Kingdom that will bring peace and hope to all the nations. Jesus most certainly began that work then and continues to do that work from God’s throne room today.
SECOND- Just as king Solomon had done before Him (1 Kings 1:33-37), Jesus rode into the city on the back of a donkey as the true Son of David (Matthew 21:9). Like Solomon, He did this to announce His Kingdom and reign to the nation. Like Solomon, men and women were celebrating as He went (Mark 11:9). But, unlike Solomon, who had a crown of gold placed upon his head when he arrived, soon Jesus would have a crown of thorns placed upon His brow. Unlike Solomon who was elevated to a fancy throne, Jesus would be elevated onto a cross to die. And while the prestige and splendor of Solomon’s house may look like victory, and while the scourging of Jesus and His gruesome death may look like defeat, Jesus shows that He and His Kingdom are greater than Solomon’s. For, at the end of Solomon’s life, he was in love with various idols and his kingdom would soon be permanently divided. Not so with Jesus, who is still enthroned as King with a Kingdom that will never end.
THIRD - As Jesus rode into the city, He also wept. We wept because Jerusalem is the city that kills the prophets. It was the city who would kill God’s Son. And in so doing, God’s Kingdom would be taken away from them and given to a people who would bear its fruit (Matthew 21:43).
After the pomp and circumstance awaiting Him in the city, our Lord went one last time to the temple mount before leaving Jerusalem. He went to see the temple in peace. He went to look at it before he was embroiled in controversy. It is likely He went to weep over it as well. And it is likely that He went to pray and think through the actions He would take the very next day when He cleansed the temple (Mark 11:15-17).
As evening approached, Jesus and His disciples left the city and returned back to Bethany to await the dramatic events of Tuesday morning (Mark 11:11)
Join us tomorrow, as we explore what Jesus was going on Tuesday!
