Mission Venture Ministries

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; the battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.’ (Zachariah 9:9-10) 

Verse 9 predicts Jesus’ first coming in lowliness to offer Himself as the substitute for sinners. And verse 10 refers to Messiah’s second coming, when He will fulfill the prophecy by ruling over all the nations as Zechariah quotes from Psalm 72:8, “from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth,” which is poetic language for worldwide dominion. 

Jesus Christ predicted His own return to earth in power and glory (Matthew 24:30; 26:64). The Book of Revelation 19:11-16 shows Jesus coming again, this time not on a foal of a donkey, but on a white horse, to slay His enemies, as King of kings and Lord of lords. At that time, every person will see Jesus (Revelation 1:7). If you yield to Him now, you will joyfully receive Him as Savior. If you reject Him now, you will know Him as Judge, when “He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty” (Revelation 19:15). 

Palm Sunday is the day people around the world celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1–11). As Jesus entered the holy city, He was nearing the culmination of a long journey toward Golgotha. He had come to save the lost (Luke 19:10), and now was the time to secure that salvation. Palm Sunday marked the start of what is often called “Passion Week,” the final seven days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. 

This day began with Jesus and His disciples traveling over the Mount of Olives. The Lord sent two disciples ahead into the village of Bethphage to find an animal to ride. They found the unbroken colt of a donkey, just as Jesus had said they would (Luke 19:29–30). When they untied the colt, the owners began to question them. The disciples responded with the answer Jesus had provided: “The Lord needs it” (Luke 19:31–34). Amazingly, the owners were satisfied with that answer and let the disciples go. “They brought the donkey to Jesus, and put some of their clothes on its back and helped Jesus get on” (Luke 19:35). 

The donkey was an animal, used for peaceable purposes. By riding the foal of a donkey, Jesus was presenting Himself to be the King, in fulfillment of our text, but not as the exalted political king that the people expected. In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Messiah who offered salvation and peace with God through His death. And this is evident from the fact that He rode into Jerusalem on an unbroken colt. Those who are familiar with horses and donkeys know what to expect when they climb onto an unbroken colt! The colt, however, received Jesus his Creator on its back without bucking and fully obeying. 

There is also a spiritual significance in the fact that the colt was unbroken. In the Old Testament, when an animal was put to sacred use, it had to be one which had not already been used for common purposes as we read in Numbers 19:2. Since this animal was now to be used for the Messiah, it had to be an animal that had never been ridden by man. 

As Jesus ascended toward Jerusalem, a large multitude gathered around Him. This crowd understood that Jesus was the Messiah; what they did not understand was that it wasn’t time to set up the kingdom yet; although Jesus had tried to tell them so (Luke 19:11–12). 

On this day: “A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matthew 21:8), giving it the known name of “Palm Sunday.”  In spreading their cloaks on the road, the people were giving Jesus the royal treatment as the Jews had given similar honor to King Jehu at his coronation (2 Kings 9:13); and John records that the cut branches from trees were from palm trees (John 12:13). 

At this time the people were elated honoring Jesus verbally: “The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9). In their praise of Jesus, the Jewish crowds were quoting Psalm 118:25–26, an acknowledged prophecy of the Christ. 

As usual the religious leaders resented the allusion to a Messianic psalm and “some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’” (Luke 19:39). However, Jesus saw no need to rebuke those who told the truth. He replied, “I tell you . . . if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). 

As the multitudes waved the palm branches and shouted for joy, they did not realize the true reason for Jesus’ presence. It is a tragic thing to see the Savior but not recognize Him for who He is. The crowds who were crying out “hosanna!” on Palm Sunday, were shouting “crucify Him!” later that week (Matthew 27:22–23). 

There is coming a day when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10–11), and worship will be real on that day. 

Just like Zachariah prophesied some 450 to 500 years prior to Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, so also, the apostle John records a scene in heaven that takes place in the future that features the eternal celebration of the risen Lord: “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10). What a joyous day that will be! 

The Bible is filled with prophecies that have already taken place exactly like the Word of God said. If someone shares with you the prophecies written therein that are still to be fulfilled please listen to them. There is still time to repent, but there will come a day when it is too late. 

Jesus started His ministry proclaiming to the people He grew up with in Nazareth: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18). 

And He told Nicodemus and is telling the world: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18). 

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

(2 Corinthians 6:2)

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