Matthew 21:1-11 – Expect God’s best but seek to discern His moment

It is quite apparent that Jesus knew the Scripture very well. He was aware of what the Old Testament prophets had prophesied concerning Him hundreds of years before His arrival. Aware that He would be coming into the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey as the prophet Zechariah had proclaimed, so He made prior arrangement for this day. How do we know?

 

Matthew tells us here that He had now come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olive. There He sent two of His disciples to the exact location where a donkey and a colt would be tied. They were told to untie them and have both the donkey and the colt brought to Him. He even taught the disciples how to answer if they were approached by anyone concerning the two animals. Their reply was to be, ‘The Lord has need of them.” Matthew tells us in no uncertain terms that all these happened to fulfil the prophecy written in Zechariah 9:9.

May be some of us are thinking that if Jesus had arranged for all these, how then can we say that this is a prophecy fulfilled? Well the donkey and the colt could be arranged, but there were things he could not have arranged in advance. He could not have arranged how the crowd would respond. He could not arrange the attitude of the ruler. He rode into the city on the back of a young unbroken colt with just the coats of the two disciples laid over its back. The people gathered to welcome Him and many cut palm branches and spread them over the road as He rode into Jerusalem. There were loud shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” They called Him, “The Son of David,” a title used for Israel’s Messiah.

Bear in mind that at this point there was a huge crowd in Jerusalem, coming in preparation for the celebration of the Passover Feast. Verse 10 tells us that all the city was stirred and left wondering, “Who is this?”  The crowds responded saying “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” They expected to have a Messiah like David. They expected Him to be crowned. They came to greet the One, whom they expected to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans in the way they wanted.

But why did Jesus of Nazareth come to Jerusalem? Some saw Him as a prophet. Some saw Him as the Messiah King. But Jesus came because He had to fulfil a part of the deal required for our total deliverance. He came to go to the cross. They expected a warrior-like, triumphant Messiah but they would soon be seeing a very different Messiah, a Suffering One.

Here is one lesson from this account. Our expectation of the way God will deliver us, and the way He wants to do it, may be a mismatch sometimes. There can never be true liberation without the cross. Most of us will come to God and pray in times of our needs. Of course, we must come with expectant heart, but we must also be ready to accept that what we want to see happen, may not be the way He delivers. But we can be assured that His deliverance will be more thorough, more complete and invigorating.