27/11/2025
First Sunday in Advent - Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11
Prayer:
Almighty and Most Merciful God, grant us grace so to understand the passion of our Lord that we may find forgiveness for our sins. Grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in Him that we may not fear the power of our adversaries. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And now may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to Thy sight, O God, our Creator and our Redeemer. Amen.
Recalling the transfiguration of Our Lord, we will remember that Jesus discussed His death with God the Father and Moses and Elijah. It was determined at that time the course Jesus would take for the remainder of His earthly ministry. Three of His apostles were witness to His Glory, in which, it would seem that He devoted Himself, with sublime exaltation of spirit to the sacrifice of Himself for all of man’s sins.
Afterward He repeated the prediction of His death and having returned to Capernaum, He further instructed His disciples in that conception of God’s service as one of humanity, self-sacrifice and love; of which His own great act of devotion to God was to be the permanent example. With this in mind, it is interesting, to say the very least, to follow in the Holy Bible, the things that happened in the world and among men so that Jesus Christ’s mission could be carried out as planned.
Bible historians tell us that it was now probably the early autumn of the year 29 A.D. and leaving Capernaum for the last time, Jesus “steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” It is almost impossible to follow in exact order Our Lord’s movements, for Luke, on whom we are mainly dependent for the record for this period, does not follow a precise order of chronological narration. However, the main features of the period are quite clear.
Jesus now sought to attract the public attention of the whole land, including Judea. He sent out the seventy to proclaim his coming. He visited Jerusalem at the feast of tabernacles and again at the feast of dedication. On both occasions He repeatedly offered Himself to the people. He was called, and called Himself, the Light of the World and the Good Shepherd of God’s flock. He boldly contended with the rulers who opposed His pretensions. He moved back and forth between Judea and Perea, and explained, with more beauty of illustration than ever before the true religious life and the true idea of God and His service. Here belong the parables of the Good Samaritan, the Wedding Feast, the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, The Prodigal Son, The Unjust Steward, the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Pharisee and the Publican. Thus, the announcement of the Gospel became more complete, while the fierceness of the opposition of the rulers became more intense, until an event occurred which brought matters to a climax.
Word was brought to Jesus of the sickness of His friend, Lazarus, in Bethany. Going to him, He found him already four days dead. Immediately He eclipsed all of His previous miracles by raising the dead man to life. This miracle was so stupendous, and performed so near Jerusalem, that it had a very noticeable effect on the people of the Capitol. The Sanhedrin, under the leading of Caiaphas, the high Priest, decided that the influence of Jesus could only be destroyed by His death. Upon learning of this, Jesus quickly retired from that area, evidently determined that He should not die until the Passover. As that time drew near, He approached the city through Perea, teaching as He went, but again predicting His death and resurrection until He reached Bethany, six days before the feast of the Passover. He spent the day in the house of Simon, the l***r. At the supper made for Him there, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed His head and feet, an event in which Jesus saw a prophecy of His coming burial.
The next morning Jesus continued His journey with His disciples. The traffic was relatively heavy as there were many people on the road headed for Jerusalem for the Passover feast. When Jesus and His disciples reached Bethphage, a small village not far from Bethany and almost on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Jesus halted for a time, He sent two of His disciples on an errand. He gave them exact instructions. In this very village just ahead they would find, without difficulty, a donkey tied with her c**t near her. Without asking permission of the owner, they were to untie the donkey and bring them both to Jesus. Should the owners or any other person inquire as to their right in taking the animals away, they were to say to them, “The Lord has need of them.” This was to serve as a sort of password, bringing about immediate obedience and glad yielding on the part of the owner. This brings out some very significant facts. The Lord knew that the animals were at that designated place, and He again took the opportunity to convince His disciples that nothing was hidden from Him. His word has almighty power and authority. As the minute happenings of the future are known to Him, so He, the Lord to whom all things belong, can influence the heart of the owner, even at a distance, to consent to His wishes. The two disciples were entirely in the dark as to the object of their mission. They undoubtedly went with great reluctance to carry out His command, which might have taken them into some embarrassing situations, but they went at His word. They know from previous experience that He would remove all dangers. So it is that disciples of all times may trust completely in the word of the Lord, knowing that even in desperate times His authority will uphold them. It is better to be on the side of the Almighty God than that of the powerless world.
Our Lord Jesus Christ travelled much, and His custom was to travel on foot wherever He went. Many a dirty, weary step had He taken going about that region doing good and preaching the word of salvation. Yet, this once in His life He rode in triumph, and it was now when He entered Jerusalem to suffer and to die. But even though His triumph was readily seen, there was also evidence of His humility. Mounted on the c**t of a donkey which had never before been ridden, Our Lord came to the city of the men who were to take His earthly life. They had no saddle for the donkey and so some of the disciples took their outer robes and laid them on the donkey’s back so that Jesus might have a seat on the animal. We should not proclaim exactness in outward appearances. A holy indifference or neglect would well become us in these things. Sometimes, I think, we place too great emphasis on outward appearances and fail to see the beauty of what may lie within.
The disciples furnished our Lord with the best they had and did not object the possible spoiling of their clothing against the donkey’s back when the Lord had need of them. We must not think in that even the clothes on our backs are too dear to part with in service for our Lord. There was nothing stately of magnificent in Christ’s wardrobe but yet even that was stripped from Him for us.
While Christ delayed His journey during the finding of the donkey, others on the road hastened on to Jerusalem and spread the word that the King of the Jews, the Messiah, was on His way and would soon enter the city proper. We are told that a great number of the pilgrims who had already entered the city came back out to meet Him. When they met Him, they honored Him in the best way they could. When Jehu was proclaimed king, the captains put their garments under him in token of their subjection to him. This multitude of people did the same. They took off their outer robes and laid them under the donkey's feet, spreading their garments in His way. Some cut off tender palm branches and strewed them also on the road. Those that take Christ for their king must lay all at His feet, the clothes, in token of the heart. What honor shall we pay Him, in token of liberty, victory and joy?
The excitement spread infectiously. The climax was reached at the Mount of Olives. Here the ranks of the early crowd were swelled by great crowds of newcomers, and while the latter turned and marched ahead, the others followed behind the Lord. In antiphonal shouting, the joyous acclaim of the people rose up to heaven as they chanted sections from the great Hallel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallel), with the doxology used on great festivals. They openly proclaimed Him as the Son of David, as the true Messiah; they wished Him blessings and salvation from above. Far and wide, the people joined in this demonstration in honor of the humble Nazarene. They gladly sacrificed their holiday garments, their festival ornaments. They brought the palm branches and waved the green fronds of early spring to give full expression to their joy, to their confession of their Lord, the Messiah. It was most unfortunate that this exultation was only temporary, and quickly forgotten. And yet, the Spirit of the Lord had here, for a short while at least, taken hold of the people. God wanted thus to give testimony in behalf of His Son, before the shame and the horror of the Cross would be laid upon Him. And it was prophetic of the time when every tongue would confess that Jesus is Lord.
The demonstration before Jesus continued all the way down the western slopes of the Mount of Olives, across the valley of the Kidron and into the very city of Jerusalem itself. As usual under the circumstances, the excitement spread rapidly and carried many with it that knew nothing of the actual reason. Even the city of Jerusalem, with its multitudes of festival pilgrims, was violently moved. The popular enthusiasm was transmitted to all classes of people. The apostle Matthew declared that everyone began to question the identity of the man who had in this way, come into the city. The inhabitants of the city had had plenty of opportunity to know Him, but many had forgotten the great miracles done in their midst; others had come from a distance and had never come into any contact with His glorious work and message. In answer to this it was openly heralded before Him the He was Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. Their knowledge was not all clear, and those that had a clear-cut understanding hesitated about making such a public statement of that fact. To proclaim and confess Him as the Messiah was a dangerous undertaking in the chief city of the Jews, since the high priests and members of the Sanhedrin had openly threatened such confessors with ex-communication. So, it is even today, that many are willing to proclaim Christ in the midst of a great multitude but are not willing to stand up of Jesus when the individual confession might cause them some unpleasantness or persecution.
As usual there were some Pharisees in the crowd and they began their usual grumbling, asking the Lord to rebuke and to silence His disciples. Their requests fell upon no agreement from Jesus. He told them that the very stones would burst forth in shouting if the disciples were to be quiet. Jesus accepted the praise of the throngs of people and permitted Himself to be proclaimed a king in Israel, and that the kingdom of Israel was His own kingdom and people. He accepted it, not because He glowed under the praises of man but because by so doing this, they were praising the glory of God the Father. The high Priests and great lords of Jerusalem could not bear this, and it disturbed them and made them even angrier. They were not concerned too much about the miracles because having seen they could not refute them. They permitted Him to make the blind see, the lame to be straight, and to do more such miracles. But that He should want to come riding into the city with singing and pomp, and without so much as asking their permission to do so did not suit them at all. They, who were always ready to judge the other man, were unable to see the beam in their own eye. They were aware that the performance of miracles was indeed something unusual but thought that to sing that He is Lord and king does not look good for a prophet. If He had gone first to the high priests and asked for permission, all might have been well. He did it without their permission, and being poor and uncluttered with worldly things, did not even own the c**t upon which He was riding. On top of that He had come so strongly against them and their will, and it angered them immensely.
Whether men praise Christ or not, He will and shall and must be praised. The pharisees wanted to silence the disciples in their praise of Christ but they could not make their desires carry any weight with Jesus. “As God can out of stones raise up children to Abraham,” so can He out of the mouths of those children, bring praises to God.
It has been said that “The Lord works in wonderous ways His wonders to perform.” In reading through the Bible of the accounts of the life of Jesus Christ we can see that not the least of these is His triumphal ride into Jerusalem upon a donkey. So great and perfect as Jesus Christ is and yet so humble and courageous that He could face torture and death because it had been willed by God the Father, is reason enough for praise. But that God should will that this be done for the sins of mankind, even for us, so that we would have a way open to us for becoming His children to spend all eternity with Him, demands not only our praise but our very lives, spent in His service.
May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.