The Feast of the Entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem also marks the entry into the days of His saving Passion. Meanwhile, in the festive service, one hardly hears the foreshadowing of those sorrowful days when nature itself compassionated with Her Creator in His carnal torments: “The sun darkened the light, and the earth shook, the stones split, and the church’s bright thing was torn apart.” On the contrary, in today’s hymns there is undivided joy: “God is the Lord and has appeared to us! Organize a feast and come joyfully, let us exalt Christ with palm branches, calling in songs: Blessed is the One Coming in the name of the Lord our Saviour” (canon, song 9, irmos). Christ – the One about whom the Law and the Prophets announced, the One whose image was represented in ancient times by priest-king Melchizedek, the One whose coming was foreseen and sung in psalms many centuries before by prophet-king David, the One whom prophet-king Solomon glorified in songs as the Beloved, the Heavenly Bridegroom, honouring Him with sacrifices in the temple built for Him – enters His sacred city. The Peaceful King enters the city not like the conquerors of countries, with the force of arms, surrounded by formidable troops, but in humility and goodness, carrying before him not the news of victorious battles but the news of His resurrection of the four-day dead.
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus and the apostles visited Bethany and the house of Lazarus, whom He recently resurrected, and his sisters. Then they reached the village of Bethphage near the Mount of Olives. There the Lord, as the Evangelist Matthew narrates, “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 fulfil what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to the Daughter of Zion
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.” (Matthew 21:1-7).
The prophet mentioned here is Zechariah, who proclaimed Christ 500 years before His coming. The book of Zechariah is filled with very transparent indications of gospel events; even such a detail that the Lord would enter Jerusalem on a donkey did not escape the spiritual insight of the saint.
The Evangelist continues: “A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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 heaven!”” (Matt. 21:8–9). The word “Hosanna” means “save!”, that is, a passionate and persistent plea for salvation. That cry of the people was also the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy. “Oh Lord, save me, oh Lord, hurry up!” Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Ps. 117:25-26), – king and prophet David exclaimed, a thousand years before Christ, foreseeing under the inspiration of the Spirit the future entry of the Saviour of the world into the city that he, David, made the capital of his kingdom. Some of the disciples directly called Christ the King. In fear that this might reach the Romans, who then owned the kingdom of Judah, and cause their anger, some of the Pharisees said to the Lord: “Teacher! rebuke your disciples.” But He answered them: “I tell you that if they remain silent, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:39-40), confirming that he was doing everything according to God’s will and fulfilling the predictions of the prophets.
Having entered the city amid the rejoicing of the nation-wide crowd, the Lord went into the temple of Solomon and drove out from there with a whip those who used the holy place for self-interest and profit, traded and changed money there, saying to them: “It is written: My temple will be called the temple of prayer; and you made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). He healed a considerable number of ill people with various ailments. Then, the evangelist continues, “the high priests and scribes, seeing the miracles that He performed, and the children shouting in the temple and saying: Hosanna to the Son of David! – were indignant and said to Him: “Do you hear what they say?” Jesus answered: “Yes! Have you never read: ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?’” (Matt. 21:15–16). Here the Lord again referred to the prophecy of David, who wrote about the Saviour, the Messiah, who would come from his family: “O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Your name throughout all the earth! For Your splendour is exalted above the heavens. From the mouths of children and infants you have given yourself praise” (Ps. 8:1-2).
“Once the righteous elder Simeon met the Saviour, accepted the Creator of centuries in the guise of a baby into his arms and confessed Him as Lord and God; and now, instead of the wicked elders, the children met the Saviour, like Simeon,” St. Methodius, Bishop of Patara, comments this gospel narrative, “instead of hugging, they extended branches and blessed the Lord God, sitting on a donkey, as on the cherubim: Hosanna to the son of David! blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! […] David prophetically hid the thought under the letter; the children, having opened this treasury, proclaimed its wealth with their tongues and with gracious words clearly called on everyone to enjoy it” (Homily on the Palm Sunday).
Going in the nights to the Mount of Olives to pray, in the mornings Christ returned to the city and taught people in the temple all day long. The whole people were greatly inspired, seeing His miracles and hearing His preaching. The Jews believed that Jesus would place the royal crown on Himself and free them from the power of the Romans, restoring the kingdom of David and Solomon with renewed strength. They, according to the word of the Apostle Paul, having “a veil over their hearts” (2 Cor. 3:15) and not understanding the true meaning of the Scriptures, did not understand that Christ is not the King of the Jews, but the King of “heaven and earth, all visible and invisible.” They did not know that He did not come to conquer the world by force, but to sacrifice Himself for the salvation of the world. They did not know that, already approaching Jerusalem, He announced to the apostles: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death; and they will deliver Him over to the pagans to be mocked and beaten and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again” (Matthew 20:18–19). The Jews did not know any of this; and when everything prescribed by God’s Providence began to come true, they, having received so much evidence of His goodness, His miracles, renounced the One, Whom they had recently welcomed and glorified as the true Messiah. They handed Him over to Pilate to be crucified, asking that instead of Him the murderer and robber Barabbas be released to them. But the unbelief and cruelty of the ungrateful Jews, like the power and military might of the Romans, turned out to be powerless against the will and providence of the One God in Three Hypostases. The death of the Lord Jesus on the cross became His royal glory. The all-honourable blood shed by Him was the atonement for the sins of the world and established the New, eternal Covenant between God and humanity. His Resurrection, having freed from hell the souls of the righteous languishing there, filled “heaven, and earth, and the underworld” with light. “The souls of the righteous cried out with joy: now the New Testament is bequeathed to the world, and through the sprinkling of God’s blood people will be renewed,” is now sung in the canon for the feast (song 6, irmos). Rejoicing brightly on this feast, the Church is preparing to carry this joy through the sorrowful days of the Passion to the radiant triumph of Christ’s Resurrection.