Much about His entrance into Jerusalem was important, as well as prophetic—including even the things that were shouted by the crowd. In Psalm 118:25-26, we see some of what was quoted from the crowd. “Save now” which is the meaning of Hosanna and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!” These were shouts of rejoicing pointing back to Zechariah 9:9, which foretold: “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.” A “colt, the foal of a donkey” meant it had never been ridden. That Jesus rode in on this colt and that it didn’t buck Him off, especially with the crowd rushing about and shouting, speaks to His authority over all of creation. Riding a donkey into a city like that is also representative of a king coming in peace. This royal procession was directed at the King of kings, who came to bring real peace and salvation to all who would believe in Him. The palm branches used by the crowd were symbols in that culture of victory, triumph, and celebration. Even though this same crowd rejected Jesus at the end of the week, crying “Crucify Him,” we can still look today at the beauty of this Passover entry from an aerial view. You see, it was at the beginning of Passover week that the shepherds who raised sacrificial lambs would enter the sheep gate on one side of the city, bringing in the lambs for the Passover sacrifice. Coming in on the other side of the city, around, if not at, the same time, was Jesus, the Lamb of God, given to us for the final sacrifice that brought victory over sin and death! This is why we call it Holy Week; because the Holy Son of God willingly gave His life so we could truly have life abundant both now and forever with our Savior. (See John 3:16.)
