And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest’.”  Matthew 21:1-10 KJV

The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!”  Matthew 21:1-10 NASB

This section reminds us of the claims of the King. He is able to claim: a. the pathway for men – “go …”;  b. the possessions of men “ye shall find …”; c. the priority from men – “The Lord …”; and d. the praise of men (v 8-16).

He sits upon the colt and it became the vehicle for bearing Him before the world. The colt was covered and not seen. There are those (vs 3) in the chapter who own His Lordship; the colt owns His Lordship; but the nation fails to own it.

The city is moved but marked by ignorance: “Who is this?” they ask. After three years of public ministry and grace displayed to all, they failed to recognize Him. Think of the grief of His heart at their unbelief and hardness.

Notice that after cleansing the temple, the blind and lame come and are healed (v 14). He is acclaimed as the Son of David, yet David acted differently toward the blind and lame (see 2 Sam 5).

Questions to Consider:

  1. Look for omissions in Matthew’s account of the triumphal entry. What words are omitted from Zechariah’s prophecy and why?
  2. Notice key differences in the various Gospel accounts of this incident. For example, in John He finds the colt. In Luke’s account, they place the Lord Jesus on the colt. But in Matthew, the better manuscript reading is that He sat upon the colt. Why these differences?
  3. How would you explain the sudden reversal in public opinion concerning Christ which occurred in one short week? Acclaimed and hailed on Sunday; rejected, despised, and crucified on Friday (not to get into the controversy of Thursday vs. Friday crucifixion)? Were they perhaps expecting a different kind of King?
  4. Look up how many times the Lord Jesus is called “Son of David” in Matthew.
  5. If Matthew 21 is the David chapter, Matthew 22 with its questions is the Solomon chapter in which His wisdom is displayed.

 

 

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