Jesus Entry into Jerusalem | Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

21 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:

5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,

Look, your king is coming to you,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd[b] spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

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I think about this passage all the time. Mostly because, despite all my years in church hearing these words, if a couple people came into my apartment building in Brooklyn and started taking the bikes from under the stairs, I’m not sure I’d accept “God needs these,” as an excuse.

That said, it’s exactly the relatability of this passage two millennia and half-a-world away that I’ve found myself noticing recently. 

An itinerant rabbi who, with his disciples, has been wandering around all throughout the land. Preaching. Teaching. Sharing. Working. Sacrificing comfort. Scraping through. When they approach Jerusalem, his community wants to do something nice for him. 

Not only do they bring him the prophesied donkey and colt, they offer their cloaks. First as finery, then as a red carpet for his entrance. Those who don’t have cloaks to spare cut branches to make the path special for this moment. 

Everyone uses what they have and gives what they can. Then, they line the sides of the street and shout and sing to hype him up. 

It’s a moment that’s profoundly communal and profoundly human. And like the widow with her two mites, what they give is more than enough.

Dear God. Thank you for this day and for this week. Thank you for all the miracle, the mystery, and the power of these next seven days, but also thank you Jesus for being with us not only as fully divine, but as fully human too. Help us to remember that while this holiday is many things, it is also a reminder that we are human, and that is enough.

Hannah Soldner

Brooklyn

St. Lydia’s, St Paul’s Williamsburg, Not So Churchy.

2018, 2019, 2022 - Faculty