Recapitulation
As Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem through Perea for the
Passover, He warned His disciples for the third time that he would be crucified
and resurrected there. Even though they
heard His words, they did not really grasp what they meant. Matthew recorded the events of this “passion
week” in a way that invites the reader to grow in understanding as we look at
Jesus.
Blind Men Cry Out
The road from Galilee to Jerusalem traversed Perea on the
far side of the Jordan and recrossed the Jordan at the ancient city of
Jericho. Upon leaving the ruins of the
old city whose walls had fallen in the days of Joshua the road entered the new
resort “city of the palms.” It was here
between the old and the new Jericho that two blind men sat by the road and
begged from the crowds traveling to Jerusalem for Passover. One of these blind men was known as the son
of Timaeus or Bartimaeus while the other’s name has been lost to us. In Matthew
20:29, Jesus and the great crowd was passing by these blind men and when
they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us,
Son of David.” The crowd tried to hush
them. Just as the children had earlier
been rebuked by the disciples so now these blind men were rebuked by the
crowd. Perhaps they felt that this
important man—Jesus—would not have time for mere blind beggars.
But, Jesus heard their cries as they continued calling out
to Him. Matthew says He stopped and
said, “What do you want me to do for you?”
When Mrs. Zebedee and her sons James and John were asked that question,
they asked for honor and position. But
that wasn’t what Jesus could offer. He
offered them a cup of suffering as they followed Him. But these blind men didn’t ask for that. They asked, “Lord, let our eyes be
opened.” And Matthew records that Jesus
took pity on them and “touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their
sight.” Spiritually speaking, this is
another request that Jesus longs to answer—that we might see. And not only did these blind men see, they
also followed Him—another thing that Jesus wants from us. He wants us to look at Him and also to follow
Him. Who did these blind men long to
see? The Lord, the Son of David.
Look at the Son of David
Matthew uses this incident to encourage the reader to look
intently at Jesus, as the Son of David enters Jerusalem in chapter 21. The path Jesus follows as He now prepares to
enter Jerusalem is deliberately chosen to parallel the path of the Kings of
Judah as they entered Jerusalem on their coronation day. As we follow Jesus along this road notice
what He is called and how He is addressed.
He has just been called “Son of David”—royalty.
Other interesting and powerful incidents on this journey are
recorded in the other gospels but Matthew wants us to look now at Jesus’
journey on into Jerusalem. There are two
villages near Jerusalem on the far side of the Mount of Olives—Bethany which
means house of dates and Bethphage which means house of figs. Matthew specifically mentions the village of
Bethphage and something Jesus needed there.
He asked two of His disciples to go and find a donkey and her colt and
bring them both to Him. He said that if
anyone questions them, just say, “The Lord needs them.” Jesus is referring to Himself as “the Lord.”
O, Lord Save Us
The Bible says, “The disciples did as they were told” and
brought them to Jesus Who waited on the road.
They put their cloaks on them and Jesus sat on the cloaks. The crowd put their cloaks on the road or cut
branches and spread them out as well as Jesus traveled the last mile or so to
Jerusalem. Meanwhile the crowd shouted
before and after, “Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And Jesus rode into Jerusalem with the crowds
cheering His triumphal entry.
Several important background points are crucial here. As Jews traveled the roads to Jerusalem they
looked forward to entering the temple for the Passover feast and they often
sang Psalm 118 which was a part of the traditional Jewish Passover liturgy. This is why the words Matthew records in
verse 9 are so significant. They are
actually a quote from Psalm 118:25-26.
The phrase in Psalm 118:25 translated “O Lord save us” in Hebrew sounds
like this: “anna Adonai hoshiana” (Ron Allen, in Lord of Song). But also,
notice that the next verse in Psalms 118 is about the worshippers binding the
sacrifice to the altar preparatory to its slaughter.
Humble Entrance
Additionally, note the quote from Zechariah 9:9 in Matthew
21:5. The Kings of Judah from David
onward were brought into Jerusalem riding on a donkey’s colt. The path led from the Gihon spring supplying
the pool of Siloam near the fountain gate up to the royal palace in the area
known as the “City of David” below the temple mount. Why not a horse? Because a donkey or a mule symbolized
humility and trust in God rather than in cavalry and horses.
Here is Jesus entering Jerusalem not like the conquering
Romans on horseback but on a lowly donkey’s colt. It is the crowd who are shouting and praising
God, saying “This is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord—verse 9.)
The Chosen Lamb of God
Notice that this is Sunday before Passover (Palm Sunday)—the
day when the perfect lambs were chosen and set aside to be slaughtered three
days hence. These lambs were cared for
and fed for three days (Monday through Wednesday) but slaughtered at twilight
on Thursday. (Technically, this is
considered Friday morning in the Jewish culture). More on that in the weeks to
come.
But for now, see that Jesus is again adored as the Son of
David in verse 9 (just as Bartimaeus and his blind friend did). He is also recognized as a prophet from
Nazareth. The “whole city” was stirred
up by this celebration. Could this be
the Messiah? Matthew wants us to open our eyes like the blind men in chapter 20
and see Jesus.
Anticipating the Kingdom of Heaven
Why did they cut down branches, etc.? This was originally done at another feast
(called Succoth or Shelters) where branches were cut to make shelters
out in the countryside where they camped out for a few days to commemorate the 40
years Israel spent in the wilderness and culminated in entering the promised
land. So, this feast became also an
anticipation of the coming kingdom of God.
And branch waving came to be done at many celebrations as it came to be
symbolic of that longing for the kingdom of God. The recitation and singing of Psalm 118 was
usually central to such outbreaks which spoke of deliverance from enemies
because of trust in the Lord.
Postponing the Kingdom of Heaven
But, despite the inequities and injustices of Roman rule, as
we will see, not everyone wanted to see the system toppled—least of all those
who were currently benefiting from the system.
This same sort of blindness can prevent us from welcoming and eagerly
anticipating the return of Jesus. I can
remember thinking how great it would be for Jesus to return but not just
yet. There were things I wanted to
experience first. We can become too enamored by the things that seem like
wonderful benefits in this life. It is
ugly to contemplate but this spiritual displacement is idolatry.
© 2018 Eric
Thimell
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