Matthew 21:1-11

Solemn entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29; John 12:12). More than a third of the entire Gospel narrative is occupied with the last week of Christ's life, commonly called Holy Week. The cause of this is to be sought, partly in the special importance which the Apostolic Church attached to the death of Jesus, partly in the indelible impression which the words and acts of that solemn time made upon the disciples, and partly in the extreme activity of Jesus at this period, which crowded the last days of His life with striking events and sayings. All the evangelists lay stress on the voluntary character of the death of Jesus. They represent Him as coming up to Jerusalern deliberately to encounter it, as being the designed aim and end of His ministry (Matthew 20:28; Matthew 21:39; Matthew 26:2; Matthew 26:12; Matthew 26:28; Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:54 etc.). In view of His approaching death, which might appear to be a complete abnegation of His claim to be the Messiah, He judged it expedient to make the claim openly, and accordingly made arrangements for a formal entry into Jerusalem riding on an ass, as the Messiah was expected to do, and no longer restrained the enthusiasm of His followers, who were allowed openly to salute Him as the Son of David, i.e. the Messiah. The motives of political prudence which had previously restrained Him from an open avowal, had now ceased to operate. He knew that He had alienated the bulk of the Galileans, and that Jerusalem, in spite of certain appearances to the contrary, was thoroughly hostile. He therefore feared no political consequences from the superficial revival of popularity with which His change of policy would be greeted, the more so as He was about to raise the expectations of His adherents only for a moment, in order effectually to quench them.

The entry into Jerusalem is the one gleam of light in tile dark days that closed our Lord's ministry. Its success was due to several causes: (1) The crowd was composed largely of Galileans, many of whom still remained faithful to Jesus. (2) His bold change of policy won back for a moment many who had left Him for His procrastination. (3) The extraordinary enthusiasm with which He was received in Jerusalem itself is to be explained by the recent raising of Lazarus, which had made a deep impression in the capital (John 11:45; John 12:9; John 12:17).

Peculiar to St. Matthew is the mention of the two animals; to St. Luke the complaint of the Pharisees, and the weeping over the city; to St. John the mention of the palm-branches, and of the fact that natives of Jerusalem went out to welcome Jesus.