(Matt. 21:1-5, 9-11.)
1 "And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village that is over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her loose them, and bring them unto Me. And if any one say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need 4 of them; and straightway he will send them. Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 Tell ye the daughter of Zion,
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee,
Meek, and riding upon an ass,
And upon a colt the foal of an ass."
9 "And the multitudes that went before Him, 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. And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this? And the multitudes said, This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."
(Mark 11:4-8, 11.)
4 "And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door without in the open street; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing 6 the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus had said; 7 and they let them go. And they bring the colt unto Jesus, and 8 cast on him their garments; and He sat upon him. And many spread their garments upon the way; and others branches which they had cut from the fields."
11 "And He entered into Jerusalem, into the temple; and when He had looked round about upon all things, it being now eventide, He went out unto Bethany with the twelve."
(Luke 19:39-44.)
39 "And some of the Pharisees from the multitude said unto 40 Him, Master, rebuke Thy disciples. And He answered and said, I tell you that, if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out.
41 "And when He drew nigh, He saw the city and wept over 42 it, saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from 43 thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee 44 round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."
(John 12:12, 13, 17-19.)
12 "On the morrow a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried out, Hosanna: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel."
17 "The multitude therefore that was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, 18 bare witness. For this cause also the multitude went and met Him, for that they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Behold how ye prevail nothing; lo the world is gone after Him."
NOTE.—The texts enclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
1. While on His way to Jerusalem, near what village did Jesus and His disciples come? Matt. 21:1. Note 1.
2. As they drew near this hamlet, what order did Jesus give to two of His disciples? Verse 2. (Luke 19:29.)
3. In case any one objected, what did He tell them to say? Verse 3.
4. Arriving at the place designated, what did the two disciples find? Mark 11:4-6. See note 2.
5. Upon returning with the colt, how did they provide a seat thereon for Jesus? Verse 7. Note 3. (2 Kings 9:13.)
6. When the people of Jerusalem heard that Christ was coming that way, what did they do? John 12:12, 13. Note 4.
7. What demonstration did the people make as they met Christ in the way? Mark 11:8. (Matt. 21:8.)
8. With what did they accompany their waving of palm branches? Matt. 21:9. (Ps. 118:25, 26; Mark 11:9, 10.)
9. On seeing the demonstration, what did some of the Pharisees say to Jesus? Luke 19:39.
10. What answer did He make? Verse 40. Note 5.
11. What conclusion did the Pharisees draw from what they saw? John 12:19.
12. Why was all this demonstration permitted? Matt. 21:4, 5. (Zech. 9:9; Isa. 62:11.)
13. When the city came in full view, what change suddenly came over Jesus? Luke 19:41, 42.
14. What prediction did He then make concerning the city? Verses 43, 44. Note 6.
15. On arriving in Jerusalem, how were the inhabitants affected, and what did they say? Matt. 21:10.
16. What answer was returned to these questionings? V. 11.
17. Who so readily bore this testimony to the mission of Christ? John 12:17. (John 11:19, 45.)
18. Why were the people so anxious to see Jesus on this occasion? Verse 18.
19. To what point in the city did Jesus immediately go? After looking about the temple, where did He then go? Mark 11:11.
Side Lights.—"Desire of Ages," chapter 63; "Spirit of Prophecy," vol. 2, chapter 33.
N O T E S.
1. Bethphage, the "House of Figs," was situated on the Mount of Olives near Bethany.
2. A colt.—Christ's entry into Jerusalem, at the Feast of Tabernacles, had been made secretly, and on foot. This time He will go in riding on an ass, the ancient symbol of Jewish royalty, even as David and the judges of Israel had done before Him. In contrast to the horse, introduced by Solomon for war purposes, the ass was an emblem of peace. As the Prince of Peace, the Saviour of men approached the city of the great King for the last time, only to find the hearts of its rulers steeled against Him. He knew, too, that the act would hasten His death, yet He must fulfil what was written concerning Him.
3. On Him their garments.—Spreading their own garments under Christ was the initial act of proclaiming Him king. Doubtless they thought the long-expected Messianic reign was about to open.
4. Multitude.—Josephus estimates the number usually present in Jerusalem at a Passover, to be about 3,000,000, more than two-thirds of the entire population of Judea and Galilee. The city could not contain them. All the environs—even the slopes of Mount Olivet itself, which looked toward the city—were covered with the booths of the pilgrims.
