And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.
As He rode into Jerusalem in His triumphal entry, the disciples and the multitude spread their outer garments in the way to make a carpet before Him, honoring Him as King and Messiah with glad, joyful worship because they had no costly gifts or outward pomp to offer. Those who spread them were trophies of His love rescued and praising God for deliverance, cleansed lepers, restored blind, loosed dumb shouting hosannas, healed cripples, widows and orphans, those awakened from death, and Lazarus himself leading the humble beast. With the garments they strewed and waved olive and palm branches, nature's emblem of victory, with loud hosannas which He accepted, fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy of the lowly King while the disciples recounted His healings and raisings of the dead. The crowd believed they were escorting Him to take David's throne and deliver Israel as a temporal king, not yet understanding that He must suffer and rise, and in a few days they saw Him on the cruel cross, yet He was true to His promises to the faithful. The ride belongs with His weeping over the doomed city in mercy and love for sinful men, making the entry a solemn warning of the last great day, so God's people should not be cold or ashamed to glorify Christ openly, for if they were silent even the stones would cry out.
The Triumphal Carpet
As He rode into Jerusalem in His triumphal entry, the disciples and the multitude spread their outer garments in the way to make a carpet in His path before the animal He rode. It was the coming of a King, and the spreading of the clothes honored Him as King, Messiah and promised King. The act was done with glad enthusiasm and joyful welcome, as the worship of happy hearts. They had no costly gifts to offer, no outward pomp and splendor, and no royal standards, so their garments served as the carpet for His procession.
Those who spread their garments were trophies of His love rescued by Him and praising God for deliverance, unlike the mourning captives in the trains of earthly conquerors' processions. Among them were lepers cleansed by His word from a living death, spreading their untainted garments in His path and hailing Him as the King of Glory. With them were the blind to whom He restored sight pressing on and leading the way, and the dumb whose tongues He loosed shouting the loudest hosannas. There were the cripples He healed breaking off palm branches and waving them before Him, and widows and orphans exalting Him for His mercy. There were those awakened from the sleep of death, and Lazarus restored from corruption in the grave to the full strength of manhood guiding the humble beast He rode.
With the garments the people also strewed leafy branches of olive and palm in the way. They cut down spreading palm boughs, nature's emblem of victory, and waved them aloft with loud acclamations and hosannas. Jesus accepted this homage He had never before permitted.
The entry took place in the beautiful season of the year, when a large, enthusiastic crowd gathered. The gathering was drawn in part by the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus.
Prophecy and Expectation
The spreading of garments in the way was the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy of a lowly King coming to Jerusalem. The disciples honored Jesus along His path into the city with glad enthusiasm and welcomed Him as the promised King. The prophesied acclamation had to be fulfilled, so prophecy was being fulfilled in what the people did.
As they laid their garments on the road, the disciples loudly recounted His healings, His raisings of the dead, and every other mighty work they could remember. Great blessing and praise to God came from their lips. People flocked from all the region about, spreading their clothes in the way and crying Hosanna to the Son of David. The shouting had to happen because prophecy must be fulfilled, so that when priests and elders asked Jesus to still the multitude He declared that if they held their peace even the stones would cry out.
They honored Him as king and believed they were escorting Him to take David's throne. They welcomed Him with enthusiastic joy because they believed He was about to become a temporal king, to be crowned king and to reign on David's throne and to deliver Israel from its oppressors. But their hopes were not fulfilled as they expected, because they did not yet understand that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. In a few days those high hopes were disappointed when they saw their beloved Master stretched upon the cruel cross above the mocking, taunting Pharisees, and the darkness of death closed about them. Yet Christ was true to His promises and gave sweet consolation and rich reward to the true and faithful.
Warning and Worship Today
The spreading of garments in the way belongs to Christ's riding into Jerusalem toward the crest of Olivet where He wept over the doomed city. He wept there because His mercy and love were rejected. In that weeping He looked beyond the destruction of Jerusalem to an impenitent world doomed to destruction, which makes the ride a solemn subject. It shows the mercy and love of Jesus in dying for sinful man so that he might not perish in his sins.
The scenes of that entry into Jerusalem are compared with the events of the last great day. In that entry the disciples spread their garments in Jesus' path as He rode, honoring Him as King. Their open praise and devotion could be dismissed as extravagant by those who wanted them silenced. God's people should not be cold or ashamed to glorify Christ, for if they were silent even the stones would give Him praise.
As He rode into Jerusalem in His triumphal entry, the disciples and the multitude spread their outer garments in the way to make a carpet before Him, honoring Him as King and Messiah with glad, joyful worship because they had no costly gifts or outward pomp to offer. Those who spread them were trophies of His love rescued and praising God for deliverance, cleansed lepers, restored blind, loosed dumb shouting hosannas, healed cripples, widows and orphans, those awakened from death, and Lazarus himself leading the humble beast. With the garments they strewed and waved olive and palm branches, nature's emblem of victory, with loud hosannas which He accepted, fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy of the lowly King while the disciples recounted His healings and raisings of the dead. The crowd believed they were escorting Him to take David's throne and deliver Israel as a temporal king, not yet understanding that He must suffer and rise, and in a few days they saw Him on the cruel cross, yet He was true to His promises to the faithful. The ride belongs with His weeping over the doomed city in mercy and love for sinful men, making the entry a solemn warning of the last great day, so God's people should not be cold or ashamed to glorify Christ openly, for if they were silent even the stones would cry out.
The Triumphal Carpet
As He rode into Jerusalem in His triumphal entry, the disciples and the multitude spread their outer garments in the way to make a carpet in His path before the animal He rode. It was the coming of a King, and the spreading of the clothes honored Him as King, Messiah and promised King. The act was done with glad enthusiasm and joyful welcome, as the worship of happy hearts. They had no costly gifts to offer, no outward pomp and splendor, and no royal standards, so their garments served as the carpet for His procession.
Those who spread their garments were trophies of His love rescued by Him and praising God for deliverance, unlike the mourning captives in the trains of earthly conquerors' processions. Among them were lepers cleansed by His word from a living death, spreading their untainted garments in His path and hailing Him as the King of Glory. With them were the blind to whom He restored sight pressing on and leading the way, and the dumb whose tongues He loosed shouting the loudest hosannas. There were the cripples He healed breaking off palm branches and waving them before Him, and widows and orphans exalting Him for His mercy. There were those awakened from the sleep of death, and Lazarus restored from corruption in the grave to the full strength of manhood guiding the humble beast He rode.
With the garments the people also strewed leafy branches of olive and palm in the way. They cut down spreading palm boughs, nature's emblem of victory, and waved them aloft with loud acclamations and hosannas. Jesus accepted this homage He had never before permitted.
The entry took place in the beautiful season of the year, when a large, enthusiastic crowd gathered. The gathering was drawn in part by the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus.
Prophecy and Expectation
The spreading of garments in the way was the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy of a lowly King coming to Jerusalem. The disciples honored Jesus along His path into the city with glad enthusiasm and welcomed Him as the promised King. The prophesied acclamation had to be fulfilled, so prophecy was being fulfilled in what the people did.
As they laid their garments on the road, the disciples loudly recounted His healings, His raisings of the dead, and every other mighty work they could remember. Great blessing and praise to God came from their lips. People flocked from all the region about, spreading their clothes in the way and crying Hosanna to the Son of David. The shouting had to happen because prophecy must be fulfilled, so that when priests and elders asked Jesus to still the multitude He declared that if they held their peace even the stones would cry out.
They honored Him as king and believed they were escorting Him to take David's throne. They welcomed Him with enthusiastic joy because they believed He was about to become a temporal king, to be crowned king and to reign on David's throne and to deliver Israel from its oppressors. But their hopes were not fulfilled as they expected, because they did not yet understand that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. In a few days those high hopes were disappointed when they saw their beloved Master stretched upon the cruel cross above the mocking, taunting Pharisees, and the darkness of death closed about them. Yet Christ was true to His promises and gave sweet consolation and rich reward to the true and faithful.
Warning and Worship Today
The spreading of garments in the way belongs to Christ's riding into Jerusalem toward the crest of Olivet where He wept over the doomed city. He wept there because His mercy and love were rejected. In that weeping He looked beyond the destruction of Jerusalem to an impenitent world doomed to destruction, which makes the ride a solemn subject. It shows the mercy and love of Jesus in dying for sinful man so that he might not perish in his sins.
The scenes of that entry into Jerusalem are compared with the events of the last great day. In that entry the disciples spread their garments in Jesus' path as He rode, honoring Him as King. Their open praise and devotion could be dismissed as extravagant by those who wanted them silenced. God's people should not be cold or ashamed to glorify Christ, for if they were silent even the stones would give Him praise.