Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
The cry blesses the coming kingdom of David in the Lord's name as the crowd escorts Jesus into Jerusalem, hailing Him as Messiah and promised heir to David's throne with joyful hosannas of praise to God. He rides toward the city on a donkey colt upon which no man had sat, accepting public royal homage He had never before permitted, after the custom of kings entering royally in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy that Israel's King would come lowly riding on a colt. By blessing David's kingdom the multitude means the hour of emancipation has come, when Roman armies will be driven out, Israel will again be independent, and Jesus will take David's throne at Jerusalem in a prosperous earthly reign, a hope the disciples share as they take His acceptance of homage as proof He will be acknowledged as King of Israel. That rejoicing entry is only a prelude to His suffering and death, directing public attention to His coming sacrifice as the world's Redeemer, so that within days the joyful welcome gives way to fear and despair as they follow the disgraced Jesus to Calvary. Yet the royal welcome points beyond the event to His future glory as Zion's King at His coming as King.
The Triumphal Entry
Mark 11:10 belongs to the account of Christ riding into Jerusalem as King, a scene marked by rejoicing and the declaration that the King has come. The cry records the crowd escorting Jesus into Jerusalem, hailing Him as Messiah and promised heir to David's throne and blessing His coming kingdom in the Lord's name with joyful hosannas of praise to God. Their acclaim arose from the expectation that He would establish Israel's independence and royal rule, though that expectation misunderstood the nature of His kingdom. Jesus accepted this public royal homage, which the disciples took as proof that their hopes of His recognition in Jerusalem as King of Israel would be fulfilled.
Jesus rode toward the city on a donkey colt upon which no man had sat, with the disciples spreading their garments upon the animal and setting Him upon it. As soon as He was seated a loud shout of triumph hailed Him as Messiah and King, and He then accepted public royal homage He had never before permitted. Riding the colt followed the Jewish custom for kings riding in royal entry, using the animal ridden by the kings of Israel, in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy that Israel's King would come lowly riding on a colt.
The people gave Him the worship of happy hearts, spreading outer garments as a carpet in His path and strewing olive and palm branches in the way, waving palm boughs, nature's emblem of victory, with loud acclamations and hosannas filling the air and echoing from hills and valleys. The multitude continually grew with those hastening to join, including witnesses from Bethany who had flocked to see Him, Passover pilgrims on the way to the city, and spectators asking who He was and what the commotion signified. Those spectators were astonished because He had heretofore refused kingly honors and had declared His kingdom was not of this world, yet now received honors. Thousands came out from Jerusalem with palm branches and sacred song to welcome Him, so that few responded to the priests' trumpet for evening service. The disciples themselves followed Him riding triumphantly, strewing garments and beautiful palm branches in the way.
Unlike the triumphs of earth's famous conquerors, His procession had no train of mourning captives as trophies of valor but the glorious trophies of love for sinful man. The blessing and the hosannas came from captives rescued from Satan's power praising God for deliverance, from the blind given sight pressing on and leading the way, and from the dumb given speech shouting the loudest hosannas. They came from healed cripples bounding freely and most active in breaking palm branches and waving them before the Saviour, from widows and orphans exalting His mercy, and from cleansed lepers spreading their untainted garments in His path and hailing Him as the King of Glory. They came also from those awakened from the sleep of death, with Lazarus restored from corruption to the full strength of manhood guiding the humble beast He rode. The large, enthusiastic crowd had gathered in part because of the effect of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
The Expected Kingdom
The blessing on the coming kingdom of David was a cry for national emancipation, meaning to those who shouted it that the hour of deliverance had come. It meant that the Roman armies would be driven from Jerusalem and that Israel would once more be an independent nation under David's restored rule. It meant that Jesus, welcomed as Messiah and promised heir to David's throne, would take possession of that throne at Jerusalem and reign there in a prosperous earthly kingdom. That acclaim answered prophetic expectation from the past, yet it misunderstood the nature of His kingdom.
The disciples shared that earthly hope and took His acceptance of homage He had never before permitted as proof that He would be acknowledged at Jerusalem as King of Israel. To them that day felt like the crowning day of their lives. In their joy they forgot His repeated warnings that He must certainly suffer and die.
That rejoicing entry was only a prelude to His suffering and death. His royal entry instead directed public attention to His coming sacrifice as the world's Redeemer. The same disciples who followed Him riding triumphantly into Jerusalem with bounding hearts and cheerful hopes, strewing garments and palm branches in the way, within days followed the disgraced and humbled Jesus slowly and sadly to Calvary to die. Then their hearts were stricken with fear and despair and all their prospects were blighted, though after His resurrection those hopes revived.
The royal welcome faintly prefigured and points beyond the event to His future glory as Zion's King at His coming as King.
Warning and Example
The rejoicing belongs to the triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, when thousands cried hosannas. It took place as the final appeal of love and compassion was made to Jerusalem. The city addressed by that appeal would reject it. The entrance, together with the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the barren fig tree, pointed to the doom of Jerusalem.
The praise of the coming kingdom of David in the name of the Lord was taken up by children in the temple. Their praise is an example for these days. Children's voices are to be raised to give the last message of warning to the world.
The cry blesses the coming kingdom of David in the Lord's name as the crowd escorts Jesus into Jerusalem, hailing Him as Messiah and promised heir to David's throne with joyful hosannas of praise to God. He rides toward the city on a donkey colt upon which no man had sat, accepting public royal homage He had never before permitted, after the custom of kings entering royally in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy that Israel's King would come lowly riding on a colt. By blessing David's kingdom the multitude means the hour of emancipation has come, when Roman armies will be driven out, Israel will again be independent, and Jesus will take David's throne at Jerusalem in a prosperous earthly reign, a hope the disciples share as they take His acceptance of homage as proof He will be acknowledged as King of Israel. That rejoicing entry is only a prelude to His suffering and death, directing public attention to His coming sacrifice as the world's Redeemer, so that within days the joyful welcome gives way to fear and despair as they follow the disgraced Jesus to Calvary. Yet the royal welcome points beyond the event to His future glory as Zion's King at His coming as King.
The Triumphal Entry
Mark 11:10 belongs to the account of Christ riding into Jerusalem as King, a scene marked by rejoicing and the declaration that the King has come. The cry records the crowd escorting Jesus into Jerusalem, hailing Him as Messiah and promised heir to David's throne and blessing His coming kingdom in the Lord's name with joyful hosannas of praise to God. Their acclaim arose from the expectation that He would establish Israel's independence and royal rule, though that expectation misunderstood the nature of His kingdom. Jesus accepted this public royal homage, which the disciples took as proof that their hopes of His recognition in Jerusalem as King of Israel would be fulfilled.
Jesus rode toward the city on a donkey colt upon which no man had sat, with the disciples spreading their garments upon the animal and setting Him upon it. As soon as He was seated a loud shout of triumph hailed Him as Messiah and King, and He then accepted public royal homage He had never before permitted. Riding the colt followed the Jewish custom for kings riding in royal entry, using the animal ridden by the kings of Israel, in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy that Israel's King would come lowly riding on a colt.
The people gave Him the worship of happy hearts, spreading outer garments as a carpet in His path and strewing olive and palm branches in the way, waving palm boughs, nature's emblem of victory, with loud acclamations and hosannas filling the air and echoing from hills and valleys. The multitude continually grew with those hastening to join, including witnesses from Bethany who had flocked to see Him, Passover pilgrims on the way to the city, and spectators asking who He was and what the commotion signified. Those spectators were astonished because He had heretofore refused kingly honors and had declared His kingdom was not of this world, yet now received honors. Thousands came out from Jerusalem with palm branches and sacred song to welcome Him, so that few responded to the priests' trumpet for evening service. The disciples themselves followed Him riding triumphantly, strewing garments and beautiful palm branches in the way.
Unlike the triumphs of earth's famous conquerors, His procession had no train of mourning captives as trophies of valor but the glorious trophies of love for sinful man. The blessing and the hosannas came from captives rescued from Satan's power praising God for deliverance, from the blind given sight pressing on and leading the way, and from the dumb given speech shouting the loudest hosannas. They came from healed cripples bounding freely and most active in breaking palm branches and waving them before the Saviour, from widows and orphans exalting His mercy, and from cleansed lepers spreading their untainted garments in His path and hailing Him as the King of Glory. They came also from those awakened from the sleep of death, with Lazarus restored from corruption to the full strength of manhood guiding the humble beast He rode. The large, enthusiastic crowd had gathered in part because of the effect of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
The Expected Kingdom
The blessing on the coming kingdom of David was a cry for national emancipation, meaning to those who shouted it that the hour of deliverance had come. It meant that the Roman armies would be driven from Jerusalem and that Israel would once more be an independent nation under David's restored rule. It meant that Jesus, welcomed as Messiah and promised heir to David's throne, would take possession of that throne at Jerusalem and reign there in a prosperous earthly kingdom. That acclaim answered prophetic expectation from the past, yet it misunderstood the nature of His kingdom.
The disciples shared that earthly hope and took His acceptance of homage He had never before permitted as proof that He would be acknowledged at Jerusalem as King of Israel. To them that day felt like the crowning day of their lives. In their joy they forgot His repeated warnings that He must certainly suffer and die.
That rejoicing entry was only a prelude to His suffering and death. His royal entry instead directed public attention to His coming sacrifice as the world's Redeemer. The same disciples who followed Him riding triumphantly into Jerusalem with bounding hearts and cheerful hopes, strewing garments and palm branches in the way, within days followed the disgraced and humbled Jesus slowly and sadly to Calvary to die. Then their hearts were stricken with fear and despair and all their prospects were blighted, though after His resurrection those hopes revived.
The royal welcome faintly prefigured and points beyond the event to His future glory as Zion's King at His coming as King.
Warning and Example
The rejoicing belongs to the triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, when thousands cried hosannas. It took place as the final appeal of love and compassion was made to Jerusalem. The city addressed by that appeal would reject it. The entrance, together with the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the barren fig tree, pointed to the doom of Jerusalem.
The praise of the coming kingdom of David in the name of the Lord was taken up by children in the temple. Their praise is an example for these days. Children's voices are to be raised to give the last message of warning to the world.