This is Matthew’s account of Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem (as found in Matthew 21).
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.
Riding on a donkey was something a very particular kind of King did. “In the ancient Middle Eastern world, leaders rode horses if they rode to war, but donkeys if they came in peace. First Kings 1:33 mentions Solomon riding a donkey on the day he was recognized as the new king of Israel… The mention of a donkey in Zechariah 9:9-10 fits the description of a king who would be ‘righteous and having salvation, gentle.’ Rather than riding to conquer, this king would enter in peace.” [1]
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds (of disciples) that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”0 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” When Jerusalem came into view, He looked intently at the city and began to weep.
Jesus: Oh, Jerusalem, how I wish you knew today the terms of peace! But you can’t see…”
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Jesus used the phrase “the terms of peace” (or “what would bring peace”) elsewhere.
“What king going to encounter another king in war will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks the king the terms of peace.” (Luke 14:31-32)
It’s the same phrase both places. The king will bring peace, but it will be the King’s peace, on the King’s terms, and in the King’s way. Peace! Sounds great!
· Then Jesus drives out the money lenders in the Temple
· Then Jesus curses a leafy fig tree for not bearing fruit.
· The he tells the chief priests and the elders that tax collectors and prostitutes would be in the kingdom of God ahead of them
· Then he tells them the parable of a landowner with a vineyard who sent his son to collect the harvest, and the tenants killed him. “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”
Oh, so…they are the fig tree that looks really healthy but produces nothing. This doesn’t seem peaceful, but there must be something here about peace that might not seem obvious on the surface but is present nonetheless.
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This bringer of peace was, it turns out, in some ways very unsettling.
The religious leaders were looking for Temple messiah, one who would purify the Temple and restore its reputation and influence in the world. Well, Jesus purified the Temple, but not in the way they expected. He confronted the hypocrites in the temple, then demonstrated the uselessness of a tree that does not bear the fruit it is meant to bear, and told the chief priests and elders that that tree was them: fruitless; barren. He goes on to tell them they actually made disciples on behalf of hell (Matthew 23:15).
The crowds cheered him as The Messiah – and by that, they meant a zealot warrior who would overthrow Rome.[2] That’s why there were palm branches. It was the sign of the Zealots. They wanted bloodshed from a Messiah with a sword. I have to imagine they weren’t too excited about a King on a donkey instead of a war horse. In their eyes, Jesus let them down time and again.
· He refused to start an uprising against Rome.
· He actually told people to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s.
· He told them to repay evil with good.
· He told them that his Kingdom was not of this world, so his followers shouldn’t use force to spread His kingdom or even defend him.
To get an idea of just how unsettling this was, think of John the Baptizer, while in jail awaiting his death, who sent a message to Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” This was the same guy who once announced Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He needed to know if Jesus was the real deal.
Jesus replied by quoting Isaiah (35:5 and 61:1): “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. And blessed are those who do not take offense in me.” (Luke 7)
That last line seems odd, but remember what the Jewish people were expecting and longing for. Then note that Jesus left off that he was here to proclaim the day of vengeance (Isaiah 61:2) and focused on the Lord’s favor (also Isaiah 61:2). Jesus is basically saying, “I am here on the king’s terms, not yours.”
* * * * *
“Oh, Jerusalem, how I wish you knew today the terms of peace! But you can’t see…”
So what is the peace the Messiah was bringing, and where do we see it? It was Jesus, and we see the terms in Jesus.
· “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)
· “For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28)
· “… and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood…” (Revelation 1:5-6)
· “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14)
· “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
This is the peace: that God himself pays the penalty for our peace-breaking sin so that we can live in peace first with God, then with others and within ourselves. If we expect that peace will come to the world (and to us) when the King takes care of the things around us, we will often be disappointed.
He didn’t make the Romans go away; he told the people how He would help them live in the presence of Romans. He didn’t confront others in answer to the hopes and prayer of the Pharisees; he confronted the Pharisees. They wanted a Messiah who would set everyone else right, as if the problem was only around them rather in them. This is why they couldn't see it. They assumed that God needed to deal with others.
But the problem was them. They were the source of sin in the world. They were the ones for whom the Messiah had to come. They absolutely needed deliverance, but they hadn’t realized they needed deliverance from themselves.
The king set the terms of peace: He made things right between sinful, fallen humanity and a holy God by paying the price of reconciliation. He satisfied the requirements of a just God while showing the heart of a loving God.
“God did not, then, inflict pain on someone else, but rather on the Cross absorbed the pain, violence, and evil of the world into himself… this is a God who becomes human and offers his own lifeblood in order to honor moral justice and merciful love so that someday he can destroy all evil without destroying us.” (Tim Keller)
Justice must be served because God is just; to save just one of us, it would have cost him a crucifixion. This should always humble us, because it reminds us that we are more sinful than we want to admit.
But mercy must be offered because God is merciful. To save just one of us, Jesus was willing to do this. This should always encourage us, because it reminds us that God’s love for us is so much deeper than we can ever imagine.
This peace will lead to others kinds of peace if we become people of peace. The more the peace of God reigns in our hearts, the more we become peace-makers with our attitudes, words and actions. But that kind of God-inspired peace only comes after the King of Peace brings His peace to us.
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[1] gotquestions.org, “Why would A King Ride A Donkey Instead Of A Warhorse?”
[2] A short list of Messianic Kings who had tried and failed:
· Judas (of Galilee), Zealot, led revolt against Romans AD 6 (Acts 5)
· Judas Maccabeus 160's BC, considered on par with David/Gideon. He entered Jerusalem at the head of an army, purified the temple. His reconstitution of the temple is the basis of Hanukah. He destroyed altars to Ashdod, but was eventually killed in battle.
· Menahem ben Judah, (grand)son of Judas the Galilean led a revolt against Agrippa II.
· Simon bar Kokhba ca. 135), founded a short-lived Jewish state that he ruled for 3 years before being defeated in the Second Jewish-Roman War. 580,000 Jewish people died. He went from Kokhba,“Son of a Star” (Numbers 24:17) to Kozeba, “Son of the Lie.”
· Theudas (mentioned in Acts 5:36) died in AD 46. He claimed to be a Messiah, and led about 400 people to the Jordan River, where he said he would divide it to show his power. He didn't. He was stopped and executed.
· The Anonymous Egyptian (Jew). c.55, (an allusion to Moses), with 30,000 unarmed Jews doing The Exodus reenactment. He led them to the Mount of Olives, where he claimed he would command the walls around Jerusalem to fall. His group was massacred by Procurator Antonius Felix, and he was never seen again.