Palm Sunday - The Need

In varying amounts of detail, the Triumphal Entry is described in all four gospel accounts. Only Matthew and John were present at the event, and all four gospel writers had different purposes in choosing the details of their story line.

Although the Triumphal Entry is traditionally taken to have happened on the Sunday before the crucifixion of Jesus, experts vary on the exact day it happened. John wrote that Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover, and indicates the entry happened the next day. Based on the placement of the passages in the other gospels, it could be interpreted that the entry could have happened as late as two days before Passover.

John says that people were going to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Matthew indicates a donkey and its colt were to be brought to Jesus, while the other three gospels mention only a colt. Luke indicates the colt had more than one owner. Mark and Luke have Jesus saying the colt will be unridden.

All of the writers have a common goal of relating the event and crowd’s reactions to at least two scriptures:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Zechariah 9:9

“Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.” Psalm 118:26

When Jesus arrived on the top of the Mount of Olives, he would have looked over the western side of the Mount, across the Kidron Valley, up the eastern side of the Temple Mount, and at the Temple. The Temple was ornately covered with gifts and offerings, many of which were made of gold. It must have been quite a sight to see the many thousands of pilgrims with their campfires, the fires of sacrifice at the Temple, the ancient graves of the prophets, and the city of Jerusalem. The followers of Jesus were rightly impressed with what they could see. Jesus, however, was sorrowful. He could envision the future destruction of everything that his followers were admiring.