8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” 11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. Mark 11:8-11

Jesus Is The Promised Savior

As Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem, his entrance is peculiar. Why did Jesus want to ride in on a young donkey? He'd gone to Jerusalem many times for various feasts. Ever since his childhood, Jesus had been a pilgrim bound for Jerusalem. And he had never ridden in on a young donkey. Why did Jesus choose such a dramatic and different entrance on this day? He entered this way because it fulfilled a unique prophecy from the Old Testament. Zechariah had said:

Zechariah 9:9 (NLT) — 9 Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt. Mark doesn't make note of that prophecy, but Matthew and John do. And this wasn't the only time Jesus did or said something that fulfilled a long forgotten prophecy. Take some of the other prophecies he fulfilled:

• The Bible had said the Messiah would be born of a woman (Genesis 3:15), from a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), and in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
• He had to be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David (Genesis 17:19, Numbers 24:17, Genesis 49:10, 2 Samuel 7:12-13).
• He would spend some of his childhood in Egypt (Hosea 11:1).
• A massacre of children would happen at his birth town (Jeremiah 31:15).
• A messenger would cry out in the wilderness as a way to prepare people for his coming (Isaiah 40:3-5).
• He would be a Moses-like figure who would lead his people out of slavery (Deuteronomy 18:15).
• He would be known as a Nazarene (Matthew 2:23).
• Little children would praise him (Psalm 8:2).
• He would be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9, Zechariah 11:12-13).
• The money spent to betray him would buy a field (Zechariah 11:12-13).
• He would be crucified with criminals (Isaiah 53:12).
• His hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:16).
• He would be mocked and ridiculed, and soldiers would gamble for his garments (Psalm 22:7-8, 18).
• His bones would not be broken while on the cross (Exodus 12:46, Psalm 34:20).
• They would pierce his side (Zechariah 12:10).
• They would bury him in a rich man's tomb (Isaiah 53:9).
• And he would rise from the dead (Psalm 16:10)!

The sure prophetic witness of Scripture points to Jesus. We can trust him!

Jesus Brought Better Salvation

As Jesus rode in on that colt, fulfilling prophecy, the people cried out to Jesus. “Hosanna!” they said, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!" (9-10). In the Old Testament, there were times people approached the king and asked him to save—and the people did the same thing to Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. Hosanna means save now. They longed for deliverance, for salvation. Salvation now! And they wanted this salvation to coincide with the kingdom of David. Again, this was a terribly exciting moment. They knew Jesus was special. John tells us they didn't really know and believe in Jesus (John 12:37). They were confused about him and his message. But they were excited. The Son of David has come! Save now, they said. And their songs, directed towards Jesus, angered the religious leaders. Mark doesn't mention it, but the other gospels tell us the Pharisees confronted Jesus about the crowd's words. Jesus, the crowd is singing Psalm 118 to you! To YOU! This isn't right. Silence them! But Jesus said, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out" (Luke 19:40). Jesus heard their cries and went straight to the temple courts (11). The Son of David goes straight for the heart of Israel, the heart of Judaism. The crowds must have pressed upon him in anticipation. Would he call down fire? Would he drive out the Romans from the sacred space? Would he rally a revolt? Instead, Jesus looked around at everything (11). He observed the busy-ness and business of the temple. Then, since it was already late, he departed for a night in Bethany (11). I can't emphasize enough how anticlimactic this was for the people. Was Jesus the long-awaited Messiah? Was he the one who would elevate Israel to worldwide dominion? Was he the political superhero for whom they waited? For a moment, while he was on his donkey, it felt like it. Then he left. Maybe not. But Jesus most definitely heard their cries for salvation. He heard them shout "Hosanna!" But he decided to answer their cry for salvation with a deeper, better, and truer salvation. We know this—he came to deliver his people from sin. He came for war, but not the kind people expected. He came to destroy Satan and the power of sin. He might not have come for visible and tangible war, but Jerusalem would be the place he collided with all the powers of darkness. On the cross, he raged against a force stronger and more ever-present than gravity, the reign of sin. And, through his death and resurrection, he won a better salvation—the best salvation.