"Thy King Cometh"
Chapter Sixty-Three
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"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." Zech. 9:9.
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Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet
Zechariah thus foretold the coming of the King to Israel. This
prophecy is now to be fulfilled. He who has so long refused royal
honors now comes to Jerusalem as the promised heir to David's
throne.
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It was on the first day of the week that Christ made His
triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Multitudes who had flocked to see
Him at Bethany now accompanied Him, eager to witness His
reception. Many people were on their way to the city to keep the
Passover, and these joined the multitude attending Jesus. All
nature seemed to rejoice. The trees were clothed with verdure,
and their blossoms shed a delicate fragrance on the air. A new
life and joy animated the people. The hope of the new kingdom was
again springing up.
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Purposing to ride into Jerusalem, Jesus had sent two of His
disciples to bring to Him an ass and its colt. At His birth the
Saviour was dependent upon the hospitality of strangers. The
manger in which He lay was a borrowed resting place. Now,
although the cattle on a thousand hills are His, He is dependent
on a stranger's kindness for an animal on which to enter
Jerusalem as its King. But again His divinity is revealed, even
in the minute directions given His disciples for this errand. As
He foretold, the plea, "The Lord hath need of them,"
was readily granted. Jesus chose for His use the colt on which
never man had sat. The disciples, with glad enthusiasm, spread
their garments on the beast, and seated their Master upon it.
Heretofore Jesus had always traveled on foot, and the disciples
had at first wondered that He should now choose to ride. But hope
brightened in their hearts with the joyous thought that He was
about to enter the capital, proclaim Himself King, and assert His
royal power. While on their errand they communicated their
glowing expectations to the friends of Jesus, and the excitement
spread far and near, raising the expectations of the people to
the highest pitch.
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Christ was following the Jewish custom for a royal entry. The
animal on which He rode was that ridden by the kings of Israel,
and prophecy had foretold that thus the Messiah should come to
His kingdom. No sooner was He seated upon the colt than a loud
shout of triumph rent the air. The multitude hailed Him as
Messiah, their King. Jesus now accepted the homage which He had
never before permitted, and the disciples received this as proof
that their glad hopes were to be realized by seeing Him
established on the throne. The multitude were convinced that the
hour of their emancipation was at hand. In imagination they saw
the Roman armies driven from Jerusalem, and Israel once more an
independent nation. All were happy and excited; the people vied
with one another in paying Him homage. They could not display
outward pomp and splendor, but they gave Him the worship of happy
hearts. They were unable to present Him with costly gifts, but
they spread their outer garments as a carpet in His path, and
they also strewed the leafy branches of the olive and the palm in
the way. They could lead the triumphal procession with no royal
standards, but they cut down the spreading palm boughs, Nature's
emblem of victory, and waved them aloft with loud acclamations
and hosannas.
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As they proceeded, the multitude was continually increased by
those who had heard of the coming of Jesus and hastened to join
the procession. Spectators were constantly mingling with the
throng, and asking, Who is this? What does all this commotion
signify? They had all heard of Jesus, and expected Him to go to
Jerusalem; but they knew that He had heretofore discouraged all
effort to place Him on the throne, and they were greatly
astonished to learn that this was He. They wondered what could
have wrought this change in Him who had declared that His kingdom
was not of this world.
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Their questionings are silenced by a shout of triumph. Again and
again it is repeated by the eager throng; it is taken up by the
people afar off, and echoed from the surrounding hills and
valleys. And now the procession is joined by crowds from
Jerusalem. From the multitudes gathered to attend the Passover,
thousands go forth to welcome Jesus. They greet Him with the
waving of palm branches and a burst of sacred song. The priests
at the temple sound the trumpet for evening service, but there
are few to respond, and the rulers say to one another in alarm.
"The world is gone after Him."
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Never before in His earthly life had Jesus permitted such a
demonstration. He clearly foresaw the result. It would bring Him
to the cross. But it was His purpose thus publicly to present
Himself as the Redeemer. He desired to call attention to the
sacrifice that was to crown His mission to a fallen world. While
the people were assembling at Jerusalem to celebrate the
Passover, He, the antitypical Lamb, by a voluntary act set
Himself apart as an oblation. It would be needful for His church
in all succeeding ages to make His death for the sins of the
world a subject of deep thought and study. Every fact connected
with it should be verified beyond a doubt. It was necessary,
then, that the eyes of all people should now be directed to Him;
the events which preceded His great sacrifice must be such as to
call attention to the sacrifice itself. After such a
demonstration as that attending His entry into Jerusalem, all
eyes would follow His rapid progress to the final scene.
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The events connected with this triumphal ride would be the talk
of every tongue, and would bring Jesus before every mind. After
His crucifixion, many would recall these events in their
connection with His trial and death. They would be led to search
the prophecies, and would be convinced that Jesus was the
Messiah; and in all lands converts to the faith would be
multiplied.
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In this one triumphant scene of His earthly life, the Saviour
might have appeared escorted by heavenly angels, and heralded by
the trump of God; but such a demonstration would have been
contrary to the purpose of His mission, contrary to the law which
had governed His life. He remained true to the humble lot He had
accepted. The burden of humanity He must bear until His life was
given for the life of the world.
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This day, which seemed to the disciples the crowning day of their
lives, would have been shadowed with gloomy clouds had they known
that this scene of rejoicing was but a prelude to the suffering
and death of their Master. Although He had repeatedly told them
of His certain sacrifice, yet in the glad triumph of the present
they forgot His sorrowful words, and looked forward to His
prosperous reign on David's throne.
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New accessions were made continually to the procession, and, with
few exceptions, all who joined it caught the inspiration of the
hour, and helped to swell the hosannas that echoed and re-echoed
from hill to hill and from valley to valley. The shouts went up
continually, "Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He
that cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the
highest."
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Never before had the world seen such a triumphal procession. It
was not like that of the earth's famous conquerors. No train of
mourning captives, as trophies of kingly valor, made a feature of
that scene. But about the Saviour were the glorious trophies of
His labors of love for sinful man. There were the captives whom
He had rescued from Satan's power, praising God for their
deliverance. The blind whom He had restored to sight were leading
the way. The dumb whose tongues He had loosed shouted the loudest
hosannas. The cripples whom He had healed bounded with joy, and
were the most active in breaking the palm branches and waving
them before the Saviour. Widows and orphans were exalting the
name of Jesus for His works of mercy to them. The lepers whom He
had cleansed spread their untainted garments in His path, and
hailed Him as the King of glory. Those whom His voice had
awakened from the sleep of death were in that throng. Lazarus,
whose body had seen corruption in the grave, but who now rejoiced
in the strength of glorious manhood, led the beast on which the
Saviour rode.
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Many Pharisees witnessed the scene, and, burning with envy and
malice, sought to turn the current of popular feeling. With all
their authority they tried to silence the people; but their
appeals and threats only increased the enthusiasm. They feared
that this multitude, in the strength of their numbers, would make
Jesus king. As a last resort they pressed through the crowd to
where the Saviour was, and accosted Him with reproving and
threatening words: "Master, rebuke Thy disciples." They
declared that such noisy demonstrations were unlawful, and would
not be permitted by the authorities. But they were silenced by
the reply of Jesus, "I tell you that, if these should hold
their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." That
scene of triumph was of God's own appointing. It had been
foretold by the prophet, and man was powerless to turn aside
God's purpose. Had men failed to carry out His plan, He would
have given a voice to the inanimate stones, and they would have
hailed His Son with acclamations of praise. As the silenced
Pharisees drew back, the words of Zechariah were taken up by
hundreds of voices: "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."
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When the procession reached the brow of the hill, and was about
to descend into the city, Jesus halted, and all the multitude
with Him. Before them lay Jerusalem in its glory, now bathed in
the light of the declining sun. The temple attracted all eyes. In
stately grandeur it towered above all else, seeming to point
toward heaven as if directing the people to the only true and
living God. The temple had long been the pride and glory of the
Jewish nation. The Romans also prided themselves in its
magnificence. A king appointed by the Romans had united with the
Jews to rebuild and embellish it, and the emperor of Rome had
enriched it with his gifts. Its strength, richness, and
magnificence had made it one of the wonders of the world.
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While the westering sun was tinting and gilding the heavens, its
resplendent glory lighted up the pure white marble of the temple
walls, and sparkled on its gold-capped pillars. From the crest of
the hill where Jesus and His followers stood, it had the
appearance of a massive structure of snow, set with golden
pinnacles. At the entrance to the temple was a vine of gold and
silver, with green leaves and massive clusters of grapes executed
by the most skillful artists. This design represented Israel as a
prosperous vine. The gold, silver, and living green were combined
with rare taste and exquisite workmanship; as it twined
gracefully about the white and glistening pillars, clinging with
shining tendrils to their golden ornaments, it caught the
splendor of the setting sun, shining as if with a glory borrowed
from heaven.
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Jesus gazes upon the scene, and the vast multitude hush their
shouts, spellbound by the sudden vision of beauty. All eyes turn
upon the Saviour, expecting to see in His countenance the
admiration they themselves feel. But instead of this they behold
a cloud of sorrow. They are surprised and disappointed to see His
eyes fill with tears, and His body rock to and fro like a tree
before the tempest, while a wail of anguish bursts from His
quivering lips, as if from the depths of a broken heart. What a
sight was this for angels to behold! their loved Commander in an
agony of tears! What a sight was this for the glad throng that
with shouts of triumph and the waving of palm branches were
escorting Him to the glorious city, where they fondly hoped He
was about to reign! Jesus had wept at the grave of Lazarus, but
it was in a godlike grief in sympathy with human woe. But this
sudden sorrow was like a note of wailing in a grand triumphal
chorus. In the midst of a scene of rejoicing, where all were
paying Him homage, Israel's King was in tears; not silent tears
of gladness, but tears and groans of insuppressible agony. The
multitude were struck with a sudden gloom. Their acclamations
were silenced. Many wept in sympathy with a grief they could not
comprehend.
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The tears of Jesus were not in anticipation of His own suffering.
Just before Him was Gethsemane, where soon the horror of a great
darkness would overshadow Him. The sheepgate also was in sight,
through which for centuries the beasts for sacrificial offerings
had been led. This gate was soon to open for Him, the great
Antitype, toward whose sacrifice for the sins of the world all
these offerings had pointed. Near by was Calvary, the scene of
His approaching agony. Yet it was not because of these reminders
of His cruel death that the Redeemer wept and groaned in anguish
of spirit. His was no selfish sorrow. The thought of His own
agony did not intimidate that noble, self-sacrificing soul. It
was the sight of Jerusalem that pierced the heart of
Jesus--Jerusalem that had rejected the Son of God and scorned His
love, that refused to be convinced by His mighty miracles, and
was about to take His life. He saw what she was in her guilt of
rejecting her Redeemer, and what she might have been had she
accepted Him who alone could heal her wound. He had come to save
her; how could He give her up?
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Israel had been a favored people; God had made their temple His
habitation; it was "beautiful for situation, the joy of the
whole earth." Ps. 48:2. The record of more than a thousand
years of Christ's guardian care and tender love, such as a father
bears his only child, was there. In that temple the prophets had
uttered their solemn warnings. There had the burning censers
waved, while incense, mingled with the prayers of the worshipers,
had ascended to God. There the blood of beasts had flowed,
typical of the blood of Christ. There Jehovah had manifested His
glory above the mercy seat. There the priests had officiated, and
the pomp of symbol and ceremony had gone on for ages. But all
this must have an end.
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Jesus raised His hand,--that had so often blessed the sick and
suffering,--and waving it toward the doomed city, in broken
utterances of grief exclaimed: "If thou hadst known, even
thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy
peace!--" Here the Saviour paused, and left unsaid what
might have been the condition of Jerusalem had she accepted the
help that God desired to give her,--the gift of His beloved Son.
If Jerusalem had known what it was her privilege to know, and had
heeded the light which Heaven had sent her, she might have stood
forth in the pride of prosperity, the queen of kingdoms, free in
the strength of her God-given power. There would have been no
armed soldiers standing at her gates, no Roman banners waving
from her walls. The glorious destiny that might have blessed
Jerusalem had she accepted her Redeemer rose before the Son of
God. He saw that she might through Him have been healed of her
grievous malady, liberated from bondage, and established as the
mighty metropolis of the earth. From her walls the dove of peace
would have gone forth to all nations. She would have been the
world's diadem of glory.
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But the bright picture of what Jerusalem might have been fades
from the Saviour's sight. He realizes what she now is under the
Roman yoke, bearing the frown of God, doomed to His retributive
judgment. He takes up the broken thread of His lamentation:
"But now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall
come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about
thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and
shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within
thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another;
because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."
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Christ came to save Jerusalem with her children; but Pharisaical
pride, hypocrisy, jealousy, and malice had prevented Him from
accomplishing His purpose. Jesus knew the terrible retribution
which would be visited upon the doomed city. He saw Jerusalem
encompassed with armies, the besieged inhabitants driven to
starvation and death, mothers feeding upon the dead bodies of
their own children, and both parents and children snatching the
last morsel of food from one another, natural affection being
destroyed by the gnawing pangs of hunger. He saw that the
stubbornness of the Jews, as evinced in their rejection of His
salvation, would also lead them to refuse submission to the
invading armies. He beheld Calvary, on which He was to be lifted
up, set with crosses as thickly as forest trees. He saw the
wretched inhabitants suffering torture on the rack and by
crucifixion, the beautiful palaces destroyed, the temple in
ruins, and of its massive walls not one stone left upon another,
while the city was plowed like a field. Well might the Saviour
weep in agony in view of that fearful scene.
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Jerusalem had been the child of His care, and as a tender father
mourns over a wayward son, so Jesus wept over the beloved city.
How can I give thee up? How can I see thee devoted to
destruction? Must I let thee go to fill up the cup of thine
iniquity? One soul is of such value that, in comparison with it,
worlds sink into insignificance; but here was a whole nation to
be lost. When the fast westering sun should pass from sight in
the heavens, Jerusalem's day of grace would be ended. While the
procession was halting on the brow of Olivet, it was not yet too
late for Jerusalem to repent. The angel of mercy was then folding
her wings to step down from the golden throne to give place to
justice and swift-coming judgment. But Christ's great heart of
love still pleaded for Jerusalem, that had scorned His mercies,
despised His warnings, and was about to imbrue her hands in His
blood. If Jerusalem would but repent, it was not yet too late.
While the last rays of the setting sun were lingering on temple,
tower, and pinnacle, would not some good angel lead her to the
Saviour's love, and avert her doom? Beautiful and unholy city,
that had stoned the prophets, that had rejected the Son of God,
that was locking herself by her impenitence in fetters of
bondage,--her day of mercy was almost spent!
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Yet again the Spirit of God speaks to Jerusalem. Before the day
is done, another testimony is borne to Christ. The voice of
witness is lifted up, responding to the call from a prophetic
past. If Jerusalem will hear the call, if she will receive the
Saviour who is entering her gates, she may yet be saved.
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Reports have reached the rulers in Jerusalem that Jesus is
approaching the city with a great concourse of people. But they
have no welcome for the Son of God. In fear they go out to meet
Him, hoping to disperse the throng. As the procession is about to
descend the Mount of Olives, it is intercepted by the rulers.
They inquire the cause of the tumultuous rejoicing. As they
question, "Who is this?" the disciples, filled with the
spirit of inspiration, answer this question. In eloquent strains
they repeat the prophecies concerning Christ:
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Adam will tell you, It is the seed of the woman that shall bruise
the serpent's head.
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Ask Abraham, he will tell you, It is "Melchizedek King of
Salem," King of Peace. Gen. 14:18.
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Jacob will tell you, He is Shiloh of the tribe of Judah.
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Isaiah will tell you, "Immanuel," "Wonderful,
Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace." Isa. 7:14; 9:6.
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Jeremiah will tell you, The Branch of David, "the Lord our
Righteousness." Jer. 23:6.
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Daniel will tell you, He is the Messiah.
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Hosea will tell you, He is "the Lord God of hosts; the Lord
is His memorial." Hosea 12:5.
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John the Baptist will tell you, He is "the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.
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The great Jehovah has proclaimed from His throne, "This is
My beloved Son." Matt. 3:17.
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We, His disciples, declare, This is Jesus, the Messiah, the
Prince of life, the Redeemer of the world.
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And the prince of the powers of darkness acknowledges Him,
saying, "I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of
God." Mark 1:24.
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