Those words were written by one of the last prophets of Israel, about five hundred years before Jesus was on earth, and made true by Him on His last visit to Jerusalem.
Before He entered the city gates, He told two of His disciples to go to a village near, and they would see an ass (we would call a donkey) tied there and its colt with it. They were to untie them mid tell the owner, “The Lord hath need of them.”
The men went and found the animals as Jesus said, and the owner was willing they should be taken. The disciples placed their cloaks on the donkey, and Jesus rode into the city, with the disciples and many people walking beside.
The people had seen the great miracles of Jesus, and heard His words, and believed Him to be their King from God, and were happy to honor Him. They called Him “Son of David” the title for their king, and called out the words of a psalm,
As they went on into the city, more people joined them, till it was a very great procession, and all the city knew, and saw the honor given to Jesus. They went up the hill to the temple and into the court, still singing psalms of praise. The children of the company sang in the temple, “Lord save us”, and called Jesus “Son of David.”
But the leaders of the temple did not like to hear Jesus praised and wanted Him to stop them. Jesus did not stop the sinng of the children; but answered the men with words from a psalm which they well knew, showing God wanted the praise of the children (Psa. 8:22Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2)).
But Jesus was not crowned king; the leaders of the nation refused Him. They should have remembered the words of the prophets and “greatly rejoiced”, as they were told to, since they had seen His miracles on other visits, and known His power.
Jesus only showed His right to rule, by sending out of the temple men who were wrongly selling things there, and dishost. He showed His mercy by curing the lame and blind who were there, as He always did.
The ride of Jesus into the city may not seem to us worthy for a king; but Solomon and other kings rode the same way; the kings of Israel were to be humble, to rule by God’s power (see 1 Kings 1:32-3932And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. 33The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: 34And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. 35Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. 36And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the Lord God of my lord the king say so too. 37As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. 38So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. (1 Kings 1:32‑39)). But no king was just, and humble as Jesus.
ML 08/15/1943