About the Text
(1) Where is Bethphage? It is a little village only one mile from Jerusalem. Photographers often capture beautiful panoramic views of Jerusalem from this village since it is atop a small mountain, the Mount of Olives.
(2) Why did Jesus ride on a small donkey instead of, say, a chariot? First, it was to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, which described the Messiah's coming. Second, it showed how Jesus, though He was divine, took upon Himself such simple and humble circumstances. His humiliation demonstrates to us the extent of God's love, that He would stoop so low to save us. Such humble circumstances, however, were not able to hide His divine qualities, which the crowd will later praise Him for.
(7) What are "cloaks"? Any outer clothing or robe, to be distinguished from undergarments. Note that Jesus entered the city with such simplicity that the donkey didn't even have a saddle.
(8) Why did the crowd "spread their cloaks on the road" and "cut branches"? To humbly give honor to Jesus Christ. Just as we would roll out a red carpet for a dignitary, the crowd created a "carpet" out of their own clothing.
(9) What does "Hosanna" mean? It
is a Hebrew expression meaning "save." It was always used as an expression of
praise, much in the same way that the British used to shout, "God save the
queen!" when the Queen of England made a public appearance.
(10) What does it mean that "the whole city was stirred"? In the original Greek language, the word is ordinarily used to refer to an earthquake ("seismos," from which we get the word "seismologist"). Somehow, Jesus' presence in Jerusalem "shook" the whole city.
(13) Why did Jesus call the temple a "den of robbers"? Because the money-changers and dove-sellers were driven by greed, charging worshipers sky-rocket prices for the doves they would use for religious ritual sacrifices.
Because of Jesus, Christians now do not call church buildings "temples." In John 2, Jesus proclaimed Himself as the new temple. In 1 Cor. 3:16 and Eph. 2:21, Paul explains that God's temple also includes all Christians. Finally, in Rev. 21:22, when Christ returns, God Himself will be the new temple. For these reasons, after the Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., Christians never saw the need to rebuild it.
(15) Why were the priests angry at the children? Because of their jealousy of Jesus, who was drawing even children to Himself. Children ordinarily had very little standing in the public worship of God. But the majesty and power of Jesus Christ so much evokes praise, that children and even "stones" (Luke 19:40) will cry out.
Insights
Even without the help of human organizing, promotion, and manipulation, Jesus alone is enough to evoke enthusiastic, uninhibited praise.
Enthusiastically praising Jesus sometimes offends religious leaders.
The Bottom Line
Go ahead - praise Him. The key to meaningful, genuine worship is lifting up the name of Jesus. Although we should use all of our instruments, colorful banners, and even dances to praise the Lord, they nevertheless are not the things that actually cause people to worship. Instead, people praise the Lord when the church proclaims such truths as Christ's taking away of our sins by dying on the cross, Christ's gift of the Holy Spirlt, His taking care of all our needs, His rising from the dead, and His divine majesty and power and glory. When Christ is lifted up in this way, true believers cannot help but to shout "Hosanna!" That is why the key to a life of joy and constant praise to God is to fix our attention on the work and person of Jesus Christ.
Key Memory Verse
"From the lips of children and infants you
have ordained praise" (Matthew 21:16, and Psalm 8:2)