What is significant about Jesus' triumphal entry?

Recently, I watched a series of presidential biographies.  I tend to enjoy content like that, but something I found particularly interesting about the biographies I was watching was the fact that while highlighting the administrations of presidents who lived many decades ago, they also took the time to interview several American presidents who lived and served in recent years.

 These men were asked questions about domestic and foreign policy.  They were also asked questions about their successes and failures in office.  I found it particularly interesting to hear their assessments of themselves, and I certainly appreciated some of the humble statements that were shared during these candid interviews.

 One theme in particular emerged as these men were answering questions about themselves and other leaders.  They seemed particularly concerned, not just with what people thought of them in the present but how their actions would be judged from the lens of history.  It seemed to me that some of these men comforted themselves with the thought that future generations would look back at them fondly once they had more time to process the decisions they had made while in office.

 I agree that when we're given a little time to reflect, we can often make a clearer assessment of things that have taken place at an earlier season.  In some respects, that seems to be what was taking place in John 12:12-19 as the apostle John reflected upon Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem in the days leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection.  In fact, John admitted that he and the other disciples didn't really understand the significance of what Jesus was doing until after Jesus was resurrected and ministered among them in His glorified body.

 Christians tend to refer to the events recorded in John 12 as having taken place on Palm Sunday.  We may be familiar with some of the details of the story, but do we understand the significance of what Jesus was doing and the message He was attempting to convey through the actions He took?

Jesus was showing that the people wanted a king for the wrong reasons.

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”  (John 12:12-13)

 The events that are recorded as taking place in this passage happened in conjunction with the celebration of the Passover in Jerusalem.  Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles were three feasts that the Jewish people were required to observe each year.  For the Passover in particular, Jews would come to Jerusalem from all over the world, and they would show up in large numbers.  The crowds could be massive, and some estimations believe it was possible that Jerusalem swelled with more than two million people at the time these events were recorded.

 At the time these things were taking place, word of Jesus' teaching and miraculous activity were spreading.  In particular, people had heard that Jesus had raised a man named Lazarus from the grave, so they were particularly interested in seeing Him and interacting with Him.  I suspect they were hoping to witness a similar miracle while they were in His presence.

 However, one of the biggest miracles they were hoping to see was Jesus establishing Himself as king.  At the time, Israel was under the rule of the Roman government.  Roman soldiers walked their streets.  Roman officials enforced Roman laws.  The Jewish people were even forced to pay taxes to the Roman treasury.  This irritated them, and with regularity, some of the most zealous Jews would lead revolts against Roman authority.  More than anything, many of them wanted to see their nation restored to independence and autonomous rule.  They wanted their own king who would establish their nation to a place of prominence once again.

 The social influence of Jesus continued to grow in this particular context.  People were enamored with His authoritative teaching, but they were particularly amazed by the demonstration of His divine power.  Jesus healed sick people.  Jesus performed miraculous signs.  Jesus even had the capacity to raise the dead back to life.  Surely He who did these things was likewise powerful enough to overcome the oppressive hand of the Romans.  That's precisely what the people wanted Jesus to do.

 The Jewish leaders weren't as fond of Jesus as the general populace happened to be, but they observed and conspired while the people began praising Jesus.  Hearing that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, people started grabbing palm branches to spread upon the road.  Going out to meet Him, they cried out "Hosanna!"  That's a Hebrew word that means, "Save now!"  But what kind of salvation were they seeking?  What kind of king or savior did they really want Jesus to be?

 There is so much in this passage that deserves our attention because it invites healthy introspection on our parts.  What kind of king do we want Jesus to be?  What kind of savior do we want Him to be?  When we call out to Him, what are we really asking Him to do?

 There are many people in this world that "love" Jesus provided that they feel like they're receiving the comforts of this earth from Him, but they don't really "love" the thought of His greater mission to give us a new heart, cleanse us of unrighteousness, and provide for us a future in His eternal kingdom.  Most of the people referenced in John 12 wanted earthly comforts and the best of this life.  Sadly, many who call on the name of Jesus today want the very same things.  

 Where do the affections of your heart lean?  Do you want the best of this world or the best of the world to come?  

Jesus was offering peace in the midst of a world at war.

And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!”

  His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.  (John 12:14-16)

 When kings and princes take modes of transportation on their way to present themselves before the people they lead, that transportation is typically intended to be lofty or glorious in nature.  Kings in earlier eras would arrive in ornate and impressive chariots and carriages.  Heads of state in the modern era are flown around on elaborate planes or driven in armored vehicles accompanied by motorcades, soldiers, and other security measures.

 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He chose a different option.  He presented Himself before them on a young donkey.  Jesus did this to openly declare that He was their long-promised Messiah and the one who fulfilled the prophetic promises found in the Old Testament Scriptures.  Many years prior, the prophets revealed that this is how the Messiah would come to the people of Jerusalem.

"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes."  (Genesis 49:10-11)

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"  (Psalm 118:26)

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."  (Zechariah 9:9)

 Again, consider how Jesus chose to ride into Jerusalem.  He didn't come riding on a chariot or an aggressive war horse.  Jesus came mounted on a donkey, just as the prophets said He would.  If He was coming to incite a war, He would have ridden a horse, but He had come to bring them peace, and He illustrated that by riding on a donkey.

 Have you experienced the peace Jesus is offering you?  I'm not just referring to a singular experience.  I'm speaking of an ongoing state of your heart remaining at rest, fully content in the knowledge that your life and eternal future is being safely held in the hands of Jesus.  That's what He wants for you.  His desire is to be your Prince of Peace.

Jesus came to save the world.

The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”  (John 12:17-19)

 Among the throng of people that had come to see Jesus that day were onlookers who were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, along with people who had been present with Jesus in the town of Bethany when Jesus raised Lazarus from death.  Both groups were intermingling as Jesus proceeded into the city on the back of a donkey.

 As the crowd of spectators intermingled with those who had seen the miracle, they were presented with compelling first-hand testimonies from eyewitnesses.  These people continued to bear witness to the fact that Lazarus had died but was now alive, and it was Jesus who restored his life.

 Generally speaking, there are clues people tend to give off when they're lying.  Likewise, there are marks of sincerity that we often observe when someone is being genuinely truthful with us.  I think the crowd could read the sincerity on the faces of those who had witnessed Jesus raise Lazarus from death.  Their stories all matched.  Their enthusiasm was contagious.  Even a casual observer could see that they meant what they said, and their testimony was compelling others to follow Jesus as they were.

 The jealous religious leaders found this frustrating.  In their estimation, the whole world had gone after Jesus.  How lovely it would be if that were so because, as the Scriptures tell us, Jesus came to save and restore this lost and fallen world.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."  (John 3:17)

"For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe."  (1 Timothy 4:10)

 The actions Jesus took on the day of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem were significant.  He was showing us that He is the kind of king we actually need.  He was offering us peace in the midst of war and conflict.  He had come to grant salvation to a world stuck in the grip of sin.

 Don't be like the jealous religious leaders or the onlookers who came to see a spectacle, then returned to their old lives with no desire to find new life through faith in Jesus.  See Jesus for who He really is and trust Him to rescue you, redeem you, and restore you to everlasting life, united to Him forever.

© John Stange, 2025