They (disciples) brought the donkey and the colt,
placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
while others cut branches from the trees and spread
them on the road. The crowds
that went ahead of
him and those that followed
shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was
stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered,
“This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Matthew 21:7-11
As Jesus learned to walk and
talk and work in His earthly father’s carpenter shop, surely Mary wondered how
it would all end. Perhaps her heart filled with joy as the crowd shouted
hosanna. If so, her joy would soon turn to sorrow. It is likely that she had
heard of Zechariah’s prophecy that Zion’s King would come “gentle and riding on
a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. (Zechariah 9:9) It is also likely
that she knew the prophecy of Isaiah 53—He is the Lamb…bearing the sins of the
world.
During the week approaching
His crucifixion, Jesus told many parables, discussed taxes and revealed God’s
greatest commandments—love God and love your neighbor. He warned against being
religious and He grieved over Jerusalem. He continued to teach and advise His
followers to be watchful. He spoke of His return—in all His glory with the
angels of heaven by His side.
As His week of preparation
continued, He was anointed with oil from an alabaster box, betrayed by a
disciple, shared His last Passover Supper with His closest confidants and
arrested as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Lest we forget, He knew what
He faced.
Mary’s heart must have ached
as the news of her son’s arrest spread throughout Jerusalem. I wonder how much
her human mind could comprehend in the weeks that followed. Did she regret
being chosen of God to bear the bearer of good news? Did her mind flash back to
the times of runny noses and dirty faces and laughter around the dinner table?
Did she think about the actuality that she had cradled God in her arms?
Thirty-three years after the
birth of her baby boy Mary came face to face with the reality of His coming—born
to die. Today, you and I must face that same reality and determine whether we
reject or accept the salvation of the Lord. The world is still asking, “Who is
this Jesus?” Mary knew. He is heaven’s
most precious gift—God’s only Son.
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