When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  (29) And it came to pass, when He drew hear to Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, (30) saying, “ Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.  (31) And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ This you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’”  (32) So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. (33) But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”  (34) And they said, “The Lord has need of him.”  (35) Then they brought him to Jesus.  And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. (46) And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. (37) Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:  “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  (49) And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  (40) But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

The entry of Christ Jesus into Jerusalem was the first time He allowed a public acknowledgment of His divinity and the proclamation of Him as Messiah. The problem was no one understood the message. There is no human explanation for Jesus – He was always demonstrating His deity but never – until now – allowed crowds to celebrate Him as Messiah.  Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead just a few weeks earlier and had just left Jericho on His way to Jerusalem where He had healed two blind beggars. Huge and expectant crowds followed Him. The people – including the disciples – thought Jesus was the Messiah but they expected The Messiah would bring an earthly kingdom.  Just as Jesus knew about the colt, He knew that it was now God’s timetable and His purpose on earth – He had come to satisfy divine law by His reconciling  and redeeming man  – to conquer sin and death for all who believe.

In just a few short days the adoring crowds disappeared; Judas betrayed Him, Peter failed Him and the apostles fled from Him in fear for their own lives.   Jesus faced the horror of His human life – as the sin offering He was separated from God.  This separation from God was the reason for the agony in the garden.

The misconception of who Jesus is/was came from man centered theology: expecting what Jesus would do for His followers in this world.   The day of the visitation of the Lord had come and Israel missed it even though the prophets had proclaimed exactly what was to happen. Even at that moment –  still – those closest to Jesus missed it.  Jesus Christ had came into this world, true God and true man.  He entered time and space as the Lord of our salvation – as our substitute and redeemer.  In faith in Christ we are reborn; we stand in Him and God remembers our sin no more.   Only in Christ, in faith in His perfect and acceptable sacrifice, do we find salvation.   Salvation is always of the Lord..