The Triumphal Entry

As we enter Holy Week today, we celebrate Jesus... as the people of Jerusalem did so many years ago when he rode into the city on a colt, preparing his path by laying down their cloaks and palms. However, unlike those who cried out, "Hosanna!" that day, we remember Jesus and celebrate with the blessed knowledge that his reign would not end with his earthly life. We know that this day, this Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of the holiest of weeks when our Christ would die on a cross, our sins heavy upon him. And we know that on the third day after that, he would conquer all of those sins -- conquer death itself -- and rise again.

We know that we are saved. Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

The Triumphal Entry

¹As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples,²saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.' "

⁴They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, ⁵some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" ⁶They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
"Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
¹⁰"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"

¹¹Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

-Mark 11: 1-11 (NIV)