Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was

Jesus’ whole existence was for the sake of the reign of God. That reign is not something vague and nebulous. Jesus was working toward the eschatological restoration of Israel, so that the reign of God might have a place. To create with and in the midst of Israel a space for the reign of God—that is what is at stake also in three sign-actions at the end of Jesus’ life. The three are related; not only that, they are internally interconnected to the utmost extent: Jesus’ entry into the capital city on a young donkey, his action in the temple, and the sign-action with bread and wine during his last meal. It is no accident that these particular three symbolic actions collide at the end of his life.

Jesus’ Entry into the Capital

The oldest¹ account of Jesus’ entry into the capital city is found in Mark 11:1-11. In this narrative a good deal of space is accorded to finding the donkey on which he is to ride: it takes up no less than two-thirds of the text. Apparently for Mark (or for the tradition available to him), the animal on whose back Jesus enters into the city is of great importance. The discovery episode is meant to emphasize that it was a young donkey and that Jesus had planned this kind of entry. That entry is then described rather briefly:

Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. (Mark 11:7-11)

Thus Jesus’ entry is accompanied by many festival pilgrims who are on the road to the capital with Jesus. What does their cry mean? In part it comes from Psalm 118:25-26. Large groups of pilgrims were greeted in Jerusalem with “blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” at the moment when they entered the space before the temple area. Here this welcoming cry has been transformed into an acclamation addressed exclusively to Jesus and expanded by praise of the now-inbreaking kingdom of David, that is, the messianic kingdom. In addition, the shout now comes from the pilgrims themselves.

But we must note primarily something that is not immediately apparent to every reader today: what Mark is describing here is nothing less than a royal entrance. This is not the usual jubilation with which just any group of pilgrims was received when they arrived at the temple for a festival. Rather, the scene describes the entry of a king into his city, the arrival of the Messiah on Zion. In a sense he is taking possession of his city.

That this is the precise intent of the narrative is shown by the presence of the donkey, which is spoken of in the Old Testament, in Zechariah 9:9 and in Genesis 49:11, as the mount destined for the Messiah. Without question, the use of the word “colt” is an allusion to Zechariah 9:9, which reads, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; [righteous] and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”²

The words “righteous,” “victorious,” and “humble” in Zechariah 9:9 require explanation. This king is “righteous” because he is, before God and through God’s grace, the ultimate ruler who does the will of God entirely. He is “victorious” because God has rescued him from danger (Hebrew nosha’). He is called “humble” because he is a lowly person, poor before God. The external sign of this is that he rides not on a parade horse but on a donkey, the beast of the poor. He is the longed-for king in whom God is well pleased.

Other signals in the text also point to a royal entry: ancient cities received a royal ruler with branches and garments spread on the road, and “hosanna,” originally a plea (“help!”), had become a cry of homage and rejoicing. Whether or not the fact that the cry “hosanna” was originally meant for God is intended to play some role, it serves at least to introduce the subsequent homage, “blessed is the one who comes.” And that is said of Jesus. So the narrative depicts a royal entrance, a “taking possession” of the city.³

If we look at the historical event itself there is no compelling reason to question an entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem during which he was celebrated as the Messiah. He was not only surrounded by excited festival pilgrims from Galilee who had seen his deeds of power or heard about them—most recently the healing of the blind beggar Bartimaeus in Jericho (Mark 10:46-52). There had apparently been earlier attempts in Galilee to appoint Jesus a (messianic) king (John 6:15).