Third (or maybe 4th) Time is the Charm.

Third (or maybe 4th) Time is the Charm.
By: Dr. Danny Purvis

When we look at the final time Jesus visited Jerusalem prior to His crucifixion and resurrection, it is often referred to as the Triumphal Entry. It has to be designated so because this was not the first time He paid a visit to the city. There are a variety of ways people count how often Jesus visited Jerusalem (anywhere from 3 to 11). But explicitly there are about three (maybe 4) references to Jesus entering Jerusalem. But not the way He did on the last occasion. Many people think because He arrived with such fanfare that this was the one and only time He entered the city. But, as we have said before, this was not the case. But it was different, wasn’t it?

In John 7 we see Jesus’ non-believing brothers basically daring Him to go to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem to “show Yourself to the world” (John 7:4). However, Jesus, knowing it was not His Father’s timing for this refused to go in that way but did actually go in secret (John 7:10). In John 2 we see Jesus again unceremoniously enter Jerusalem where He cleansed it of the moneychangers. And once again we see Him going into the city in a very innocuous way that brought no overt attention to Himself. Then we get to ‘that’ entry. THE entry. The one recorded in Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19; and John 12. The entry with throngs of ecstatic people eagerly watching for Jesus to make His way into Jewish capital.

The people spread their clothes on the road. They laid branches down on the road. They cried out saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9). And of course, what they cried out was a quote from Psalm 118 that was designed to be praise for their long awaited Messiah. He had finally entered the capital of the Jews in a way that was fitting for the triumphal Messiah. And it cost Him His life.

This is where all of this gets amazingly interesting. This last entry into Jerusalem was different. As we know it today, it begins what is often referred to as Holy Week or the beginning of the Passion narrative. And look how it started. With praise and fanfare. How in the world could things have gone that bad in just a few days? Ironically, it can be precisely linked to the way He came into the city in the first place. Stay with me here.

In order for Jesus to accomplish His mission of dying for His elect, He needed two groups of people angry enough at Him to have Him crucified. The Romans would not allow the Jews to carry out any death sentences…and the Romans didn’t really have anything against Jesus. Pilate made that point multiple times. The Jewish leadership had been angry with Jesus for years, but now they had been pushed to demand that Jesus be executed. Him coming into Jerusalem in this way with a multitude of people praising Him was literally the straw that broke the camel’s back. In fact, at one point, they were so dismayed that they said to one another: “Look, the whole world has gone after Him” (John 12:19b). And they couldn’t have that.



So, when we look at this triumphal entry and see Jesus getting the praise He so richly deserves, let us not forget that He did this, in part, to secure His death. The Jewish leadership hated and envied Him…to the point they wanted Him dead. The Romans? Well, they wanted calm. They hated unrest…especially religious unrest. And Jesus had cause unrest among the people. Unrest among the Jewish leadership. Unrest among the Romans. At the very pinnacle of His recognition when He entered triumphantly, He was setting the stage to guarantee His own death. Why? Because that’s why He came (John 10:17-18). So, the next time you reflect on the Triumphal Entry…don’t forget that the triumph led directly to the Cross and the Empty Tomb…and another completely different kind of triumph.

 -Dr. Danny Purvis