Jesus Claims His Throne (J47)

Since King David, no Jew had dared to ride
Into Jerusalem; he’d walk, or crawl;
That honor was saved; it was prophesied
For the Christ, who on an ass would enthrall!
On Passover’s first day, the Savior came;
Riding a donkey’s colt, He made His claim;
“Glory to Him who comes in God’s great name!”
The Jews welcomed Him with shouts of acclaim!
Pharisees gnashed their teeth and tore their clothes;
“Now, would you look at that insult to God?”
They shouted in pain to one another;
“Shall we ne’er rid Judea of this clod?
The people believe, and call him brother!”
They dared not arrest Him, fearing uproar,
Needing a traitor to settle the score!

Scripture Quoted: John 12:16-19 (NIV)
“At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’ “

Commentary on: John 12:12-19 (NIV)
Passover was the greatest Feast celebrated by the Jews and attracted the largest number of devout Jews from all over the Roman Empire. It lasted seven days. Jesus rode into Zion (another name for Jerusalem) on Sunday; He would be betrayed by Judas and arrested late Thursday night, crucified and buried on Friday, and resurrected on the next Sunday. This ride on a donkey’s colt into the city was His boldest action. It instantly revealed His claim to be the Christ and King of Israel. The donkey was not considered inferior; rather, it was a custom begun by David, who rode a mule. No one rode a horse or chariot into Jerusalem, except enemies.

After the raising of Lazarus from the dead, Jesus was at the zenith of His popularity; had He been of a warlike or worldly nature, the majority of the common people would have been responsive to His leadership, and the Pharisees knew it. They and the priests were His deadly enemies—their status and that of the temple itself depended upon keeping down insurgency and rioting, which the Jewish people were notoriously apt to do any time. For that reason they could not take a chance on arresting Jesus in public, amid crowds of people. They needed someone who could lead them to Him at night in a secluded place. Judas Iscariot was the traitor; Jesus knew he was when He called him to be an apostle. Some have said that Judas was a zealot—an idealist who wanted Jesus to lead a rebellion against the Romans; however, Jesus taught peace, gentleness, and humility.

The “glorification” of Jesus Christ did not occur until after His resurrection and ascension, when He was glorified by His Father in heaven and seated on the throne at His right hand. The full realization of who Jesus was (God) and all that was prophesied about Him in the Old Testament did not come to them until after He left them.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not die but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)