Matthew 21:1-11 KJV
1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

"Tell ye daughters your King cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass and a colt the foal of an ass." Jesus allowing his and God the Father authority known not only to the disciples but also unto the world in the final weeks leading into passion week. It is easy to get carried away with Christ exalting himself as a king, but to understand he is who he claimed himself to be as king is another matter. There are stores and businesses you walk into and you never know you meet the manager unless you ask to speak to the manager. Why, because the manager can really see what is going on by not being in the lime light or exalting himself. Yet when they pull that name tag out that says manager or upper management the whole store knows who he or she is. Christ did more then pull out a name tag, he came down the mountain in the tradition of a king riding into Jerusalem and prepared the occasion by sending his disciple in search of an ass and colt that is tied. Then he had them tell the women their king was coming. The women prepare the palm branches and the men had their robes ready to lay out in the road for the ass and her colt to parade across. He did all based on the prophet's own words in scripture.

Was he just teaching or was he really God. If we only read this one story, it appears he put his name tag on and exalted himself right into the streets of Jerusalem riding right to the temple. However how it taught is often that it is miraclous event when the she ass and colt is discovered and lead to Jesus. In some ways it is a miraclous event, for the disciples were unprepared themselves for Jesus to make the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, instead they obey by going to find such the ass and the colt where Jesus had said it would be.

Matthew is the only one to record it to be a she ass and colt. Importance is the relationship to the book of Zachariah 9:9 in regards to prophesy in the Old Testament when teaching those especially the Jewish people of faith the connection to the old time prophesy concerning the Messiah. It is to help prepare those being taught the significance of what is taking place as Christ made the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Is it staged parade for a king of Jewish heritage and tradition.

Staging an event is God's given ability, yet when Jesus does it man tends to mock it. The mockery comes as the women prepare for his entry as a rehearsal or stage event. Maybe even invited event. The world mocks it with the idea of the event being miraclous glorious event unplanned and unstaged and it taught as being unstaged. Maybe this is a wake up call to examine the miracles and events in scripture as whether something is taught as what is, or a mockery of hope of healing.

There are people that come into churches that actually mock God even if the minister does not. They mock him in regards to false injuries that are healed and never healed or existed. The mockery coming by planning or staging something that is not and inability to stage a real physical healing. Inability to stage when the clouds of rain will cease in a terrible storm. The mockery of healing that says one is healed and is not. Trying to play God without knowledge of who God really is and a God not to be mocked. Most of us have sat at a traffic light and watched the lights on the side to change to inform us the lights will probably change in front of us. Driver with young children unaware of the side lights can say red light, yellow light, green light go to the amazement of the child. Seeing the change as it happens before the child.

The innocent of the child to believe in miracles and unstage or rehearsed events going smoothly with the sing and the shouting of Hosanna and Halellujah, moves us into thinking is this a miracle and is it not really a miracle but a planned by Jesus event, or planned by God event in regards of preparing the hearts for Jesus triumphal entry into the city. The feeding of the five thousand short time before leading the crowd into following Jesus. Yet here it staged and plan entry not by man but entry made by preparation of God. Preparation of the mob to make Jesus king being displayed as he rides the she ass down the hill into Jerusalem city. Those in Jerusalem really have no clue who Jesus was. The crowd was already forming in Jerusalem for the passover in two weeks. However we got til mid April to get there. The crowd in Jerusalem asking who is this riding into Jerusalem. Those that knew from other areas regions and places told the crowd of onlookers he just a prophet of Nazareth. The same question will come this week can anything come good from Nazareth? Stage being set for the mocking and the cry of crucify by the crowd. Ignorance of who Jesus was coming in like a king.

The reality is Jesus was and is the Son of David by human birth. By God's plan of sending his son through the line of kings and through the lines of the priesthood. If you follow your own genealogy of those that can trace there roots more then one generation might discover there are similiar trades or occupations in the family, with a few that went into other directions along the way based on time period and/or heritage of that type of trade. Things change and sometimes one changes position or trade. The work force today is more diverse, but often if one is raised with the ability to follow their parents to work, they will learn the trade at some level that they themselves could do with no problem and still have to learn other skills to be able to do the full job. Jesus parents did not teach him how to be a king or priest. Joseph was a carpenter by trade. Mary though she followed Jesus, only time we see her coaching is in John 2 when water is turned into wine.

Watch out for the stage event by man. The call of the altar with the altar song Just as I am. Moved by emotion sometimes and not by the heart decision or mind. The amazing grace, Trust and Obey, At the Cross, and so forth all great songs if you take time to actually read the words or listen to the words, but the music alone can propel a person. The call of salvation needs no music or stage event, it only needs a heart pricked and moved by the Holy Spirit. Are we aware of our own emotion to music. Some of the more contemporary songs can have people lifting their hands with only one note in praise to God. The Spirit of the song felt by just the melody, but is this real worship. It can be, but not always is. The concentration of the lyrics, the meaning of one's own heart must speak the words of praise to God, not just fine repetition of memorization or emotion with a particular song.

This stage event by Jesus was not one of mockery of his ancestor David but declare who the crowd was already saying he was, because it was true. He exalted himself to help them in their proclamation of those who followed him to Jerusalem. There is no evidence that Jesus made prior arrangement with the she ass owner, but it is possible. However what is known is the disciples obey Jesus and found the she ass and her colt. Jesus rode in sitting on the she ass with his feet draped across the colt, sitting in side saddle position of kings in a parade not in military formation. Jesus had his coronation planned even telling the woman to gather the palms and other things to celebrate his arrival. Yet it is clear there was many that still knew not who Jesus was, but those that followed knew that Jesus was their king by ancestrial birth, and by God.

Do people today want to make many stars gods or Gods without knowledge of their inability to perform the work of Christ. Christ is the only one to be able to take away the sins of the world, because God choosing and staging his coming. God was the only one to be able provide the perfect sacrifice through his Son. The one that could be the Savior of the world not just because of prophesy but the will of God and the plan of God. When the knowledge of God preparing and planning these events are the light of what is to come, we understand God responsibility for allowing his Son to be crucified on the cross. The hardest thing in the heart of God ever had to do was watch his Son die, and he turned his back in the end to allow his Son to face death, not alone mind you. God going with his Son Spirit into the pit of hell to see his Son set the captives free and taking the key from Satan himself. God's Spirit had to leave the body to go into the grave. God's staging with the earthquake, the sun darkening, the crowd around him mourning and mocking him. His mother Mary with the other women and disciples there looking on, as the soldiers at the cross mocked him. God's will foretold in Old Testament and people understood not until after the resurrection. Blinders on ever hearing but never perceiving until time to perceive.

Dear Heavenly Father you stage events in our life to understand who you are and who Christ is but you also stage events to help us to understand the blindness of the people at the time of Christ. We hear without understanding and see with no preception, only to know when it occurs it came to pass as your spoke to our hearts. Thank you for educating out hearts and minds to your will, will be done, in Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Zechariah 9:9 KJV
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.