With the approach of Holy Week, I was re-reading the story of Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. I find it ironic that we call this a “triumphal entry,” when Zechariah prophesied that it would be a “humble entry.” In Matthew’s account of the event, he quotes Zechariah 9:9: “Behold your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a foal of a beast of burden.” (Matthew 21:5)
If it had been the emperor arriving in Jerusalem that day, he would have arrived on a massive white horse. Trumpets would have announced his arrival. He would have been accompanied by a legion of armed soldiers and followed by a train of conquered slaves and treasure. That would have been a “triumphal entry.” Jesus came into the city on a beast of burden, accompanied by twelve ordinary men. His entry was not announced by trumpets, but by the cheers of the souls he had conquered. The best comparison I can think of is a parade of world leaders arriving in Washington, D.C. Each of them is riding in a long, black limo with flags attached to the hood, then, at the end of the parade, comes Jesus, riding in the bed of a rusted-out Chevy pick-up. I’d call that a “humble entry.”
This says a great deal to me about our human desires for triumph. We want to win the world by overpowering it. We think we will achieve this through shock and awe. Jesus did the opposite. He won the world by serving it.
Triumph/ Victory and Humility fold into the irony when I think of the power and authority on the back of that mule. As he rebuked Peter in the garden, reminded a simple prayer from Jesus to the Father could have brought Legions of Angels to defend him. A different kind of king than expected.