With these fruitless admonitions to his followers, Jesus passed on
through Jericho to Bethphage, on the verge of the holy city. Here, the
enthusiastic and triumphant rejoicings, which the presence of their
Master called forth, from the multitudes who were then swarming to
Jerusalem from all parts of Palestine, must have lifted up the hearts
of the apostles, with high assurance of the nearness of the honors for
which they had so long looked and waited. Their irrepressible joy and
exultation burst out in songs of triumph, as Jesus, after the manner of
the ancient judges of Israel, rode into the royal seat of his fathers.
And as he went down the descent of the Mount of Olives, to go into the
city, the whole train of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God,
with a loud voice, for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying,
“Blessed be the KING of Israel, that cometh in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven! Glory in the highest! Blessed be the kingdom of our
father David! Hosanna!” These acclamations were raised by the disciples,
and heartily joined in by the multitudes who knew his wonderful works,
and more especially those who were acquainted with the very recent
miracle of raising Lazarus. A great sensation of wonder was created
throughout the city, by such a burst of shouts from a multitude,
sweeping in a long, imposing train, with palm branches in their
hands, down the mountain, on which they could have been seen all over
Jerusalem. As he entered the gates, all the city was moved to say, “Who
is this?” And the rejoicing multitude said, “This is Jesus, the prophet
of Nazareth in Galilee.” What scorn did not this reply awaken in many
of the haughty aristocrats of Jerusalem, to learn that all this solemn
parade had been got up for no better purpose than merely to honor a
dweller of that outcast region of mongrels, Galilee! And of all places,
that this prophet, so called, should have come from Nazareth! A prophet
from Galilee, indeed! Was it from this half-heathen district, that the
favored inhabitants of the capital of Judaism were to receive a teacher
of religion? Were the strict faith, and the rigid observances of their
learned and devout, to be displaced by the presumptuous reformations
of a self-taught prophet, from such a country? Swelling with these
feelings, the Pharisees could not repress a remonstrance with Jesus,
against these noisy proceedings. But he, evidently affected with
pleasure at the honest tribute thus wrung out in spite of sectional
feeling, forcibly asserted the propriety and justice of this free
offering of praise. “I tell you, that if these should hold their peace,
the stones would immediately cry out.”
_With palm-branches in their hands._――This tree, the emblem of
joy and triumph in every part of the world where it is known,
was the more readily adopted on this occasion, by those who
thronged to swell the triumphal train of Jesus of Nazareth,
because the palm grew along the way-side where they passed,
and the whole mount was hardly less rich in this than in the
far famed olive from which it drew its name. A proof of the
abundance of the palm-trees on Olivet is found in the name
of the village of Bethany, בית חיני, (_beth-hene_,) “_house of
dates_,” which shows that the tree which bore this fruit must
have been plentiful there. The people, as they passed on with
Jesus from this village whence he started to enter the city,
would therefore find this token of triumph hanging over their
heads, and shading their path every where within reach, and
the emotions of joy at their approach to the city of God in the
company of this good and mighty prophet, prompted them at once
to use the expressive emblems which hung so near at hand; and
which were alike within the reach of those who journeyed with
Jesus, and those who came forth from the city to meet and escort
him in. The presence of these triumphal signs would, of course,
remind them at once of the feast of the tabernacles, the day on
which, in obedience to the Mosaic statute, all the dwellers of
the city were accustomed to go forth to the mount, and bring
home these branches with songs of joy. (Leviticus xxiii. 40,
Nehemiah viii. 15, 16.) The remembrance of this festival at
once recalled also the beautifully appropriate words of the
noble national and religious hymn, which they always chanted in
praise of the God of their fathers on that day, (see Kuinoel,
Rosenmueller, Wolf, &c.) and which was so peculiarly applicable
to him who now “came in the name of the Lord,” to honor and to
bless his people. (Psalm cxviii. 26.)
_The descent of the Mount of Olives._――To imagine this scene,
with something of the force of reality, it must be remembered
that the Mount of Olives, so often mentioned in the scenes of
Christ’s life, rose on the eastern side of Jerusalem beyond the
valley of the Kedron, whose little stream flowed between this
mountain and Mount Moriah, on which the temple stood. Mount
Olivet was much higher than any part of the city within the
walls, and the most commanding and satisfactory view of the holy
city which modern travelers and draughtsmen have been able to
present to us in a picture, is that from the more than classic
summit of this mountain. The great northern road passing through
Jericho, approaches Jerusalem on its north-eastern side, and
comes directly over the top of Olivet, and as it mounts the
ridge, it brings the holy city in all its glory, directly on the
traveler’s view.
_Hosanna._――This also is an expression taken from the same
festal hymn, (Psalm cxviii. 25,) הושיעה־נא (_hoshia-na_) a pure
Hebrew expression, as Drusius shows, and not Syriac, (See
Poole’s Synopsis on Matthew xxi. 9,) but corrupted in the vulgar
pronunciation of this frequently repeated hymn, into Hosanna.
The meaning of the Hebrew is “save him” or “be gracious to him,”
that is in connection with the words which follow in the gospel
story, “Be gracious, O Lord, to the son of David.” This is the
same Hebrew phrase which, in the psalm above quoted, (verse 25,)
is translated “Save now.” The whole expression was somewhat like
the English “God save the king,” in its import.
_Nazareth._――This city, in particular, had an odious name,
for the general low character of its inhabitants. The passage
in John i. 46, shows in what estimation this city and its
inhabitants were held, by their own neighbors in Galilee; and
the great scorn with which all Galileans were regarded by the
Jews, must have redoubled their contempt of this poor village,
so despised even by the despicable. The consequence was that the
Nazarenes acquired so low a character, that the name became a
sort of byword for what was mean and foolish. (See Kuinoel on
Matthew ii. 23, John i. 46. Also Rosenmueller on the former
passage and Bloomfield on the latter.)
_Galilee._――In order to appreciate fully, the scorn and
suspicion with which the Galileans were regarded by the citizens
of Jerusalem, a complete view of their sectional peculiarities
would be necessary. Such a view will hereafter be given in
connection with a passage which more directly refers to those
peculiarities, and more especially requires illustration and
explanation.