THE NEWS that Jesus was at Bethany went abroad, and very soon the
village was thronged with people eager to see him. Many of these were
men who had come from the country up to Jerusalem for the feast of the
Passover; and most of them were ready to believe in Jesus as the Christ,
the promised King of Israel. Some came to Bethany, not only to see
Jesus, but to see Lazarus also, the man whom Jesus had raised from death
to life. The rulers, who had already made up their minds to put Jesus to
death and had paid Judas to give him up to them, said to each other:
"If we are to prevent these people from making Jesus of Nazareth their
king, it will not be enough to kill Jesus; we must first kill Lazarus,
for on his account many are following Jesus."
On the morning after the supper at Simon's house, Jesus decided to go
into Jerusalem. He called two of his disciples and said to them:
"Go into the next village on the road to Jerusalem, and just on the edge
of it you will find an ass tied, and with it a colt on which no one has
ever ridden; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks you, 'Why
are you doing that?' tell him, 'The Master needs them; and will send
them back soon;' and he will let you take the ass and the colt."
The two disciples went to the village, and found in the street in front
of a house an ass and a colt tied just as Jesus had said. They were
untying them when the owner, who was standing by, said:
"What are you doing, untying the ass?"
"The Master needs it," answered the disciples; and when the man heard
this, he allowed them to take the ass and the colt. They brought them to
Jesus at Bethany; and on the ass-colt they laid their cloaks, to form a
cushion for Jesus; and he sat upon the colt, which never before had been
ridden upon. Then the crowd, seeing that Jesus was riding toward
Jerusalem, walked with him, some going before and some following after.
Those in front spread their clothes upon the road before Jesus; others
threw on the ground leaves from the field; while many waved branches of
palm taken from the trees beside the road.
[Illustration: The brook Kedron]
And before they came to the top of the Mount of Olives, which was
between Bethany and Jerusalem, another crowd of people met them, coming
from the city to see Jesus. And all the multitude shouted together:
"God save the King, the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the
Lord's name! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David! Praises be to
the Lord!"
For all this crowd of people believed that now, at last, the kingdom of
God was to be set up, with Jesus as Christ and King. But in the
multitude were some Pharisees, enemies of Jesus, who became very angry
as they saw the crowd waving the palm branches and cheering for Jesus as
King. These men came up to Jesus as he was riding and said to him:
"Teacher, tell your followers to stop this noise!"
"I tell you," answered Jesus, "that if these men should keep still, the
very stones would cry out!"
Soon they came to the top of the Mount of Olives, and then the Temple
and the city of Jerusalem were in sight before them.
As Jesus looked upon the city, the tears came into his eyes and he said:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! If only you might know, even now, while yet
there is time, what would give you peace! But no, it is hidden from your
sight! The time is coming when your enemies will build walls and forts
around you, and shut you in on every side; and trample you down into the
dust, and your children with you. They will not leave in you one stone
standing upon another--and all because you would not understand when the
Lord was visiting you."
Jesus rode down the Mount of Olives, and across the valley of the brook
Kedron. At the gate of the Temple he got off from the back of the colt,
and sent it with the ass back to its owner. As he came into the city and
the Temple there was a great stir, the people everywhere flocking to
meet him.
"Who is this?" they said; and the crowds answered, "This is the Prophet
Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee!"
[Illustration: Many waved branches of palm, and all the multitude
shouted together: "God save the King, the son of David! Blessed is he
who comes in the Lord's name!"]
The Pharisees said to each other, "We can do nothing! The whole world
has gone after Jesus!"
Everybody, both the friends and enemies of Jesus, looked to have him
take control of the city and act as a king. But Jesus only went into the
Temple and walked around it. By this time it was evening, and Jesus
returned with his disciples to Bethany.
Forty years after that time, the terrible things that Jesus declared
were to fall upon Jerusalem, did come to pass. The Jews rose against the
Romans and made war upon them. A mighty Roman army came, and swept over
all the land, bringing ruin and death everywhere. The Romans laid siege
to Jerusalem, and built a strong wall around it, so that no one could
come out or go in. The people fought desperately, until they were
starved and could fight no more. At last the Romans broke into the
Temple, and set the city on fire. Both the Temple and all the city were
utterly destroyed; untold thousands of the people were slain, and many
thousands more were sold as slaves. And from that time, seventy years
after Jesus was born, and forty years after he died on the cross, the
Jews have not had of their own a land or a city.
[Illustration: After teaching in the Temple all day, Jesus went out in
the evening over the Mount of Olives to the home of his friends in
Bethany.]
Monday on the Mount and in the Temple