The Triumphant Entry
After reading the "Three Days and Three Nights" study, a visitor to this website asked this question; How does the Sunday the 10th Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (known as Palm Sunday) by Christ line up with a Wednesday the 14th (Passover) crucifiction?
I welcome My visitors question.
To begin with, there is no biblical evidence that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a Sunday. This tradition no doubtedly began along with the "Good Friday" tradition that We have already discussed in the "Three Days and Three Nights" study above. The Holy Scriptures do however reveal that the Triumphant entry occured five days before the Passover."Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Beth`-a-ny, where Laz`-a-rus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Laz`-a-rus was one of them that sat at the table with him....On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the Name of the Lord." "Six days before", would most probably place the supper late in the day or very near evening on Wednesday the 7th on the Jewish calendar. This would be exactly six days before the lamb was to be killed for the passover meal. Remember that the Jewish day began on the evening before. (aprox. sundown).So the "next day" would place the triumphant entry five days before Passover on Thursday the 8th.It is also a tradition that The day Jesus entered Jerusalem was on Sunday the 10th. Many believe that the lamb that was slain on the first Passover, was a prophetic picture of Jesus, the Lamb of God, to which I agree. And as that lamb was to be examined to be without spot or blemish by the Priest, on the tenth day of the month, so also Jesus entered Jerusalem on the 10th, and was approved by the people. Almost everyone who supports this view uses Exodus 12:3,5 for their supporting text. "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this first month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house....Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats".However this scripture does not say that the lamb had to be inspected by a priest. It was up to "every man" to see that his lamb was without spot. Also, there were no priest to examine the lamb. The priesthood was not instituted until God gave moses the command on Mount Si`-nai to appoint Aaron and his sons to be priest, "And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest`s office...." (Exodus 28:1)Although there does not seem to be scripture to directly support this view, I do believe that the old testament or old covenant, does contain many types and shadows of things to be revealed under the new covenant. There is a day during the week of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the Passover that one could apply the "inspection of the Lamb" view, but it is not on the day of the triumphal entry itself. It would be on the Sabbath, Saturday the 10th. The Gospel of Mark gives us the most detailed day by day account. The day of the Triumphal entry (Thursday the 8th) Jesus and his Disciples went into the the temple and had a quick look around because evening was near. They went out of Jerusalem and spent the night in Bethany. In the morning (Friday the 9th) they returned to Jerusalem and entered the temple. This is when Jesus threw out the money changers and them that sold doves. He taught in the temple during the day. When evening approached they left the city and returned to Bethany to spend the night. The next morning (Saturday the 10th) they again returned to the temple in Jerusalem. This is the day that the chief priest and scribes questioned the authority of Jesus. "And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priest, and the scribes, and the elders,And say unto him, By what authority doest thou thee these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?" (Mark 11:27,28) After studying these scriptures We can safely say that a Sunday the 10th "Triumphant Entry" is not supported by the Word of God.
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