Continued👆🏽
These two donkeys, according to the Fathers, are not arbitrary animals, but allegories of Israel and the Gentiles:
The older donkey represents Israel, long yoked under the burden of the Law and the Prophets.
The colt, young and unbroken, signifies the Gentile nations, unaccustomed to the law, untamed by the commandments.
And yet, our Lord rides both—revealing that His redemption is not for the Jew only, but also for the Gentile. He is the universal Savior who comes to gather all under His reign.
The People and Their Offerings of Praise
As the Lord drew near, the people spread their garments upon the animals and the road a symbol of surrender and honor. They cut branches, particularly palms, and went before and after Him, crying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
These cries were not only from lips they were from hearts that longed for deliverance. Even children, pure and unspoiled, joined in the praise, so much so that the Pharisees, pierced by jealousy, demanded their silence. But Christ, whose ears are not deaf to the praise of babes, declared:
“If these should hold their peace, the stones themselves would cry out.”
Herein lies a great mystery: for it is better to be a child in faith and cry out with sincerity than to be a learned priest and refuse to recognize the visitation of God.
The Humility of the Savior
What shall we say of the donkey—a beast despised by men, slow, dull, and beaten? The Lord chose this humble creature for His glory. So too He chooses the lowly of heart to reveal His mysteries.
For He who is enthroned between the cherubim was not ashamed to rest upon the back of a donkey. He who created the seraphim did not disdain the garments laid upon the dust. This is our God, meek and lowly, drawing near to the humble.
The Journey and the Temple
Having journeyed on foot through fourteen chapters of His ministry, the Lord now rides for but two, and then enters the Temple. There, He drives out the money changers, rebuking those who profaned the sacred space, and performs miracles in their midst.
This is no coincidence. For before Christ enters a temple, there must be praise, cleansing, and submission. The path of Hosanna is one of preparation: garments laid down (symbolizing repentance), branches waved (symbolizing victory), and praise lifted up (symbolizing faith).
Thus, He rides into our hearts, into our homes, into His Church not as a judge with a sword, but as a healer with mercy.
Part 2 Continues 👇🏽