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63 - The Desire of Ages - Ellen Gould · Philosophy and Faith

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Thy King cometh. Rejoice greatly, O, daughter of Zion, Shout,
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O, Daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He
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is just and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass and upon
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a colt, the foal of an ass Zechariah nine nine, five hundred years
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before the birth of Christ, the prophet Zachariah thus foretold the coming of the
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King of Israel. This prophecy is now to be fulfilled. He who has
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so long refused royal honors, now comes to Jerusalem as the promised heir to
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David's throne. It was on the first day of the week that Christ made
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his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Multitudes who had flocked to see him at Bethany
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now accompanied him, eager to witness his reception. Many people were on their
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way to the city to keep the Passover, and these joined the multitude attending
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Jesus. All nature seemed to rejoice. The trees were clothed with verdure,
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and their blossoms shed a delicate fragrance on the air. A new life and
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joy animated the people. The hope of the new kingdom was again springing up,
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proposing to ride into Jerusalem. Jesus had sent two of his disciples to
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bring to him an ass and its cold. At his birth, the Savior
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was depended upon the hospitality of strangers. The manger in which he lay was
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a borrowed resting place. Now, although the cattle on a thousand hills or
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his he is dependent on a stranger's kindness for an animal on which to enter
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Jerusalem as its king. But again his divinity is revealed even in the minute
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directions given his disciples for this errand, as he foretold, the plea the
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Lord hath need of them was readily granted. Jesus chose for his use the
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cult on which never man had set. The disciples, with glad enthusiasm,
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spread their garments on the beast and seated their master upon it. Heretofore,
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Jesus had always traveled on foot, and the disciples had at first wondered that
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he should now choose to ride. But hope brightened in their hearts with the
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joyous thought that he was about to enter the capital, proclaim himself king,
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and assert his royal power. While on their errand, they communicated their glowing
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expectations to the friends of Jesus and the excitement spread far near, raising the
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expectations of the people to the highest pitch. Christ was following the Jewish custom
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for a royal entry. The animal on which he rode was at ridden by
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the kings of Israel, and Prophecy had foretold that thus the Messiah should come
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to his kingdom. No sooner was he seated upon the colt than a loud
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shout of triumph rent the air. The multitude hailed him as Messiah, their
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king. Jesus now accepted the homage, which he had never before permitted,
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and the disciples received this as proof that their glad hopes were to be realized.
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By seeing him established on the throne, the multitude were convinced that the
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hour of their emancipation was at hand. In imagination, they saw the Roman
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armies driven from Jerusalem, and Israel once more an independent nation. All were
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happy and excited. The people vied with one another in paying him homage.
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They could not display outward pomp and splendor, but they gave him the worship
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of happy hearts. They were unable to present him with costly gifts, but
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they spread their outer garments as a carpet in his path, and they also
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strewed the leafy branches of the olive and the palm in the way. They
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could lead the triumphal procession with no royal standards. But they cut down the
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spreading palm boughs, nature's emblem of victory, and waved them aloft with loud
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acclamations in hosannas. As they proceeded, the multitude was continually increased by those
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who had heard of the coming of Jesus and hastened to join the procession.
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Spectators were constantly mingling with the throng and asking who is this? What does
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all this commotion signify? They had all heard of Jesus and expected him to
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go to Jerusalem, but they knew that he had heretofore discouraged all effort to
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place him on the throne, And they were greatly astonished to learn that this
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was he. They wondered what could have wrought this change in him, who
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had declared that his kingdom was not of this world. Their questionings are silenced
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by a shout of triumph. Again and again it is repeated by the eager
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throng. It is taken up by the people afar off, and echoed from
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the surrounding hills and valleys. And now the procession is joined by crowds from
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Jerusalem. From the multitudes gathered to attend the passover, thousands go forth to
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welcome Jesus. They greet him with the waving of palm branches and a burst
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of sacred song. The priests at the temple sound the trumpet for evening service,
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but there are few to respond, and the rulers say to one another
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in alarm, the world is gone after him. Never before in his earthly
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life had Jesus permitted such a demonstration. He clearly foresaw the result. It
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would bring him to the cross. But it was his purpose thus publicly to
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present himself as the redeemer. He desired to call attention to the sacrifice that
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was to crown his mission to a fallen world. While the people were assembling
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at Jerusalem to celebrate the passover, he the anti typical Lamb, by a
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voluntary act, set himself apart as an oblation. It would be needful for
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his church in all succeeding ages to make his death for the sins of the
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world a subject of deep thought and steady. Every fact connected with it should
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be verified beyond a doubt. It was necessary then, that the eyes of
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all people should now be directed to him. The events which preceded his great
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sacrifice must be such as to call attention to the sacrifice itself. After such
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a demonstration as that attending his entry into Jerusalem, all eyes would follow his
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rapid progress to the final scene. The events connected with this triumphal ride would
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be the talk of every tongue and would bring Jesus before every mind. After
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his crucifixion, many would recall these events in their connection with his trial and
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death. They would be led to search the prophecies, and would be convinced
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that Jesus was the Messiah, and in all lands converts to the faith would
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be multiplied. In this one triumphant scene of his earthly life. The Savior
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might have appeared, escorted by heavenly angels and heralded by the trump of God.
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But such a demonstration would have been contrary to the purpose of his mission,
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contrary to the law which had governed his life. He remained true to
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the humble lot. He had accepted the burden of humanity he must bear until
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his life was given for the life of the world. This day, which
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seemed to the disciples. The crowning day of their lives would have been shadowed
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with gloomy clouds had they known that this scene of rejoicing was but a prelude
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to the suffering and death of their master. Although he had repeatedly told them
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of his certain sacrifice, yet in the glad triumph of the present, they
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forgot his sorrowful words and looked forward to his prosperous reign on David's throne.
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Accessions were made continually to the procession, and with few exceptions, all who
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joined it caught the inspiration of the hour and helped to swell the Hosannas that
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echoed and re echoed from hill to hill, and from valley to valley.
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The shouts went up continually, Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is
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he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.
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Never before had the world seen such a triumphal procession. It was not like
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that of the earth's famous conquerors. No train of mourning captives, as trophies
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of kingly valor made a feature of that scene. But about the Savior were
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the glorious trophies of his labors of love for sinful man. There were captives
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whom he had rescued from Satan's power, praising God for their deliverance. The
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blind, whom he had restored to sight were leading the way. The dom
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whose tongues he had loose, shouted the loudest hosannahs. The cripples whom he
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had healed, bounded with joy and were the most active in breaking the palm
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branches and waving them before the Savior. Widows and orphans were exalting the name
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of Jesus for his works of mercy to them. The lepers whom he had
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cleanned, spread their untainted garments in his path and hailed him as the King
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of glory. Those whom his voice had awakened from the sleep of death were
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in that throng. Lazarus, whose body had seen corruption in the grave,
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but who now rejoiced in the strength of glorious manhood, led the beast on
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which the Savior rode. Many pharisees witnessed the scene, and, burning with
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envy and malice, sought to turn the current of popular feeling. With all
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their authority. They tried to silence the people, but their appeals and threats
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only increased the enthusiasm. They feared that this multitude, in the strength of
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their numbers, would make Jesus king. As a last resort, they pressed
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through the crowd to where the Savior was and accosted him with reproving and threatening
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words. Master rebuke thy disciples. They declared that such noisy demonstrations were unlawful
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and would not be permitted by the authorities. But they were silenced by the
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reply of Jesus. I tell you that if thee should hold their peace,
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the stones would immediately cry out that scene of triumph was of God's own appointing.
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It had been foretold by the prophet, and man was powerless to turn
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aside God's purpose. Had men failed to carry out his plan, he would
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have given a voice to the inanimate stones, and they would have hailed his
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son with acclamations of praise. As a silence, Pharisees drew back. The
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words of Zachariah were taken up by hundreds of voices. Rejoice greatly, O,
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daughter of Zion, Shout, O, daughter of Jerusalem. Behold,
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thy king cometh unto thee. He is just and having salvation lowly and riding
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upon an ass and upon a colt the foal of an ass. When the
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procession reached the brow of the hill and was about to descend into the city,
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Jesus halted, and all the multitude with him. Before them lay Jerusalem
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in its glory. Now bathed in the light of the declining, the temple
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attracted all eyes in stately grandeur. It towered above all else, seeming to
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point towards Heaven, as if directing the people to the only true and Living
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God. The temple had long been the pride and glory of the Jewish nation.
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The Romans also prided themselves in its magnificence. A king appointed by the
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Romans had united with the Jews to rebuild and embellish it, and the Emperor
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of Rome had enriched it with his gifts. Its strength, richness, and
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magnificence had made it one of the wonders of the world. While the westering
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sun was tinting and gilding the heavens, its resplendent glory lighted up the pure
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white marble of the temple walls and sparkled on its gold capped pillars. From
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the crest of the hill, where Jesus and his followers stood. It had
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the appearance of a massive structure of snow set with golden pinnacles. At the
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entrance to the temple was a vine of gold and silver with green leaves and
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massy clusters of grapes. Executed by the most skillful artist, this design represented
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Israel as a prosperous vine. The gold, silver, and living green were
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combined with rare taste and exquisite workmanship. As it twined gracefully about the white
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and glistening pillars, clinging with shining tendrils to their golden ornaments, it caught
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the splendor of the setting sun, shining as if with a glory borrowed from
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heaven. Jesus gazes upon the scene, and the vast multitude hushed their shouts,
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spell bound by the sudden vision of beauty. All eyes turn upon the
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Savior, expecting to see in his countenance the admiration they themselves feel. But
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instead of this they behold a cloud of sorrow. They are surprised and disappointed
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to see his eyes fill with tears, and his body rocked to and fro
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like a tree before the tempest, while a wail of anguish burst from his
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quivering lips, as if from the depths of a broken heart. What a
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sight was this for angels to behold their love commander in an agony of tears.
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What a sight was this for the glad throng that, with shouts of
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triumph and the waving of palm branches, were escorting him to the glorious city,
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where they fondly hoped he was about to reign. Jesus had wept at
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the grave of Lazarus, but it was in a godlike grief, in sympathy
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with human woe. But this sudden sorrow was like a note of wailing in
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a grand triumphal course, in the midst of a scene of rejoicing where all
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were paying him homage, Israel's king was in tears, not silent tears of
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gladness, but tears and groans of insuppressible agony. The multitude were struck with
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a sudden gloom. Their acclamations were silenced. Many wept in sympathy with a
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grief they could not comprehend. The tears of Jesus were not in anticipation of
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his own suffering. Just before him was Gassimone, where soon the horror of
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a great darkness would overshadow him. The sheep gate also was in sight,
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through which for centries the beast for sacrificial offerings had been led. This gait
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was soon to open for him the great Antetype, towards whose sacrifice for the
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sins of the world all these offerings had pointed. Near By was Cavalry,
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the scene of his approaching agony. Yet it was not because of these reminders
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of his cruel death that the Redeemer wept and groaned in anguish of spirit.
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His was no selfish sorrow. The thought of his own agony did not intimidate
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that noble self sacrificing soul. It was the sight of Jerusalem that pierced the
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heart of Jesus, Jerusalem that had rejected the Son of God and scorned his
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love, that refused to be convinced by his mighty miracles, and was about
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to take his life. He saw what she was in her guilt of rejecting
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her redeemer, and what she might have been had she accepted him. Who
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alone could heal her wound? He had come to save her, How could
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he give her up? Israel had been a favored people. God had made
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their temple his habitation. It was beautiful for situation, the joy of the
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whole earth Psalms forty eight two. The record of more than a thousand years
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of Christ's guardian care and tender love, such as a father bears his only
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child was there in that temple. The prophets had uttered their solemn warnings.
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There had the burning censers waved, while incense mingled with the prayers of the
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worshippers had ascended to God. There the blood of beasts had flowed typical of
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the blood of Christ. There Jehovah had manifested his glory above the mercy seat.
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There the priest had officiated, and the pomp of symbol and ceremony had
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gone on for ages. But all this must have an end. Jesus raised
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his hand that had so often blessed the sick and suffering, and waving it
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towards a doomed city in broken utterances of grief, exclaimed, if thou hadst
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known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things which belong
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unto thy peace. Here the Savior paused and left unsaid what might have been
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the condition of Jerusalem had she accepted the help that God desired to give her
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the gift of his beloved son. If Jerusalem had known what it was her
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privilege to know, and had heeded the light which Heaven had sent her,
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she might have stood forth in the pride of prosperity, the queen of kingdoms,
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free in the strength of her God given power. There would have been
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no armed soldiers standing at her gates, no Roman banners waving from her walls.
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The glorious destiny that might have blessed Jerusalem had she accepted her redeemer rose
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before the Son of God. He saw that she might, through him have
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been healed of her grievous malady, liberated from bondage, and established as the
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mighty metropolis of the Earth. From her walls, the Dove of Peace would
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have gone forth to all nations. She would have been the world's diadem of
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glory. But the bright picture of what Jerusalem might have been fades from the
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savior sight. He realizes what she now is under the Roman yoke, bearing
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the frown of God. Doomed to his retributive judgment. He takes up the
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broken thread of his lamentation. But now they are hid from Thine eyes,
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for the day shall come upon THEE, that thine enemy shall cast a trench
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about THEE, and compass THEE round, and keep THEE in on every side,
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and shall lay THEE even with the ground, and thy children within THEE,
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and they shall not leave in THEE one stone upon another. Because thou
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knewest not the time of thy visitation, Christ came to save Jerusalem with her
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children, But phairsaaical pride, hypocrisy, jealousy, and malice had prevented him
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from accomplishing his purpose. Jesus knew the terrible retribution which would be visited upon
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the doomed city. He saw Jerusalem encompassed with armies, the besieged inhabitants driven
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to starvation and death, mothers feeding upon the dead bodies of their own children,
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and both parents and children snatching the last morsel of food from one another,
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natural affection being destroyed by the gnawing pangs of hunger. He saw that
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the stubbornness of the Jews, as evinced in the rejection of his salvation,
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would also lead them to refuse submission to the invading armies. He beheld cavalry
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on which he was to be lifted up, set with crosses as thickly as
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forest trees. He saw the wretched inhabitants suffering torture on the rack, and
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by crucifixion the beautiful palaces destroyed, the temple and ruins, and of its
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massive walls, not one stone left upon another, while the city was plowed
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like a field. Well might the Savior weep in agony in view of that
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fearful scene. Jerusalem had been the child of his care. And as a
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tender father mourns over a wayward son, so Jesus wept over the beloved city.
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How can I give THEE up? How can I see thee devoted to
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destruction? Must I let THEE go to fill up the cup of thine iniquity.
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One's soul is of such value that in comparison with it, worlds sink
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into insignificance. But here was a whole nation to be lost. When the
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fast westering sun should pass from sight in the heavens, Jerusalem's day of grace
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would be ended. While the procession was halting on the brow of Olivet,
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it was not yet too late for Jerusalem to repent. The Angel of Mercy
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was then folding her wings to step down from the golden throne to give place
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to justice and swift coming judgment. But Christ's great heart of love still pleaded
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for Jerusalem, that had scorn his mercies, despised his warnings, and was
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about to embrew her hands in his blood. If Jerusalem would but repent,
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it was not yet too late. While the last rays of the setting sun
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were lingering on temple tower and pinnacle, would not some good angel lead her
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to the Saviour's love and avert her doom. Beautiful and unholy city that had
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stoned the prophets, that had rejected the Son of God, that was locking
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herself by her impenitence in fetter's a bondage, her day of mercy was almost
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spent. Yet again, the spirit of God speaks to Jerusalem. Before the
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day is done, and other testimony is born to Christ. The voice of
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witness is lifted up, responding to the call from a prophetic past. If
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Jerusalem will hear the call, if she will receive the Savior who is entering
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her gates, she may yet be saved. Reports have reached the rulers in
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Jerusalem that Jesus is approaching the city with a great concourse of people, But
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they have no welcome for the Son of God. In fear, they go
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out to meet him, hoping to disperse the throng. As the procession is
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about to descend the Mount of Olives, it is intercepted by the rulers.
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They inquire the cause of tumultuous rejoicing as a question, who is this?
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The disciples, filled with the spirit of inspiration, answer this question in eloquent
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strains. They repeat the prophecies concerning Christ. Adam will tell you it is
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the seed of the woman that shall bruise the serpent's head. Ask Abraham,
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he will tell you it is Melchisedic, King of Salem, King of Peace
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Genesis fourteen eighteen. Jacob will tell you he is Shiloh of the tribe of
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Judah. Isaiah will tell you Immanuel, wonderful counselor the Mighty God, the
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Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace Isaiah seven fourteen nine six. Jeremiah will
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tell you the branch of David, the Lord our Righteousness Jeremiah twenty three six.
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Daniel will tell you he is the Messiah. Hoseiah will tell you he
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is the Lord, God of Host. The Lord is his memorial. Joseiah
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twelby five. John the Baptist will tell you he is the Lamb of God,
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which taketh away the sin of the world. John one twenty nine.
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The Great Jehovah has proclaimed from his throne, this is my beloved son,
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Matthew three seventeen. We his disciples declare, this is Jesus, the Messiah,
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the Prince of Life, the redeemer of the world, and the Prince
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of the powers of darkness. Acknowledges him, saying I know THEE who thou
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art, the Holy One of God. Mark one twenty four, end of
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Chapter sixty three, read by Donald Hines Avaretta, Texas,