Nisan 10 – Your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey…

Nisan 10, 5785; from sunset April 7, 2025, to sunset April 8, 2025

(The tenth day of the first month)

This is the name “Yeshua” (יֵשׁוּעַ – Jesus) as seen on the James Ossuary. Yeshua comes from the verb “yasha” meaning “to save or deliver.” Yeshua means “Salvation.”

The timeline leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion can be difficult to nail down. We’re putting out our best guess according to the information provided in the gospels and the patterns set forth by our Father. We have chosen today to place Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. In our eyes, there is a parallel between that event and the selection of the Passover lamb.

All four gospels recount this story with some minor variations. We have woven together all of the accounts into one – not wanting to leave out a single detail of that beautiful day.

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, `Why are you doing this?’ say, `The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.”

So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?”

And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. – Mark 11:1-6

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” – Zechariah 9:9

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, `Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” – Matthew 21:4-5

These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. – John 12:16

Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. – Mark 11:7

And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. – Matthew 21:8

And so the multitude who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, were bearing Him witness. For this cause also the multitude went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. – John 12:17-18

Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” – Luke 19:37-38

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest!” – Matthew 21:9

“Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” – Mark 11:10

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” – Matthew 21:10-11

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” – Luke 19:39-44

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, `My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a `den of thieves.’”[1]

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, `Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. – Matthew 21:12-17

The Bible does not tell us which gate He used to enter the city. Some suggest that Jesus may have used the Sheep Gate. That is the gate through which the sacrificial lambs were brought. Still other suggest He entered through the East Gate; the book of Ezekiel relates that the Glory of the LORD entered through this gate. Since Jesus functioned as our Passover Lamb, we vote for the Sheep Gate; and we envision that He will enter the East Gate when He returns in His full power and glory.

[1] Mark 11:11 says that Jesus went into the Temple after His triumphal entry, looked around, and returned to Bethany. He then places the story of Jesus driving out the money changers on the day after the triumphal entry (Mark 11:15-19). Matthew and Luke both seem to place this episode directly after Jesus entered into the city on a donkey.

To see all of our posts regarding “Yeshua” (יֵשׁוּעַ – Jesus), click on the image below.