Easter Advent Day 1: The Lamb and the Donkey

Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.  Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers' households, a lamb for each household. Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons [in them;] according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.'" Exodus 12:1-6

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout [in triumph,] O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zec 9:9

These two Old Testament prophecies become intertwined in their fulfillment with an event that marks the beginning of Jesus' final days before going to the cross. Three of the Gospels record how these prophecies are fulfilled.

As they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, and said to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied [there,] on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it [here.] If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' you say, 'The Lord has need of it'; and immediately he will send it back here. They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they untied it. Some of the bystanders were saying to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" They spoke to them just as Jesus had told [them,] and they gave them permission.  They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. And many spread their coats in the road, and others [spread] leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Blessed [is] the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!" Jesus entered Jerusalem [and came] into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late. Mark 11:1-11 NASB

This passage is familiar to so many of us. It is known as the Triumphal Entry. This is where Jesus was entering Jerusalem during His final days on earth on the back of a lowly donkey. As He was making His way towards the city, the people of Israel were making a way before Him with their garments and palm leaves. They were lifting their voices of one accord announcing Him as their King, their Redeemer, the Chosen One. For three and a half years, Jesus had been in their midst preaching and performing miracles, but this was the first time that a corporate, public declaration was made by the people of Israel declaring who Jesus was, and they were welcoming Him into the very center of the house of Israel: Jerusalem. 

Many centuries before this day, God had given the people of Israel instructions for what was to take place during Passover. His directions for them included the selection of the lamb for the Passover. The selection of the lamb had to take place days before the Passover sacrifice would occur. 

 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth of this month they are, each one, to take a lamb for themselves, according to the fathers' households, a lamb for each household. Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons [in them;] in proportion to what each one should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight." Exodus 12:3-6

According to God's command, the Israelites would bring their chosen little lambs into their homes to be the sacrifice they would offer a few days later. This would be the lamb they would kill to bring about their freedom from death and slavery. But little did the Israelites know, they were not only being obedient to what God had told them to do for their annual Passovers, they were in fact acting out a picture God intended as a type of Who was to come. 

On that first Passover in Egypt,  each family that decided to listen to God's command took their chosen lamb into their house, lived with it, and examined it from the 10th of Nisan until the 14th of Nisan when, "the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Exodus 12:6." While the lambs were in their homes, the families made sure there was no defect that had been missed by anyone before the little lamb had officially come into their houses. Then on the 14th of Nisan, they would take their little lamb and offer it as a sacrifice. However, in Exodus 12:6 the language changes. 

"You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight."

Now, this lamb that had been taken into the home is being offered by the whole congregation of Israel. Notice the change in language, how there is only one lamb being referred to and it is the whole assembly offering this lamb. In their preparation for Passover every year, the Israelites were unknowingly part of a picture pointing to the true Passover Lamb Who was to be offered for all. On this day as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the picture that had been a shadow of things to come was now actually happening. 

Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Blessed [is] the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!" 

The people were singing and shouting Scripture as they escorted their Lamb into Jerusalem, the seat of the House of Israel. They were leading Him in with shouts of "Hosanna!" In Aramaic Hosanna means, "Save, we pray." 

"This is the day which the LORD has made; Let's rejoice and be glad in it. Please, O LORD, do save [us;] Please, O LORD, do send prosperity!  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD." Psalm 118:24-26

The people of Israel were bringing the Lamb into Jerusalem to spend the next few days being inspected by the representatives of the House of Israel. The picture was no longer a shadow of things to come. Prophecy was being fulfilled. 

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout [in triumph,] daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zec 9:9

On the 10th of Nisan nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey being proclaimed the Savior and King of Israel. After the public declaration by the people, Jesus spent His next few days, the days leading up to His crucifixion, being examined one last time by the people, the chief priests, and the elders of the House of Israel.  

During this time, the chief priests and elders inspected Jesus each day in the Temple, the very heart of the House of Israel, trying to find a flaw... any way they could condemn Jesus. By the end of their examinations, Scripture tells us they did not ask Him any more questions. This was because they were unable to find a single fault or flaw in Him or any of His sayings. They found nothing. He stumped them at every turn. So they waited for their opportunity to lay their trap to do away with their little problem: Jesus (we will save that for another day). You can read about the days between the Triumphal Entry and the crucifixion in the Gospel accounts. As you read, take note of how Jesus is examined by those around Him. The people had chosen their perfect lamb. The leadership, the representatives of the people are examining the perfect Passover Lamb in the House.  

Now, remember that any lamb offered as a Temple sacrifice had to be without spot or blemish. It could have no marks or injuries. Well, the countryside around Jerusalem was pretty rough going when it came to terrain. So, how could you transport little lambs from the countryside to the Temple in Jerusalem and still ensure they were not injured or marred on the journey? Would it surprise you  to find out that for millennia donkeys have been used to transport lambs, among other animals, from place to place? They are still being used to this day in the Middle East for such a purpose. There is also a very special connection between the donkey and lambs. Many shepherds use donkeys to nanny little lambs. I find it awesome that a picture the people of that region and time would have been familiar with is one God would use. The people would see the Lamb of God, being brought into Jerusalem, being carried on the back of a donkey and her colt. I love this picture!!! God is so awesome!!

As Augustine so beautifully put it, "The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed. The Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed."
Every detail...every word....it all points to Jesus. It all points to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7