azareth of Galilee." It may be
that the Galilean pilgrims were first to answer and loudest in the
gladsome proclamation; for the proud Judeans held Galilee in low esteem,
and on this day, Jesus of Galilee was the most prominent personage in
Jerusalem. The Pharisees, resentful of the honors thus shown to One whom
they had long plotted to destroy, impotently condoled with one another
over the failure of all their nefarious schemes, saying: "Perceive ye
how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him." Unable to
check the surging enthusiasm of the multitudes, or to silence the joyous
acclamations, some of the Pharisees made their way through the throngs
until they reached Jesus, and to Him they appealed, saying: "Master,
rebuke thy disciples." But the Lord "answered and said unto them, I tell
you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out"[1067]

Dismounting, He entered afoot the temple enclosure; shouts of adulation
greeted Him there. Chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, the official
representatives of the theocracy, the hierarchy of Judaism, were
incensed; there was no denying the fact that the people were rendering
Messianic honors to this troublesome Nazarene; and that too within the
very purlieus of the temple of Jehovah.

The purpose of Christ in thus yielding Himself for the day to the
desires of the people and accepting their homage with kingly grace may
not be fully comprehended by us of finite mind. That the occasion was no
accidental or fortuitous happening, of which He took advantage without
preconceived intention, is evident. He knew beforehand what would be,
and what He would do. It was no meaningless pageantry; but the actual
advent of the King into His royal city, and His entry into the temple,
the house of the King of kings. He came riding on an ass, in token of
peace, acclaimed by the Hosanna shouts of multitudes; not on a
caparisoned steed with the panoply of combat and the accompaniment of
bugle blasts and fanfare of trumpets. That the joyous occasion was in no
sense suggestive of physical hostility or of seditious disturbance is
sufficiently demonstrated by the indulgent unconcern with which it was
viewed by the Roman officials, who were usually prompt to send their
legionaries swooping down from the fortress of Antonia at the first
evidence of an outbreak; and they were particularly vigilant in
suppressing all Messianic pretenders, for false Messiahs ha