d arisen
already, and much blood had been shed in the forcible dispelling of
their delusive claims. But the Romans saw nothing to fear, perhaps much
to smile at, in the spectacle of a King mounted upon an ass, and
attended by subjects, who, though numerous, brandished no weapons but
waved instead palm branches and myrtle sprigs. The ass has been
designated in literature as "the ancient symbol of Jewish royalty," and
one riding upon an ass as the type of peaceful progress.

Such triumphal entry of Jesus into the chief city of the Jews would have
been strikingly inconsistent with the general tenor of His ministry in
its early stages. Even the intimation that He was the Christ had been
made with guarded care, if at all; and every manifestation of popular
regard in which He might have figured as a national leader had been
suppressed. Now, however, the hour of the great consummation was near at
hand; the public acceptance of the nation's homage, and the
acknowledgment of both kingly and Messianic titles, constituted an open
and official proclamation of His divine investiture. He had entered city
and temple in such royal state as befitted the Prince of Peace. By the
rulers of the nation He had been rejected and His claims derided. The
manner of His entry should have appealed to the learned teachers of the
law and the prophets; for Zechariah's impressive forecast, the
fulfilment of which the evangelist, John, finds in the events of this
memorable Sunday,[1068] was frequently cited among them: "Rejoice
greatly, O, daughter of Zion; shout, O, daughter of Jerusalem: behold,
thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and
riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass."[1069]

CERTAIN GREEKS VISIT CHRIST.[1070]

Among the multitudes who came to Jerusalem at the time of the annual
Passover were people of many nations. Some of these, though not of
Jewish descent, had been converted to Judaism; they were admitted to the
temple precincts, but were not allowed to pass beyond the court of the
Gentiles.[1071] Sometime during our Lord's last week of mortal life,
possibly on the day of His royal entry into the city,[1072] certain
Greeks, who were evidently numbered among the proselytes since they had
come "to worship at the feast," sought an interview with Jesus. Imbued
with a becoming sense of decorum they hesitated to directly approach the
Master, and applied instead to Philip, one of the apostles, sa