Throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, He regularly told people to keep quiet about the things He did for them (Matthew 9:27-31; Mark 1:40-45; Mark 5:35-43). Like the man healed from leprosy in Mark 1, people often ignored His instructions and told everyone about the Great Teacher who had miraculously healed them. The result was that Jesus "could no longer enter a town openly" because of the crowds that sought miracles of their own (Mark 1:45).
When Mary wanted Jesus to turn the water into wine to spare the hosts from shame, Jesus told her that His time had not yet come (John 2:4). When Jesus' brothers challenged Him to go and perform works in Jerusalem during a festival, Jesus told them something similar (John 7:6). When Jesus escaped from the crowd in John 6, it was because He knew they were planning to make Him their king by force (John 6:15).
Jesus knew how much attention His ministry drew. He tried to mitigate the threat of unwanted attention by timing His miracles well and asking people to keep quiet about what He did for them. However, there came a point in Jesus' ministry where His objective changed. The time had come for Him to offer His life "as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
On what He knew would be His final trip to Jerusalem for the festival of Passover, Jesus made plans to enter the city in a way that would force a confrontation with the religious leaders. Jesus asked His disciples to bring a young colt to ride on to fulfill the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9.
As Jesus made His way from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, the people shouted a praise rooted in Psalm 118, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" This was no spontaneous outburst. God deliberately planned out this moment to announce that Jesus' time had finally arrived. By presenting Himself as the promised Messiah, Jesus' fate was sealed. Because He fully gave Himself over to God's plan, there would be no turning back.
The crowd had no way of knowing the profound double meaning of their shouts of triumph. In a few short days, this man on the colt would die a brutal death and then rise again. By doing so, He made it possible for anyone who believes in Him and comes to the Father in His name to be saved.
