Matthew 21:1-9
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Jesus' triumphal entrance into Jerusalem during the Jewish observance of Passover actually had the undertones of and pointed to the Feast of the Tabernacle, Sukkot. First of all, the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 is fulfilled, "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." The people would have been aware of this prophecy. Their response was "as if it were Sukkot because with the Messiah's arrival they anticipated the subsequent kingdom blessings - blessings symbolized in the holiday of Tabernacles." (1)
Bruce Scott goes on to detail the significance of the use of branches cut from trees of the "fields" in The Feasts of Israel (p. 116) Only certain palms were acceptable for use at Sukkot by rabbinical law, those found by a brook, or those cut from an unirrigated, open field. The palms that they laid on the trail were rabbinically acceptable. "So it was that with the intent of waving lulavs, the people of Israel cut down branches upon Jesus' triumphal entry, joyfully welcoming their messianic King." (2) Leviticus 23 set out the parameters for the usage of the palms: "And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days."
Another important component of the Feast of Tabernacles was the chanting of the words from Psalms 118, "O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar." The exclamation of praise, "save" in the chant coming up from the crowd, is the Hebrew "Hosanna". (3) "Calling Jesus the "Son of David" (messianic title), they anticipated His bringing to Israel their ultimate salvation and resultant glorification." (4)
The gathering of Israelites understood the ramification of their Lord riding into the Holy City on the back of a donkey colt. Their festive expression of waving the palm branches, shouting "Hosanna to the son of David", showed that they made the connection to the Feast of Sukkot. They, the children of Israel, welcomed their savior, the source of their salvation, the king of kings.
As the week progressed, more prophesy unfolded. Christ's own words were prophetic in Matthew 20:17-19 "And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again."
The carrying of the palms as in the Feast of the Tabernacle is referenced one final time in the book of Revelation. "The images surrounding Sukkot are used to describe a heavenly scene in Revelation 7:9-17." (5) "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. " (Revelation 7:10)
The lulavs and hosannas in Heaven! The celebration at the throne of the Lord continues, for the journey that Jesus began on earth as he rode the colt into Jerusalem is culminated in the victorious reunion with the saints before the throne of God.
Raise the palm branch high. Shout hosanna. Celebrate the king of kings. "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest."
(1), (2), (4) Bruce Scott, The Feasts of Israel (New Jersey: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc.), page 116.
(3) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+118%3A24-29%2CMatthew+21%3A8%2CMatthew+21%3A9&version=NIV#fen-NIV-23834a.
(5) Bruce Scott, The Feasts of Israel (New Jersey: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc.), page 117.
