Practical Wisdom from the Word of God

Luke 19:32-38(NKJV)
³²So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. ³³But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?” ³⁴And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” ³⁵Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. ³⁶And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. ³⁷Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, ³⁸saying: “‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ^£ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

We call this story the “Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem. The designation does not come from a statement in the bible calling it that. Rather it comes from an understanding of the dominant culture of biblical times. Jesus lived in a world dominated by Rome. Understanding the Roman practice of giving a “triumph” to a successful commander will give us a clear picture of this, seemingly innocent, donkey ride through the streets of Jerusalem.

In Roman days the structure of the army was very different from today. We have a national army that is raised by the government, paid by the government and loyal to the government. The government then picks a commanding officer for that army. If the commander does not please the government he is replaced and the army must accept their new commanding officer. This was not the case in Rome.

The Roman government, whether republic or empire, would first choose a general. This man was not necessarily a good military leader. He might have no military experience at all. What he had to be was rich or connected to those who were. Why? Because the government did not give him an army to lead. It was his “honor” to raise his own army and then go fight the government’s battles.

The general would raise the money to pay thousands of recruits to serve in his legions. Part of the draw for military service was the promise that, in retirement, the soldiers would be given land. For most this was the only way they could ever obtain land. Land ownership in most ancient societies opened the door for all kinds of benefits.

Since the soldiers were dependent upon their general for their pay and their future, they were loyal to him first of all. They fought for their general. They fought for Rome as well, but their primary loyalty was to the general.

In order to protect itself from these mixed loyalties, Rome had a law. No general could march into the city at the head of his army. It was feared that if they did, the army would overthrow the government and install the general, to whom their true loyalty was owed, as the new leader. There was, however an exception to this law.

If a general won a great battle for Rome he could request a “triumph.” If the “triumph” was granted by the government, the general would be allowed to parade his victorious army through the city. The people would cheer and shout their approval for the general. As the general rode through the streets waving at the people and hearing their shouts of approval, there was always a slave who rode behind him, whispering in his ear, “You are only a man.”, over and over. When the parade was over the army had to leave the city immediately. These celebrations were called “Triumphs” or “Triumphal Entries” into the city.

That is exactly what we are seeing in this story from the new testament. Jesus is entering Jerusalem as a triumphant general coming from winning a great battle. He is not on a chariot, but on a donkey. He is not leading a natural army of soldiers, but a supernatural army of believers and, I believe, unseen angels. The crowd is cheering his great victory. They are proclaiming his greatness and even calling him a king.

There is one major difference. Jesus has not yet won the major victory for which this triumph is being held. In the natural he is being celebrated for what the people have heard about signs and wonders being performed in his name. However the real battle will be fought a week from this “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem. He will defeat the one who holds mankind captive and set the world free to choose to follow the true God.

You see in the spirit the battle, although not yet fought, was already won. Jesus had already defeated the devil. It just needed to be played out on the stage of history. What a wonderful illustration of our own faith battles today.

We live in days when most of us are fighting battles in some area of life. It may be financial, emotional or physical. Families are under attack as never before. Our culture is trying to push aside the moral and integrity restraints of the bible. If we look only at the natural it can seem we are losing the battle both corporately and individually. However we are not.

In the spirit God has already won the war. Make no mistake. We are on the winning side. If you are facing a personal battle that looks impossible to win, take heart. We have a commander who marched into Jerusalem celebrating his victory before the battle began. In our battle for the soul of our nation and our society I believe that same commander is riding through our streets celebrating the glorious victory that he will inevitably win.

Are you facing a challenge today? If so, why not have your own “triumph?” Why not rejoice in the victory you have not yet seen? It is just as inevitable as the victory that Jesus was going to win over the devil. At the time of his entry into Jerusalem events were unfolding that would cause Jesus to undergo tremendous suffering. Yet he already knew the outcome.

We can know the outcome of our battles. We can read the “book” and find out how it ends for us. Hebrews 13:15 tells us to offer the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips giving thanks. What makes praise a sacrifice? It is a sacrifice when we offer a shout of victory when the battle has not yet been won. It is a sacrifice of praise when we have a triumph before we win the fight. That is the nature of true faith.

Take a moment and give a triumphant shout to God for the victory that is inevitable in your life if you trust in Jesus and believe the promises in his word.