Much has been said in recent years regarding the authenticity and historical reliability of the Bible. Indeed, many renowned writers, philosophers and intellectuals have popularized the idea that the New Testament authors borrowed much of their inspiration for Jesus Christ from the mystery cults of the Roman empire, and that Jesus himself is a myth.
The basis for this, they claim, are the overwhelming number of parallels between the Gospel accounts and those found in pagan religions all over the world.
One such parallel is that of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem found in John 12:12-16 and the other four Gospels, and the Triumphal Procession of Bacchus.
It is easy to see why one might come to such a conclusion. Both religions depict their god riding in a procession surrounded by followers. Bacchus rides a mule. Jesus rides a donkey's colt. Bacchus is accompanied by mythical creatures and dancing women waving laurels, while Jesus' followers sing and wave palm branches.
At a glance, the similarities are obvious. However, a cursory overview of pagan iconography and the Bible is hardly enough evidence to prove that Jesus is a myth. To come to such a conclusion based on circumstantial similarities, devoid of both cultural and textual context, is premature at best.
In order to fully understand the significance of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and the crowd's reaction to him, we must travel back through the scriptures to the last time that Jesus was in Jerusalem: The Festival of Tabernacles.
The Festival of Tabernacles (Sometimes referred to as the "Festival of Shelters" or the "Festival of Booths") is one of three Pilgrimage Festivals in the Old Testament that required all the people of Israel to gather together to worship at the Temple of God. The other two Pilgrimage Festivals are of course Passover and the Feast of Pentecost which took place 50 days after Passover. (Deuteronomy 16:16)
During the Festival of Tabernacles, the people of Israel would make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem wherein they would build temporary shelters, or "booths", out of palm branches and live in them for one week's time in remembrance of their ancestor's 40 year sojourn through the wilderness. (Leviticus 23:33-44)
The climax of the Festival of Tabernacles came with the Water Libation Ceremony. During the ceremony, the High Priest would come down from the Temple and draw water from the Pool of Siloam. He would then lead a day-long procession back to the temple and pour out the water in the presence of the Lord to invoke God's blessing on the land. Likewise, the people would join in the procession. Gathering up the palm branches from their shelters they would lay them on the street in front of the High Priest while signing songs of praise and calling out to God, imploring Him to send rain, life, and salvation to Israel.
On a side note, The Hebrew word for water, Mayim (מָ֫יִם), forms the root of the Hebrew word for life, Chayim (חַיִּים). Since Israel is a desert nation, the significance of this should not be overlooked. Especially in the context of this passage.
Because he was a Jew, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem in John 7 to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. However, John records that Jesus arrived quietly and in secret and did not make his presence known until halfway through the festival when he began to teach openly at the Temple. (John 7:14-36)
At the climax of the festival, during the Water Libation Ceremony, Jesus stood up in the Temple and said to the crowd gathered there: “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (John 7:37-43)
This was the last time Jesus was in Jerusalem before his Triumphal Entry.
With the events of the previous festival in mind we can clearly see why the people responded the way that they did when Jesus arrived for the Passover. The people remembered that Jesus had publicly declared himself to be the savior of Israel the last time he was in Jerusalem, and they were expecting him to deliver them from Rome and establish a new Kingdom of Israel. Therefore they cut down palm branches and laid them on the road in front of Jesus and began to signing songs of praise, just as they had done for the High Priest during the climax of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Jesus did of course come to bring deliverance, but not from Rome. Instead, Jesus returned to Jerusalem to fulfill the Passover. In just a few days Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be slaughtered for our sins so that we could be saved from sin and death and be made right with God. (Exodus 12, John 1:19-30, Romans 5:1-11)
In conclusion: It is clear from the historic and cultural context of the Bible that Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was a uniquely Jewish event, influenced by centuries of Jewish tradition catalyzed by life and teachings of Jesus himself; not a re-imagining of the Greco-Roman Mysteries.
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