Thomas Aquinas

Here is set down the devotion of the crowd going to meet Christ, and first is set down the meeting of the crowds; second, the zeal of the Pharisees, where it says "But the Pharisees said," etc. Concerning the first he does three things. First he sets down the crowd's meeting; second, the Lord's arrival, where it says "and Jesus found a young ass," etc.; third, the cause of the meeting, where it says "the crowd therefore bore witness." Now the meeting is described in four respects. First as to the time, because "on the next day," namely from that day of which he had spoken, "six days before the Passover," which is the tenth day of the month. And this agrees with the figure, Exodus 12:3ff., where it is said that the paschal lamb, which was to be immolated on the fourteenth day in the evening, was to be taken on the tenth day of the month.

Second, it is described as to the persons meeting him, because "a great crowd which had come together for the feast day," by which is signified the multitude of peoples who were to be converted to Christ; Psalm 7:8: "the synagogue of the peoples shall surround me." Now he says "for the feast day," because it is for this that the faithful are converted to Christ: that they may arrive at the feast day of the heavenly Jerusalem; Matthew 8:11: "many shall come from the east and the west, and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven."

Third, it is described as to the motive for meeting him, which is the hearing about the coming of Jesus; hence he says "when they had heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem." For all the faithful are converted to Christ on account of the hearing of faith; Romans 10:17: "faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ"; Exodus 4:31: "the children of Israel heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and the people believed."

Fourth, it is described as to the manner of meeting him: and first as to what they did, because "they took branches of palms." For the palm, which preserves its greenness, signifies victory, whence also among the ancients it was given to those celebrating a triumph as a sign of victory. And of the martyrs triumphing it is read in Apocalypse 7:9, that "palms were in their hands." The branches of palms, therefore, according to Augustine, are praises, signifying victory, because the Lord was, by dying, about to overcome death, about to triumph in the trophy of the cross over the Devil, the prince of death. "And they went forth to meet him"; Amos 4:12: "prepare to meet your God, O Israel."

Second, as to what they said, because they cried out: "Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel." Here he sets down petition and praise. Petition indeed when they say "Hosanna," that is, as if they were saying "save, I beseech." "Hosy," which means "save," and "Anna," which means "I beseech." This, according to Augustine, is not a word, but an interjection of one entreating. Rightly do they seek salvation from the Lord Jesus, because it is said, Isaiah 35:4: "the Lord himself will come and will save us"; Psalm 79:3: "stir up your power and come."

Now they praise him as to two things, namely as to his coming, and as to the power of his kingdom. They praise his coming indeed, saying "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Whence it must be known that to bless is to speak good. But God blesses us in one way, and we bless God in another. For God, by blessing us, makes us good, for his "to speak" is his "to make": for "he spoke, and they were made," Psalm 148:5. We, however, by blessing God, confess his goodness; Psalm 117:26: "we have blessed you from the house of the Lord." Genesis 27:29: "whoever shall bless you, let him be blessed," etc.

"Blessed, therefore, is he who comes in the name of the Lord." For Christ operated in the name of God, because all the works that he did, he ordered to the glory of God. But because both the Father is Lord, and the Son is Lord, therefore this that is said "in the name of the Lord" can be understood in two ways. In one way, "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," that is, in the name of himself, as Lord; Isaiah 33:22: "the Lord is our lawgiver." Moses, therefore, did not come in this way in the name of the Lord, because he came as a servant. Hebrews 3:5: "Moses was in all his house as a faithful servant, for a testimony of those things that were to be said."

But according to Augustine, it is better said "in the name of the Lord," namely, of the Father. For his own words direct our understanding to this. Above, John 5:43: "I have come in the name of my Father," etc. Now one is said to come in the name of the Father in two ways. First indeed insofar as he comes as Son, through which the Father is given to be understood; second insofar as he comes as manifesting the Father; below, John 17:6: "I have manifested your name to men."

But they praise the power of his kingdom when they say "King of Israel." For according to the letter the Jews believed that he had come to reign temporally over them, and to redeem them from the servitude of the Romans, and therefore they applauded him as a king; Jeremiah 23:5: "the king shall reign, and shall be wise"; Isaiah 32:1: "behold, the king shall reign in justice, and princes shall rule in judgment."

But it must be known that all the aforesaid words could be had from the Psalms. For since Psalm 117:22 had said: "the stone which the builders rejected," it adds: "O Lord, save me... blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Where Jerome, according to the Hebrew truth, translated "hosanna" as "save." But this that they add, "King of Israel," is not in the Psalms, but there it is: "the Lord is God, and he has shone upon us." In which, out of their blindness, they diminish his praise, because the Psalm praises him as God, but they indeed as a temporal king.

Next, when he says "and Jesus found a young ass, and sat upon it," he sets down the Lord's arrival: and first he sets down the manner of his coming; second he adduces the prophecy; third he shows the disposition of the disciples concerning this deed.

It must be noted concerning the first that John the Evangelist wrote his Gospel after all the other Evangelists, whence he had diligently read through all the Gospels, and what had been said at length by the others, he himself handed down in summary; but what they had omitted, he himself supplied. But because it is found at length in the other Evangelists how the Lord sent two of his disciples to bring the ass, therefore John passed over this briefly, saying "and Jesus found a young ass, and sat upon it."

Now it must be known that the deeds of Christ are, as it were, a mean between the deeds of the Old Testament and the New: and therefore both the crowd that went before and the one that followed praised him, inasmuch as the deeds of Christ are the rule and exemplar of those things that are done in the New Testament, and were prefigured by the fathers of the Old Testament.

Now the young ass, which is an unrefined animal, signifies the people of the Gentiles, upon which he sat, to signify that he himself was to redeem the Gentiles; Isaiah 49:6: "I have given you as a light of the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation even to the end of the earth"; ibid. 32:20: "blessed are you who sow upon all waters, sending forth the feet of the ox and the ass," that is, joining into the unity of faith the people of the Jews and of the Gentiles.

But because Matthew wrote his Gospel for the Jews, he makes mention of the she-ass, by which is signified the synagogue of the Jews, which was, as it were, the mother of the Gentiles in spiritual things, because "the law shall go forth from Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem": Isaiah 2:3. The other Evangelists, however, because they wrote their Gospels for the Gentiles, make mention also of the colt, etc.

Next, when he says "as it is written," etc., he adduces the prophecy that is written in Zechariah 9:9, in which first he gives security; second he promises royal majesty; third he adds the usefulness of the king.

He gives security when he says "fear not, daughter of Zion." Zion was a citadel in Jerusalem, where the dwelling of the king was. The daughter of Zion, therefore, is the people of Jerusalem, and of the Jews who were subject to the king of Jerusalem. To the Jews, therefore, it is said "fear not," because the Lord is your defender; Isaiah 51:12: "who are you, that you should be afraid of a mortal man?" Psalm 26:1: "the Lord is the defender of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?" In which the Evangelist excludes worldly and servile fear.

Now he promises royal majesty, saying "behold your king comes," etc. Isaiah 9:6: "a little child is given to us." And below, ibid. 7: "he shall sit upon the throne of David and over his kingdom." Now he says "your," that is, taking flesh from you, because "nowhere did he take hold of the angels, but of the seed of Abraham": Hebrews 2:16. Again "your," that is, for your benefit, whence he adds "comes to you"; Luke 19:42: "if you also had known, even you, and indeed now the things that are for your peace: but now they are hidden from your eyes." But nevertheless, by resisting him, they themselves impeded their own benefit.

He comes, I say, to you, not for terror, but for liberation, whence he adds "sitting upon the colt of an ass": in which is signified the clemency of the king, which is greatly accepted by his subjects; Proverbs 20:28: "his throne is strengthened by clemency." And on the contrary it is said, Proverbs 19:12: "like the roaring of a lion, so also is the wrath of a king." As if he were to say: he does not come in royal pride, on account of which he could be hateful, but he comes in gentleness; Ecclesiasticus 32:1: "have they made you a ruler? do not be lifted up." Do not, therefore, fear the oppression of a kingdom. But the old law was given in fear, because the law generated servitude. Likewise the power of the king is signified in this, inasmuch as, coming in humility and weakness, he drew the whole world to himself. 1 Corinthians 1:25: "that which is weak of God is stronger than men."

Next, when he says "these things his disciples did not know at first," he sets down the disposition of the disciples toward the prophecy adduced, in which the Evangelist confesses the ignorance both of himself and of the disciples, because, as it is said, Proverbs 18:17, "the just man is at the outset his own accuser." Whence he says that these things, which have been foretold, "his disciples did not know at first," that is, before the passion, but "when Jesus was glorified," that is, when he showed forth the power of his resurrection, "then they remembered that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things to him."

But the reason they knew when he was glorified is that then they received the power of the Holy Spirit, from which they were made wiser than all wise men; Job 32:8: "the inspiration of the Almighty gives understanding." Now the Evangelist introduces this for this reason, to show that what was done was not seriously procured by the disciples.

Next, when he says "the crowd therefore bore witness," etc., he sets down the cause of the meeting, which was the giving of testimony that the crowd which was with him bore, concerning the resurrection of Lazarus; namely when he called Lazarus out of the tomb (...) "therefore also the crowd came to meet him"; 1 Corinthians 1:22: "the Jews seek signs." For this was a more evident sign, and more wonderful, and therefore he reserved it for the last, so that it might be more impressed upon their memory.

Next, when he says "the Pharisees therefore said among themselves," etc., he sets down the zeal of the Pharisees, which was stirred up from the frustration of their endeavor; whence they said "do you see that we are accomplishing nothing?" etc.: which indeed is the word of the envious Pharisees, so that they say "we are accomplishing nothing," namely in our malice, being unable to hinder him. "To accomplish" is taken in this way in 2 Timothy 3:13: "but evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse, erring, and driving into error."

But why does the blind crowd envy? Because "the world has gone after him," by whom the world was made. But nevertheless it is signified by this that the whole world was to follow him; Hosea 6:3: "we shall live in his sight, and we shall follow, that we may know the Lord."

But Chrysostom holds that these are the words of Pharisees who believed, though secretly on account of fear of the Jews. And they say this in order to draw the others back from the persecution of Christ, as if they were to say: however much you lay snares for him, by so much the more is he increased, and his glory intensified. Why, then, do you not desist from such great snares? Which indeed is almost the same as the counsel of Gamaliel, concerning which we have in Acts 5:34ff.