Rev. Dr. Michael H.

Koplitz
@2019. Copyright Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz, D.Min., Ph.D.
All rights reserved.

Page 2 of 38
 Hebraic Analysis with Sermon Notes

The main differences between the Greek method and the Hebraic method of teaching ...................4
Methodology................................................................................................................................6
Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................... 11
Language ................................................................................................................................... 15
Works Cited............................................................................................................................... 38

Page 3 of 38
The main differences between the Greek method and the Hebraic method of teaching

Once you are aware of the two teaching styles, you will be able to determine if you are
in a class or reading a book, whether the analysis and teaching method is either in a
Greek or Hebraic way. In the Greek manner, the instructor is always right because of
advanced knowledge. In the college situation, it is because the professor has his/her
Ph.D. in some area of study, so one assumes that he or she knows everything about the
topic. For example, Rodney Dangerfield played the role of a middle-aged man going to
college. His English midterm was to write about Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Since he didn’t
understand any of Vonnegut’s books he hired Vonnegut himself to write the midterm.
When he received the paper from the English Professor told Dangerfield that whoever
wrote the paper knew nothing about Vonnegut. The professor’s words are an example
of the Greek method of teaching. Did the Ph.D. English professor think that she knew
more about Vonnegut’s writings than Vonnegut did? 1

In the Greek teaching method, the professor or the instructor claims to be the authority.
If you are attending a Bible study class and the class leader says, “I will teach you the
only way to understand this biblical book,” you may want to consider the implications.
This method is common since most Seminaries and Bible colleges teach a Greek mode
of learning, which is the same method the church has been utilizing for centuries.

Hebraic teaching methods are different. The teacher wants the students to challenge
what they hear. It is through questioning that a student can learn. Also, the teacher
wants his/her students to excel to a point where the student becomes the teacher.

1
Back to School. Performed by Rodney Dangerfield. Hollywood: CA: Paper Clip Productions, 1986. DVD.

Page 4 of 38
If two rabbis come together to discuss a passage of Scripture, the result will be at least
ten different opinions. All points of view are acceptable if each is supported by biblical
evidence. It is permissible and encouraged that students develop multiple ideas. There
is a depth to God’s Word, and God wants us to find all His messages contained in the
Scripture.

Seeking out the meaning of the Scriptures beyond the literal meaning is essential to
understand God’s Word fully.2 The Greek method of learning the Scriptures has
prevailed over the centuries. One problem is that only the literal interpretation of
Scripture was often viewed as valid, as prompted by Martin Luther’s “sola literalis”
meaning that just the literal interpretation of Scripture was accurate. The
Fundamentalist movements of today base their beliefs on the literal interpretation of
the Scripture. Therefore, they do not believe that God placed more profound, hidden,
or secret meanings in the Word.

The students of the Scriptures who learn through Hebraic training and understanding
have drawn a different conclusion. The Hebrew language itself leads to different
possible interpretations because of the construction of the language. The Hebraic
method of Bible study opens avenues of thought about God’s revelations in the
Scripture never considered. Not all questions about the Scripture studied will have an
immediate answer. If so, it becomes the responsibility of the learners to uncover the
meaning. Also, remember that multiple opinions about the meaning of Scripture are
also acceptable.

2
Davis, Anne Kimball. The Synoptic Gospels. MP3. Albuquerque: NM: BibleInteract, 2012.

Page 5 of 38
 Methodology

The methodology employed is to use First Century Scripture study methods integrated
with the customs and culture of Yeshua’s day to examine the Hebrew and Christian
Scriptures, thus gathering a more in-depth understanding by learning the Scriptures in
the way the people of Yeshua’s day did.

I have titled the methodology of analyzing a passage of Scripture in a Hebraic manner

the “Process of Discovery.” The author developed this methodology which brings
together the various areas of linguistic and cultural understanding. There are several
sections to the process and not all the sections apply to every passage of Scripture. The
overall result of developing this process is to give the reader a framework for studying
the word in more depth.

The “Process of Discovery” starts with a Scripture passage. An examination of the

linguistic structure of the passage is next. The linguistic structure includes parallelism,
chiastic structures, and repetition. Formatting the passage in its linguistic form allows
the reader to be able to visualize what the first century CE listener was hearing. The
chiasms are labeled by their corresponding sections, for example, A, B, C, B’, A’. Not
all passages of the Scriptures have a poetic form.

The next step is to “question the narrative.” The questioning of the narrative process
assuming the reader knows nothing about the passage. Therefore, the questions go from
the simple to the complex. The next task is to identify any linguistic patterns. Linguistic
patterns include, but are not limited to irony, simile, metaphor, symbolism, idioms,
hyperbole, figurative language, personification, and allegory.

Page 6 of 38
A review is made of any translation inconsistencies discovered between the English
NAU version and either the Hebrew or Greek versions. There are times when a Hebrew
or Greek word can be translated in more than one way. Inconsistencies also can be
created by the translation committee, which may have decided to use traditional
language instead of the actual translation. The decision of the translation committee is
in the Preface or Introduction to the Bible. Perhaps some of the inconsistencies were
intentionally added to convey some deeper meaning. An examination is done on all
discrepancies.

An analysis is made for any echoes of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Christian Scriptures.
Using a passage from the Hebrew Scriptures in the Christian Scriptures, an echo
occurs.3 Also, echoes are found when Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy) passages
are used in other Hebrew Bible books. Cross-references in the Scripture are references
from one verse to another verse which can assist the reader in understanding the verse.

The names of persons mentioned in the passage are listed. Many of the Hebrew names
have meaning and may be associated with places or actions. Jewish parents used to
name their children based on what they felt God had in store for their child. An example
of this is Abraham whose original name was Abram and was changed to mean eternal
father (God changed Abram's name to Abraham indicating a function he was to
perform). When the Hebrew Bible gives names, many of the occurrences mean
something unique. The same importance can occur for the names of places. The time
it takes to travel between locations can supply insight into the event.

3
Mitzvot are the 613 commandments found in the Torah that please God. There are positive and negative
commandments. The list was first development by Maimonides. The full list can be found at:
ttp://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm.

Page 7 of 38
Keywords are identified in a verse when they are essential to an understanding of that
passage. There are no rules for selecting the keywords. Searching for other occurrences
of the keywords in Scripture in a concordance is necessary to understand the word’s
usage; this must be done in either Hebrew or Greek, not in English. A classic Hebraic
approach is to find the usage of a word in the Scripture by finding other verses that
contain the word. The usage of a word, in its original language, is discovered by
searching the Scripture in the language of the word. Verses that contain the word are
identified, and a pattern for the usage of the word discovered. Each verse is examined
to see what the usage of the word is which, may reveal a model for the word’s usage.
For Hebrew words the first usage of the word in the Scripture, especially if used in the
Torah, is essential. For the Greek words, the Christian Scriptures are used to determine
the word usage in the Scripture. Sometimes finding the equivalent Greek word in the
Septuagint then analyzing its usage in Hebrew can be very helpful.

The Rules of Hillel are used when applicable. Hillel was a Torah scholar who lived
shortly before Yeshua’s day. Hillel developed several rules for Torah students to
interpret the Scriptures which refer to halachic Midrash. In several cases, these rules are
helpful in the analysis of the Scripture.

The cultural implications from the time period of the writing is done after the linguistic
analysis is completed. The culture is important because it is not explicitly referenced in
the biblical narratives as indicated earlier.

From the linguistic analysis and the cultural understanding, it is possible to obtain a
deeper meaning of the Scripture beyond the literal meaning of the plain text. That is
what the listeners of Yeshua’s time were doing. They put the linguistics and the culture
together without even having to contemplate it. They simply did it.

Page 8 of 38
The analysis will lead to a set of findings explaining what the passage meant in Yeshua’s
day. Most of the time the Hebraic analysis leads to the desire for deeper analysis to fully
understand what Yeshua was talking about or what was happening to Him. Whatever
the result, a new more in-depth understanding of the Scripture is obtained.

The components of the Process of Discovery are:

Language
Process of Discovery
Linguistics Section
Linguistic Structure
Discussion

Questioning the Passage

Verse Comparison of citations or proof text

Translation Inconsistencies

Biblical Personalities

Biblical Locations

Phrase Study

Scripture cross-references

Page 9 of 38
 Linguistic Echoes

Rules of Hillel

Culture Section

Discussion

Questioning the passage

Cultural Echoes

Culture and Linguistics Section

Discussion

Midrash

Zohar

Thoughts

Reflections

Only the application sections are included in this document.

Page 10 of 38
 Abbreviations
Bibleworks V104 was used for the Scriptures used in this study guide. Below are the
abbreviations used in the software.
Pentateuch GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU
Historical JOS JDG RUT 1SA 2SA
& Poetic 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH EZR
NEH ECC EST JOB PSA PRO
SOL
Prophets ISA JER LAM EZE DAN
HOS JOE AMO OBA JON
MIC NAH HAB ZEP HAG
ZEC MAL
Gospels MAT MAR LUK JOH ACT
Paul ROM 1CO 2CO GAL EPH
PHI COL 1TH 2TH 1TI
2TI TIT PHM
Apostles HEB JAM 1PE 2PE 1JO
2JO 3JO JUD REV
Apocrypha 1ES BAR 1MA SIR TBS
3MA PRM WIS BEL SUT
PSS TOB SUS LAO DAT
PRA ODE 4ES ESG BET
JDT EPJ 2MA JSA DNG
4MA PSX SIP JDA

The following is a list of aliases for BibleWorks book name abbreviations. See
the Book Names section of the Options window for details on how to add to or
change these aliases.

Internal Name used i Name used Alias Alias 2

Name n Browse in 1
Window Exported
Verse Lists

4
"Bible Version Abbreviations." Abbreviations. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

Page 11 of 38
Gen Genesis Gen. Gen Genesis
Exo Exodus Exod. Exo Exodus
Lev Leviticus Lev. Lev Leviticus
Num Numbers Num. Num Numbers
Deu Deuteronomy Deut. Deu Deuteronomy
Jos Joshua Jos. Jos Joshua
Jdg Judges Jdg. Jdg Judges
Rut Ruth Ruth Rut Ruth
1Sa 1 Samuel 1 Sam. 1Sa 1Samuel
2Sa 2 Samuel 2 Sam. 2Sa 2Samuel
1Ki 1 Kings 1 Ki. 1Ki 1Kings
2Ki 2 Kings 2 Ki. 2Ki 2Kings
1Ch 1 Chronicles 1 Chr. 1Ch 1Chronicles
2Ch 2 Chronicles 2 Chr. 2Ch 2 Chronicles
Ezr Ezra Ezr. Ezr Ezra
Neh Nehemiah Neh. Neh Nehemiah
Est Esther Est. Est Esther
Job Job Job Job Job
Psa Psalm Ps. Psa Psalm
Pro Proverbs Prov. Pro Proverbs
Ecc Ecclesiastes Eccl. Ecc Ecclesiastes
Sol Song of Solomon Cant. Sol Song
Isa Isaiah Isa. Isa Isaiah
Jer Jeremiah Jer. Jer Jeremiah
Lam Lamentations Lam. Lam Lamentations
Eze Ezekiel Ezek. Eze Ezekiel
Dan Daniel Dan. Dan Daniel
Hos Hosea Hos. Hos Hosea
Joe Joel Joel Joe Joel
Amo Amos Amos Amo Amos
Oba Obadiah Obad. Oba Obadiah
Jon Jonah Jon. Jon Jonah
Mic Micah Mic. Mic Micah
Nah Nahum Nah. Nah Nahum

Page 12 of 38
Hab Habakkuk Hab. Hab Habakkuk
Zep Zephaniah Zeph. Zep Zephaniah
Hag Haggai Hag. Hag Haggai
Zec Zechariah Zech. Zec Zechariah
Mal Malachi Mal. Mal Malachi
Mat Matthew Matt. Mat Matthew
Mar Mark Mk. Mar Mark
Luk Luke Lk. Luk Luke
Joh John Jn. Joh John
Act Acts Acts Act Acts
Rom Romans Rom. Rom Romans
1Co 1 Corinthians 1 Co. 1Co 1Corinthians
2Co 2 Corinthians 2 Co. 2Co 2Corinthians
Gal Galatians Gal. Gal Galatians
Eph Ephesians Eph. Eph Ephesians
Phi Philippians Phil. Phi Philippians
Col Colossians Col. Col Colossians
1Th 1 Thessalonians 1 Thess. 1Th 1Thessalonians
2Th 2 Thessalonians 2 Thess. 2Th 2Thessalonians
1Ti 1 Timothy 1 Tim. 1Ti 1Timothy
2Ti 2 Timothy 2 Tim. 2Ti 2Timothy
Tit Titus Tit. Tit Titus
Phm Philemon Phlm. Phm Philemon
Heb Hebrews Heb. Heb Hebrews
Jam James Jas. Jam James
1Pe 1 Peter 1 Pet. 1Pe 1Peter
2Pe 2 Peter 2 Pet. 2Pe 2Peter
1Jo 1 John 1 Jn. 1Jo 1John
2Jo 2 John 2 Jn. 2Jo 2John
3Jo 3 John 3 Jn. 3Jo 3John
Jud Jude Jude Jud Jude
Rev Revelation Rev. Rev Revelation
1Es 1 Esdras 1 Es. 1Es 1Esdras
Jdt Judith Jdt. Jdt Judith

Page 13 of 38
Tob Tobit Tob. Tob Tobit
1Ma 1 Maccabees 1 Ma. 1Ma 1Maccabees
2Ma 2 Maccabees 2 Ma. 2Ma 2Maccabees
3Ma 3 Maccabees 3 Ma. 3Ma 3Maccabees
4Ma 4 Maccabees 4 ma. 4Ma 4Maccabees
Ode Odes Odes Ode Odes
Wis Wisdom Wis. Wis Wisdom
Sir Sirach Sir. Sir Sirach
Sip Sip Sip Sip Sip
Pss Psalms of Solomon Ps. Sol. Pss
Bar Baruch Bar. Bar Baruch
Epj Epistle of Jeremiah Ep. Jer. Epj
Sus Susanna Sus. Sus Susanna
Bel Bel Bel. Bel Bel
Pra Prayer of Azariah Pr. Az. Pra Azariah
Dng Daniel (Greek) Dng Dng Dng
Prm Prayer of Pr. Man. Prm Manasseh
Manasseh
Psx Psalm(151) Psx. Psx
Lao Laodiceans Lao. Lao Laodiceans
4Es 4 Esdras 4 Es. 4Es 4Esdras
Esg Esther (Greek) Esg. Esg
Jsa Joshua (A) Jsa. Jsa
Jda Judges (A) Jda. Jda
Tbs Tobit (S) Tbs. Tbs
Sut Susanna (TH) Sut. Sut
Dat Daniel (TH) Dat. Dat
Bet Bel (TH) Bet. Bet
WCF WCF WCF WCF
WLC WLC WLC WLC
WSC WSC WSC WSC

Page 14 of 38
 Language
New American Standard 1995
1 1
When they had approached Jerusalem
and had come to Bethphage, at the
Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two
disciples,
2
saying to them, "Go into the village
opposite you, and immediately you will
find a donkey tied there and a colt with her;
untie them and bring them to Me.
3 λύσαντες ἀγάγετέ μοι.
"If anyone says anything to you, you
shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,'
and immediately he will send them."
4
This took place to fulfill what was
spoken through the prophet:
5
"SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF
ZION, 'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS
COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND
MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN
ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A
BEAST OF BURDEN.'"
6
The disciples went and did just as Jesus
had instructed them,
7
and brought the donkey and the colt,
and laid their coats on them; and He sat
on the coats.
8 καὶ ἐπεκάθισεν ἐπάνω αὐτῶν.
Most of the crowd spread their coats in
the road, and others were cutting
branches from the trees and spreading
them in the road.
9
The crowds going ahead of Him, and
those who followed, were shouting,
"Hosanna to the Son of David;
BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN
THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna
in the highest!"
10
When He had entered Jerusalem, all
the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"
Page 15 of 38
Koine Greek
Καὶ ὅτε ἤγγισαν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ
ἦλθον εἰς Βηθσφαγὴ πρὸς τὸ ὄρος τῶν
Ἐλαιῶν, τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπέστειλεν δύο
μαθητάς,
2
λέγων αὐτοῖς, Πορεύθητε εἰς τὴν κώμην
τὴν ἀπέναντι ὑμῶν, καὶ εὐθέως εὑρήσετε
ὄνον δεδεμένην, καὶ πῶλον μετ᾽ αὐτῆς·
3
Καὶ ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ τι, ἐρεῖτε ὅτι Ὁ
κύριος αὐτῶν χρείαν ἔχει· εὐθέως δὲ
ἀποστέλλει αὐτούς.
4
Τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ
ῥηθὲν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, λέγοντος,
5
Εἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιών, Ἰδού, ὁ
βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι, πραῢς καὶ
ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὄνον καὶ πῶλον υἱὸν
ὑποζυγίου.
6
Πορευθέντες δὲ οἱ μαθηταί, καὶ
ποιήσαντες καθὼς προσέταξεν αὐτοῖς ὁ
Ἰησοῦς,
7
ἤγαγον τὴν ὄνον καὶ τὸν πῶλον, καὶ
ἐπέθηκαν ἐπάνω αὐτῶν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν,
8
Ὁ δὲ πλεῖστος ὄχλος ἔστρωσαν ἑαυτῶν
τὰ ἱμάτια ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ· ἄλλοι δὲ ἔκοπτον
κλάδους ἀπὸ τῶν δένδρων, καὶ
ἐστρώννυον ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ.
9
Οἱ δὲ ὄχλοι οἱ προάγοντες καὶ οἱ
ἀκολουθοῦντες ἔκραζον, λέγοντες,
Ὡσαννὰ τῷ υἱῷ Δαυίδ. Εὐλογημένος ὁ
ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου. Ὡσαννὰ ἐν
τοῖς ὑψίστοις.
11
And the crowds were saying, "This is 10 Καὶ εἰσελθόντος αὐτοῦ εἰς
the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Ἱεροσόλυμα, ἐσείσθη πᾶσα ἡ πόλις,
Galilee." λέγουσα, Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος;
11
Οἱ δὲ ὄχλοι ἔλεγον, Οὗτός ἐστιν
Ἰησοῦς ὁ προφήτης, ὁ ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς
Γαλιλαίας.

Page 16 of 38
Process of Discovery
Linguistics Section
Linguistic Structure

A 1 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount
of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite
you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them
and bring them to Me. 3 "If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has
need of them,' and immediately he will send them."

B 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 "SAY TO
THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO
YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT,
THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'"

C 6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and
brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat
on the coats.

C’ 8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were
cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.

B’ 9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,
"Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE
NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!"

A’ 10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" 11
And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."

Discussion
This passage forms a chiasm with two central points which are related to each other.
The central point is that Yeshua entered the city of Jerusalem in a manner that the
prophets said. An interesting point would be to ask, why did Yeshua pick this time
to do this? Why right before the Passover? Version 11 indicates that Jerusalem did
not know Him. The parade into the city alerted the authorities that He was there.

Page 17 of 38
 The center point to the narrative is that Yeshua wanted to become known to
Jerusalem and the authorities of the city. By coming into the town on the donkey,
He alerted the religious leadership that He believed that He was the Messiah. From
the narrative, the people of the town did not know who He was. In verse 11,
Yeshua told the people who He was. The crowd of people following Yeshua into
the city was most likely Galileans who followed Him to Jerusalem.

According to Matthew’s Gospel, this is the first appearance of Yeshua in

Jerusalem.

Questioning the Passage5

1. What is the significance of Yeshua starting at the Mount of Olives? (v. 1)

4
In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of
Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from
east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward
the north and the other half toward the south. Zechariah 14:4
“The LORD is describing what is considered the final battle before the return of
the LORD, the Day of the LORD. The nations of the world will be brought
together to fight against the Hebrew people in Judea and Jerusalem. At this final
war, the city of Jerusalem will be captured, and half of the people will be exiled.
Jerusalem’s capture the LORD will come to Earth and will fight against the

5
(The questions and answers offered are for discussion purposes. You may have different questions and answers.
Remember all questions are valid and all answers must be defendable from Scripture. This applies to this section
and to the Culture Section.)

Page 18 of 38
 nations who banded together against Jerusalem. Since Jerusalem is on a fault line,
the land will separate on the fault line.”6

Since the apocalyptic event did not occur when Yeshua entered the city,
Matthew’s author is saying what the people were looking for but did not happen.
Yeshua brought the Kingdom of Heaven and not the apocalypse. Zechariah’s
prophecy was about a meek king who would not enter the city on a war horse
but instead on a donkey. This passage indicates two Messiahs. Yeshua was the
Messiah who brought the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. Why did Yeshua send two disciples to the village (why not one or three)? (v. 1)
People did not travel alone in ancient days. Therefore, Yeshua sent two of His
disciples.

3. What village did the two disciples to go? (v. 2)

Tradition says that Yeshua stopped at Bethany before moving to Bethphage. If
so, then Bethany was the village Yeshua sent His disciples to get the animals.
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived in that city. Most of the town knew Yeshua
because he visited His friends there.

6
Koplitz, Michael Harvey. Understanding Zechariah. CreateSpace, n.d. 2019.

Page 19 of 38
 7

4. Yeshua did not tell His disciples to bring a colt. They brought Him a colt. Why?
(v. 6)
For the Zechariah prophecy of the entry of the Messiah into Jerusalem to be
“true” then the Messiah has to enter the city of Jerusalem on a donkey with a
colt.

5. Did Yeshua sit on the donkey or the colt? (v. 7)

The Scripture indicates that Yeshua sat on both animals. It was necessary for
Matthew to say that two animals were brought to Yeshua so that Zechariah’s
prophecy came true.

6. What day did Yeshua enter Jerusalem?

Matthew’s Gospel indicates Monday while Mark places Yeshua’s entry on
Sunday.

“From John’s account of Jesus’ last week, there had arisen two thoughts on
when he rode into Jerusalem to the accolades of the people and with palm

7
“Bethphage Map.” Bible Map: Bethphage. Accessed April 10, 2019. https://bibleatlas.org/bethphage.htm.

Page 20 of 38
 branches of victory strewn along the road: Sunday, Nisan 9 and Monday, Nisan
10.

On Nisan 10, Israel was to select a lamb for Passover. On Nisan 14, the
Passover lambs and Jesus died (Exodus 12:3, 6-10). In AD 33, Nisan 10 would
have been Monday, and the Jews ate the Passover lambs on Friday evening
(April 3, Julian calendar).

Jesus therefore six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus
was ... On the morrow the great multitude that had come to the feast, when
they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm
trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried out, Hosanna: Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel” (John 12:1, 12-13).” 8

If Yeshua is considered the Passover lamb, then Nissan 10 is a better date for
His entry. Nissan 10 was a Monday. Yeshua’s entry into Jerusalem raised quite
a stir and would have alerted the Temple and Roman authorities that He
entered the city. It was probably this event which triggered the week’s events
that led to Yeshua’s death.

For our worship and understanding of Passion week, it does not matter
whether Yeshua entered the city on Sunday or Monday. The result is the same.

8
Parkinson, James. “When Did Jesus Enter Jerusalem?” When Did Jesus Enter Jerusalem? Accessed April 10, 2019.
http://www.heraldmag.org/2012/12ma_3.htm.

Page 21 of 38
Verse Comparison of citations or proof text
5
1. "SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS
COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY,
EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'" (v. 5)

Verse five is a citation from Zechariah 9:9. “As a beast of burden, the donkey
signifies that the Messiah will come as a result of the harsh and heavy burden of
exile. It may also signify that he will come in the merit of our father Abraham
who saddled his donkey (Genesis 22:3) as he prepared to obey God’s command
to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice.” The Messiah enters the city of Jerusalem on
a donkey because He humbles Himself. If the Messiah rode in on a horse, He
would be broadcasting who He was in contradiction to Isaiah’s words that the
Messiah would not shout who He was. Riding a horse into town was a sign of a
royal person’s entry.

Because a colt and donkey are both mentioned, the theory of a dual Messiah was
conceived. “The prophets foretold of “two Messiah” very different in their
role. They foretold of a suffering servant who would die (The Messiah ben Joseph)
and of a conquering King (Messiah ben David) who would liberate
Jerusalem. These “two versions of the Messiah” were foreshadowed by the
Spring Festivals and the Fall Festivals. Yahusha assured John that it was one
Messiah who would come twice not two Messiahs. John wasn’t questioning
Yahusha’s role as Messiah, he had personally trained Yahusha as the Zadok High
Priest and knew Yahusha was at least the Messiah ben Joseph. No one knew at

Page 22 of 38
 that point if there was supposed to be one Messiah who comes twice or two
Messiahs as the prophets did not specify.”9

Matthew’s author does not believe in the dual Messiah theory. Instead, the author
created a clumsy answer by saying that Yeshua was on both animals at the same
time.

2. BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; (v. 9)

Verse nine is a citation from Psalm 118:26. “Blessed is he” means that Yeshua
came with the power of the LORD behind Him. It is a verse that described
people who came to Jerusalem to worship God at the Temple.10

Biblical Locations
1. Βηθφαγή Bethphage Meaning: 'house of unripe figs,' Bethphage, a village on the
Mt. of Olives
2. Mount of Olives – located near Jerusalem.

Scripture cross references

Verse 5 Isa 62:11; Zec 9:9
Verse 8 2 Ki 9:13
Verse 9 Psa 118:26

9
Prophecies of two Messiahs. Accessed April 11, 2019.
http://www.sabbathcovenant.com/newdoctrine/Prophecies_of_two_Messiahs.htm.
10
The New Interpreter's Bible. General Articles on the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1995.

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Culture Section
Questioning the passage
1. Why did Yeshua come into Jerusalem on a donkey?
People in Yeshua’s day used donkeys for transportation in the same way people
use taxicabs and cars today. Some families owned as many as seven or more
donkeys. Donkeys were ready for hire or loaning it to a friend. Government
officials and soldiers would draft donkeys for the use of hauling supplies for the
army or when officials moved from place to place.

2. Why would the owner of the donkeys hand them over without payment or any
other kind of compensation? (v. 1-3)
It was quite an honor to let a holy man use a family donkey so that he could ride
upon it. Yeshua wanted to enter Jerusalem quietly. The donkey symbolized
meekness and humility. Kings, princes, and rules would never have seen riding a
donkey.

3. Was Yeshua restoring the Kingdom of Israel?

Yeshua was not looking to restore the kingdom of Israel because He knew the
restoration of the Kingdom of Israel was a short-term solution. He knew that
Rome was strong enough to prevent Judah from breaking away from the Empire.
Yeshua wanted to establish the Kingdom of God which is a kingdom that will
last forever.

4. Why did the people do what they did when Yeshua entered the city (v. 1-3)
When Near Eastern kings or princes came to a town, the people would clean up
the streets, repair roads, hang their tapestries from the windows or rooftops of
the buildings, and spread rugs on the streets. The people who came out to see

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 Yeshua enter the city were those who were traveling with Him and were from
the Galilee. Many Galileans did not have carpets, so they took off their cloaks to
cover the road. Verse 11 indicates that the people in the city did not know who
Yeshua was. Therefore, the crowd described had to be those who traveled with
Yeshua.

Usually, a delegation from the city would leave the town to greet and escort royal
guests. The city would offer a token of welcome from the city. Usually, the city
provided a handsome horse saddled with an expensive livery. Hebraic people
gave mules on such occasions. The mule was a symbol of strength.

The political leadership of Jerusalem ignored Yeshua’s entry in the city. From a
political point of view, the entry into Jerusalem was a political failure.

Yeshua did not want a big fanfare event because of the attention it placed upon
him. The people could not hold back and made it a celebration.

5. Why did some of the people cut branches off the trees? (v. 8)
The trees were palm-type trees that grow in the Middle East. The people waved
the palms as Yeshua passed. This custom was done when a King or when an
army General returned from winning an impressive battle. It was a sign of respect
and reverence for the person entering the city. It also demonstrated that the city
was happy to receive the person.

6. What does Hosanna mean? (v. 9)

Shouting the word “Hosanna” was a celebration cry for a great leader. Today
people would shout “bravo” and that they would place their lives in the hands

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 of the person entering the city. Those who shouted Hosanna to Yeshua wanted
Him to perform the tasks of the Messiah as they understood them.

Thoughts
Yeshua had decided that He was going to enter Jerusalem and that stirred up
trouble. By riding into the city on a donkey, He was fulfilling an ancient prophecy
about the Messiah. A question for Yeshua would be why this time? So, why cause
all this trouble. There is some speculation that the year Yeshua died was a Jubilee
year. If this is true, then His death in that year becomes significant. Dying at the
time of the Passover would allow for the theology of the Paschal Lamb sacrifice.
This line of thought fuels the Substitution atonement theory. Perhaps it was just
bad timing that the events of the week developed as they did. By Yeshua
challenging the religious and government authorities, his destination became
crucifixion. Passover was a time of unrest in Jerusalem. The new governor, Pilate,
had strict orders not to allow any incidents to arise in Jerusalem. His hands were
tied when Yeshua caused a disturbance. Pilate had to get involved.

The people cheering were waiting for the Messiah who was going to expel the
Romans and re-establish the Kingdom of Israel. However, that would be restoring
a temporary kingdom. When the Maccabees defeated the Greeks, the country was
rebuilt only to be conquered by the Romans. Yeshua knew that an independent
Israel would be short-lived. Israel was too weak to survive as an independent state.

Instead, Yeshua came to create the permanent kingdom of God. The Kingdom of
God is a kingdom that will last an eternity. God’s uses miracles for long term gains,
not short-term gains. The Kingdom of God is a worthy mission.

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Reflections
The Liturgy of the Palms calls us to communal faith. The foundation of
Christianity occurs in Passion week. Jesus had to die on Good Friday so that the
gift of God can be seen and felt on Easter morning. Instead of all the believers
coming together to worship God for the gift of atonement and to Jesus for
bringing the message, most Christians will not be found in church worship this
week. The Christmas-Easter Christians will come out on Easter morning. They
want to celebrate Jesus’ conquering death and to open the pathway for us to return
to Heaven. But they will not acknowledge what it took, that is what Jesus had to
endure, to get to Easter morning. How sad for the C & E Christians because on
judgment day they may be standing before God alone. We need to feel the pain
that Jesus endured. It is a sin of the world that placed Him on that cross. It was
not a “simple” death. Instead, it was excruciating. Even though He could have
avoided it, He did not. Everything Jesus did in His life was for our benefit. To
honor His selfless act, we must remember all the events of Holy Week. Then the
actual celebration of salvation can be celebrated on Easter morning.

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 The Liturgy of the Palms11

The congregation members can be waving their palms during this liturgy.
L: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.
P: Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

L: Let us pray.
L: Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our
salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation
of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and
immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
L: The Lord be with you.
P: And also with you.
L: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

P: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

L: It is right to praise you, Almighty God, for the acts of love by
which you have redeemed us through your Son Jesus Christ
our Lord. On this day he entered the holy city of Jerusalem in
triumph, and was proclaimed as King of kings by those who
spread their garments and branches of palm along his way.
Let these branches be for us signs of his victory, and grant that
we who bear them in his name may ever hail him as our King,
and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life; who lives
and reigns in glory with you and the Holy Spirit, now and
forever. Amen.
L: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
P: Hosanna in the highest.

11
Adopted from: https://www.bcponline.org/SpecialDays/palmsunday.html

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Sermon Outline

1. Introduction
 Palm Sunday
 Jesus enters Jerusalem
 Main point of Zechariah 9:9 - 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming
to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on
a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

2. Donkeys
• Used for transportation (like taxicabs), mainly by the poor and for supplies
• Humility (donkey) vs. important (horse)
• Abraham rode a donkey when he left with Isaac (Genesis 22:3)
• Lending donkeys to a holy man was an honor
3. Other cultural items
a. Royalty visits the city
i. Clean up
ii. Repair streets
1. Spread rugs on the streets
b. Those cheering for Jesus were Galileans (because they used cloaks
instead of rugs)
c. Waving Palm branches shows respect
d. Hosanna means “save us,” cheer used for a great leader
4. For Us Today
 Long Term vs. Short Term thinking
a. Who invented the “Xerox” machine (photostatic copying)?
b. The video conference phone?
c. Flat screen TVs
d. Cell phones, FAX machines, etc….
 Our society thinks short term
 Jesus thinks long-term
a. Restoring the nation of Israel would have been short-term thinking

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 b. He established the Kingdom of Heaven – long term thinking
 We should think long-term
 Serving Jesus, church support, may not bring short-term gains, but will give
will long-term gains.

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Slides

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 Works Cited

n.d. Bethphage Map. Accessed April 10, 2019. https://bibleatlas.org/bethphage.htm.

1986. Back to School. Directed by James Signorelli. Performed by Rodney Dangerfield.
Davis, Anne Kimball. 2012. The Synoptic Gospels. Albuquerque.
Koplitz, Michael Harvey. 2019. Understanding Zechariah. York, PA: CreateSpace
Independent Platform.
Parkinson, James. n.d. When Did Jesus Enter Jerusalem. Accessed April 10, 2019.
http://www.heraldmag.org/2012/12ma_3.htm.
n.d. Prophecies of the Messiahs. Accessed April 11, 2019.
http://www.sabbathcovenant.com/newdoctrine/Prophecies_of_two_Messiahs
.htm.
1995. The New Interpreter;'s Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

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