Israelite Kings Rode on Donkeys, Other Kings Rode on Lavish Chariots: The triumphal entry of Jesus was indeed an expression of hope, as many people wanted Him to relieve them of the cruelty of the Romans and the corruption of the Jewish priests. Five days before the Passover, Jesus sent His disciples to the neighboring village of Bethphage to acquire a donkey. They returned with a donkey and its colt. Jesus chose to ride the colt. The sight of a large man riding a small donkey is startling enough. However, the gesture must have called up historical images of honored Israelite kings riding into Jerusalem on lowly donkeys that had never before been ridden. Other kings throughout the world ride in lavish vehicles weighted with gold and jewels. To some, this may have implied that Jesus was their King. The people then took , a well-known symbol of Jewish independence, and cried. ". . . Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." (John 12:12-13)

Palm Sunday and the Passover: His triumphal entry on a donkey’s colt down the Mount of Olives and into the Gate Beautiful raised the spirits of the Jews. They wanted a Messiah, and they praised this extraordinary man of miracles. Simultaneously, priests were angered and decided to set in motion a plan to have Jesus executed. The triumphal entry has been called Palm Sunday; and again, it was five days before the Passover that year. Jewish tradition also indicates a connection between a Messiah and riding a donkey. "According to the Talmud, the Messiah will be a descendant of the House of David and will be preceded by a secondary Messiah, from the House of Joseph. Folklore has it that he will arrive riding a donkey . . ." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

A "Joseph" Messiah Precedes a "David" Messiah: With the inference of a Joseph Messiah preceding a David Messiah, please consider the parable Jesus related in Matthew 21:33-39 and 42-44. Paraphrasing, Jesus is saying that the Kingdom will be taken from the "self appointed priests in Judah" and will be given to another nation that will bring forth fruits. Turning the clock back to Jacob’s time, we see that the spiritual leadership of Israel was the birthright of Joseph, son of Jacob, yet his brothers schemed to replace him. ". . . Shalt thou indeed reign over us? . . . they hated him yet the more . . . And his brethren envied him . . ." (Genesis 37:8-11) The kingdom has been restored with Joseph as the spiritual leader. "The personal visitation of the Father and the Son, choosing Joseph to be the leader of the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, marked the beginning of this work . . . conferring upon Joseph . . . the authority to act in the name of God . . . and establish the true Church of Christ in the latter days." (Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards , Pg. 16) When President Heber J. Grant was the living prophet, Latter-day Saint membership amounted to about 500,000 souls. At present count, there are more than 11,000,000 Latter-day Saints. The ratio was 1 member to 5,000,000 on the earth. It is now 1 member to about 600 on the earth. The fruits are being brought forth!

Two Fruits of the Fig Tree: In the "Parable of the Fig Tree" briefly referred to in Matthew 24:32, Mark 13:28, Luke 13:6, 21:29 and the Doctrine & Covenants 35:16, consideration should be given to the growth of fig trees. First, the fruit appears, then the leaves grow as the tree becomes full, followed by a second fruit. The modern portion of the parable includes, first, the restoration, then the growth of the Church, followed by the second coming of the Messiah. Another pattern emerges as we see ancient Joseph rejected, Israel scattered, and the Messiah rejected. That rejection does not interfere with the eternal atonement He gave all mankind in the Meridian of Times. Then, a modern Joseph receives the restoration; the Lord’s people gather and grow in preparation for the Messiah’s return. The scattering and subsequent gathering of Judah’s scattered remnants parallels the scattering and gathering of Joseph.

We Believe in . . . Obeying Caesar? In a juxtaposition of time, other patterns remain consistent. Jesus’ teaching "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's," is the center of a chiasmus between former-day and latter-day statements of belief. Elisha blessed Naaman, Syria’s highest ranking officer in the Land of Israel even though the children of Israel strongly objected to the Syrian occupying forces. (2 Kings 5:10) The prophet was probably teaching the same principle that Jesus taught and that has been revealed again in our day. "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." (Articles of Faith 12)

Even Enemies Blessed: The faithful young woman, probably serving in Naaman’s household, was a believer and prompted the occupying Syrian officer to come to the prophet to be blessed. Elisha sent a message to do something simple--bathe in the Jordan River. When he finally swallowed his pride he was blessed! Imagine–the enemy was blessed! "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) We don’t know for sure if that resulted in his conversion and it doesn’t matter. The blessing was unconditional. The lesson for the unbelieving Israelites was repeated by the Savior as he said: "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." (Luke 4:27)