His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. John 12:16 ESV¹

Read Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40 & John 12:12-19

Have you heard of Escape Rooms? Escape Rooms work like this: people allow themselves to be locked into a room to play a game of solving a series of puzzles within a certain amount of time to accomplish the goal of finding the key that will unlock the door and release them from their self-imposed captivity. The first Escape Room was created in 2007 in Japan out of the desire to participate in a real-life adventure like that found in point-and-click video games. The idea quickly caught on; within the next ten years, Escape Rooms began popping up all over the world. Because of the widespread interest, entrepreneurs have made businesses out of providing Escape Room experiences. Escape Rooms may be a relatively new phenomenon but the desire to solve mysteries and discover solutions to seemingly impossible predicaments is an innate human longing. Indeed, I would say it was placed in us by God Himself.

Similar in appeal to Escape Rooms are Mystery Novels. Mystery Novels are fictional stories that follow crimes from the moment they are committed to the moment they are solved. These books beckon their readers to become detectives trying to figure out the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the wrongdoing.

The Bible is like a non-fiction Mystery Novel. The Old Testament relates the original crime committed by the first humans and details, throughout history, how that one action trapped all subsequent humans in inescapable bondage. The Old Testament contains a series of clues that point to the One who is The Key to releasing all people from captivity. These Old Testament directional hints are called Messianic Prophesies.² There are hundreds of such puzzle pieces that, when put together, help identify the Key that Fits the Impossible Lock. The New Testament, then, reveals the identity of the Messiah, the Key to Escaping from Bondage—Jesus Christ. The New Testament explains how to use The Key to escape sin, live victoriously in freedom, and understand the deep and inspiring mystery God wove into His Book, The Bible.

One event in Biblical history clearly connects one Messianic Prophesy, or clue pointing to The Key, and the Messiah, The Key Himself. This happening is the Triumphal Entry. Following is a compilation of this occurrence which has been recorded in all four Gospels.

“Now when they [Jesus and His followers] drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples” (Mark 11:1) “saying to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt’” (Matthew 21:2a), “‘on which no one has ever yet sat’” (Luke 19:30b), “‘with her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord needs them,” and he will send them at once’” (Matthew 21:2b-3). “So, those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them” (Luke 19:32), “a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it” (Mark 11:4b). “And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ And they said, ‘The Lord has need of it’” (Luke 19:33-34). “And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go” (Mark 11:6). “This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden”’” (Matthew 21:4-5). “His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him” (John 12:16).

“They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and He sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matthew 21:7-8). “The large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem … They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel’” (John 12:12-13)! “‘Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the Highest’” (Mark 11:10)! “As He was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, … “Peace in Heaven and glory in the Highest’” (Luke 19:37, 38b)! “And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the Prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee’” (Matthew 21:10-11). “And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out’” (Luke 19:39-40). “So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that [we] are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him’” (John 12:19).

The Clue to the Key

The Lord Jesus had need of a donkey’s colt not because He was tired of walking or because He wished to cause an uproar as He entered Jerusalem. Jesus needed the donkey colt to fulfill prophecy—to provide one more clue to point to the fact that He was The Key for which the Jews had been searching.

Like the employees of Escape Rooms, who sometimes have to give participants a little extra help to achieve their goal, Jesus made it really easy for His disciples to find the much-needed clue that would point to Him. He told them exactly where to find what was needed, what to say if they were questioned, and what would happen if they followed His instructions.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the prophet Zechariah declared:

“‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey’” (Zechariah 9:9).

John explained:

“His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him” (John 12:16).

By the time Matthew recorded this event, he was able to state:

“This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden”’” (Matthew 21:4-5).

Imagine the faith the two disciples Jesus sent to retrieve the valuable clue must have had in Jesus to obey Him without question in such a seemingly abstract request. Imagine the trust Jesus must have had in them to give them this task. It was necessary that Jesus fulfill all of the Prophesies that pointed to the Messiah. If He missed even one of them, He wouldn’t be The Promised Key. Yet, He allowed fallible humans to have a part in such an important aspect of His revelation.

I wouldn’t be surprised if these two reliable disciples were the same ones who, after Jesus’ crucifixion, were traveling to Emmaus talking with each other about all these things that had happened.

“While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, ‘What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?’ And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, ‘Are you the only Visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days … concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a Man who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people? … We had hoped that He was the One to redeem Israel.’ … And He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:14-18a, 19b, 21, 25-27).

These two disciples got an exclusive look at all of the clues in the Old Testament that had pointed to The Key. Later, when their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus, they exclaimed:

“‘Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?’ …  Then they told what had happened on the road and how He was known to them” (Luke 24:32, 35).

The Key Revealed

In an Escape Room experience, when one person discovers a clue for solving a puzzle or reveals a key for unlocking the door to the room, there is often great joy and a desire to share this discovery with others who are likewise trapped. God is the only One who can reveal clues to The Key to Escape From Bondage to Sin to humans of limited understanding, but when He does, there is always a response. Many people break out in worship and excitedly share their new-found knowledge with those around them. This happened repeatedly in the account of the Triumphal Entry.

“[When the disciples] brought the donkey and the colt [they] put on them their cloaks and He sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matthew 21:7-8).

This action of removing one’s cloak and putting it under another was a sign of respect and submission to a newly-anointed king. When the prophet Elisha anointed Jehu King of Israel:

“Then in haste, every man of them took his garment and put it under [Jehu] on the bare steps and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king’” (2 Kings 9:13).

Through this action, Jesus’ disciples were proclaiming, “Jesus is King!”

“[Then] they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD, even the King of Israel’” (John 12:13)!

This declaration was, in itself, a clue pointing to The Key, the Messiah. King David had prayed that which had been determined to be a Messianic Prophecy, a clue pointing to The Key of Escape,

“Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become My Salvation. The Stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD” (Psalm 118:19-26, emphasis mine).

Earlier, Jesus had predicted this exact sentence would be spoken upon His coming into Jerusalem.

“‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see Me until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD”’” (Luke 13:34-35, emphasis mine)!

Not only the words they spoke but the action that accompanied those words pointed to Jesus as The Key. The waving of palm branches was significant. In His directions to the Israelites on how to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, God said,

“‘You shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. (Leviticus 23:40).

The Feast of Tabernacles was a thanksgiving celebration in which the Israelites rejoiced over God’s abundant provision at harvest. It also reminded them of the forty years God lovingly cared for them, while they wandered in the wilderness after they escaped slavery in Egypt. On this first day of the most significant week in human history, the waving of palm branches would have declared, “This is a time of great thanksgiving and rejoicing over God’s great care in providing us a Deliverer for our current bondage.”

Hoarding or Hiding the Clues

But not everyone who participates in an Escape Room rejoices and is compelled to share their discoveries with others. Some silently stow away the pieces to the puzzle they have found wishing to be the first to find the necessary key so they can be celebrated as the wisest ones in the group. The same is true with clues that reveal The Key. Some discoverers get prideful. Forgetting that God revealed the clue for the purpose of finding, sharing, and putting to use The Key, they assume they are special and have come to the conclusion by their own superior wisdom.

The Pharisees were guilty of this. As religious leaders, God had endued upon them the grace to interpret the clues He had hidden in His Word as Messianic Prophesies. They were supposed to share the clues they had discovered and explain them to the common people so that everyone would recognize The Key when He was revealed. Instead, many Pharisees and other Jewish religious pocketed these puzzle pieces and only pulled them out among themselves. They pushed them around and sorted them out but they never were able to place them in the correct positions to complete the picture of Jesus. Therefore, they did not recognize The Key when He stood in front of them.

The unlearned, common people pointed to Him and effectively screamed, “We have found The Key. Jesus is the Messiah!”

“As He was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in Heaven and glory in the Highest’” (Luke 19:37, 38b)!

“And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the Prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee’” (Matthew 21:10-11).

But the religious leaders, who had much knowledge concerning the clues that pointed to The Key, did not come to this conclusion. They were so absorbed in their pride and with the pieces of the puzzle which they had collected that they missed the whole point of the clues. Therefore, the puzzle pieces themselves trip up them.

The Location Clue confused them. Once when Jesus was preaching:

“Some of the people said, ‘This really is the Prophet.’ Others said, ‘This is the Christ.’ But some said, ‘Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?’ So, there was a division among the people over Him. … The Pharisees answered them, ‘Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the Law is accursed. … Search [the Scriptures] and see that no prophet arises from Galilee’ (John 7:40-43, 47-49, 52b).

They were right in realizing that the Messiah would not come from Galilee, but, because they were so determined that Jesus could not be The Key for which they were searching, they never took the time to discover that He indeed was a descendant of David and had been born in Bethlehem!

And they got distracted from the Healing Clue that the prophet Isaiah had revealed,

“In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 29:18-19).

“Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy” (Isaiah 29:4-6).

Over and over again, Jesus opened the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind. He cured the lame and the mute. But because Jesus often performed such miraculous signs on the Sabbath, the religious leaders were convinced that He could not possibly be The Key; in their opinion, He was breaking the Law.

“[Some people] brought to the Pharisees [a] man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So, the Pharisees … asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This Man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a Man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So, they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about Him, since He has opened your eyes?’ He said, ‘He is a prophet’ (John 7:13-17).

In hopes of opening their eyes and softening their hearts, Jesus tried to reason with the religious leaders concerning these matters.

“‘You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life’” (John 5:39-40).

“The Pharisees were saying to Him, ‘Look, why are [You] doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?’ …  And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath’” (Mark 2:24, 27-28).

Many of the religious leaders could not allow themselves to recognize that which they had determined not to see. Unfortunately, that one decision led to their downfall.

Rejecting the Key

It is unlikely that the common people completely understood what they were proclaiming when they were, through their actions, screaming, “This is the Messiah—the Key to Unlocking the Door to Our Captivity!” Otherwise, John wouldn’t have made a point of saying,

“His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him” (John 12:16).

But the Pharisees most definitely understood and pleaded with Jesus to rebuke His followers. To the religious leaders, the proclamation of the people was an act of great blasphemy. If Jesus were not the Messiah, His acceptance of such praise would have been irreverent to an immeasurable degree. But Jesus was the Christ and He explained that if God didn’t point to Him as The Key through the possibly unknowing crowd, He was going to use nature to proclaim it!

“[Jesus] answered [their request with], ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out’” (Luke 19:40).

Jesus could have declared, in the event that people would not point to Him as The Key, that any inanimate object would announce His arrival but He chose to mention rocks. There is an overabundance of rocks in Israel and rocks are used in illustrations multiple times throughout the Word of God but, I believe Jesus spoke of rocks crying out for a reason. The Pharisees, who knew the Scriptures inside and out would have taken this as a rebuke. What they desired Jesus would do to His followers fell back on them. In a reprimand of those who were prideful and took advantage of others, the prophet Habakkuk wrote:

“For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond, ‘Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity’” (Habakkuk 2:11-12)!

Though they were given the chance, the majority of the rebuked religious leaders did not humble themselves and repent. Instead,

“The Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that [we] are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him’” (John 12:19).

“And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy Him, for they feared Him because all the crowd was astonished at His teaching” (Mark 11:18).

Pointing Out The Key Regardless of the Backlash

That day, there was one among the Pharisees a man by the name of Saul. He was as furious about Jesus’ acceptance of the praise of the people, as indignant about Jesus’ claims to be the Messiah, and as ruthless to destroy Jesus and His following as any one of his colleagues. But when Jesus revealed Himself as The Key to Saul, later known as Paul, he completely changed his tune.

“But Saul, … breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from Heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And He said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do’” (Acts 9:1-6).

When Paul realized Jesus was indeed The Key He claimed to be, Paul couldn’t stop sharing his discovery with others. Even though he was consistently hunted down, viciously beaten, rejected, and slandered, he just couldn’t stop declaring that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. Throughout his epistles, he frequently mentions the solution to the mystery—The Key to the Escaping Sin—to which his eyes were opened.

“For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same Body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. Of this Gospel, I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given to me by the working of His Power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things” (Ephesians 3:1-9).

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, … for the sake of His body, that is, the Church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the Word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. To them, God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:24-27).

Paul praised the One who made known the mystery—The Key to Freedom Himself. In Him, through His Indwelling Spirit, all who use The Key, have the freedom to live godly, set-apart lives.

“Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the Only Wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen” (Romans 16:25-27).

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in Glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

And Paul begged the congregants of the churches to whom he was writing to pray for his ability to keep sharing the solution to the mystery—The Key to Salvation—even through opposition.

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak” (Colossians 4:2-4).

“Keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19-20).

Using The Key for the Benefit of Others

Since the first man and woman fell for Satan’s lies, the whole world has been imprisoned by the Evil One in a place from which it is impossible to escape without The Right Key. God has been gracious enough to provide The Key of Escape. We, as Christians, have had our eyes opened to The Key. Are we, like the Pharisees, out of selfishness, hoarding the clues that would reveal Him? Are we, like the priests and scribes of Jesus’ day, out of pride and fear, pocketing The Key? May you and I not be accused of keeping Christ hidden from those who so desperately need freedom. May we, like Paul, remember how life was before we found The Key and escaped Satan’s bondage. Through the Power we can access with The Key, may we point others to Him regardless of what that may mean for us personally. To God be the glory.

 

¹ Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

² For a list of over 100 of these prophesies, with references to their original context and Scriptures showing their fulfillment, check out  https://www.gotquestions.org/prophesies-of-Jesus.html.