Parades have long been used as celebrations of great achievements. In American history, the greatest parades focused on people such as pilot Charles Lindbergh, the Apollo 11 astronauts, and war heroes. These celebrations were marked by ticker-tape showers and adoring crowds lining the streets of a major city as bands and celebrities passed in review.

But the greatest parade of all time was quite different. It happened in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. It was a simple one-man donkey ride. Instead of ticker tape, the way was lined with garments and palm branches.

Perhaps the most remarkable element of Jesus' ride into the Holy City was its prophetic significance. Sure, the mega-parades of remarkable heroes in more recent days took careful planning, but nothing like the preparation for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It had been completed and recorded long before it happened. In Zechariah 9:9, the prophet described the scene that would unfold more than 500 years later.

When Jesus rode that donkey into Jerusalem, fulfilling prophecy as He went, He was giving us one more reason to shout, "Hosanna!" He indeed was, and is, the promised Messiah.  — Dave Branon