―(8) And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees,
and strawed them in the way.‖ (Matt 21:8)
The cutting of branches alludes to the feast of Succoth (Tabernacles) most closely associated with the
coming of the Messianic era (See comments on Matt 17:4).
(39) ―Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye
shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall
be a sabbath.
(40) And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the
boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
(41) And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in
your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
(42) Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:‖ (Lev 23:39-42)
It is clear from the behaviour of these people that they thought Y‘shua was at least a great prophet, if not the
Messiah.
21:9-11 Hosanna to the son of David―(9) And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David:
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. (10) And when he was come into
Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? (11) And the multitude said, This is Jesus the
prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.‖
The term ―Hosanna" is Hosheanu which means, "save us". The cry of the people (Hosheana, ben David) is
also tied to Sukkoth. The 7th day of Sukkoth is called, Hosheana Rabba; meaning, "the great save us". As
mentioned earlier, ―son of David" is a Messianic title.
Interestingly, the time of this occasion is the spring and not the fall, (when Succoth takes place). Also, even
though Y‘shua is the final Yom Kippur sacrifice (another fall feast), He was killed in the spring on Pesach
(Passover, the 14th of Abib/Nisan). Suffice it to say, that although the feasts of YHWH seem separate and
unique from our point of view in this physical world; spiritually, they convey powerful meaning because of
Messiah.
The Zohar (a collection of ancient Hebrew texts, much of which are Sod-level commentary on the passages
of the Tenach) says of YHWH's feasts that they are all unified in the great Sabbath to come, the thousand
year Millennial Sabbath (referred to as "her" in the text below):
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b: ̳From all of these we take "the heave offering of the Lord"
on each of these special seasons, in order that it may rest upon us: on Passover by means of the paschal
lamb, on Tabernacles by means of the tabernacle, and so forth. The six Days [Feasts] are but a preparation
for her. As they are united above in "One."‘
21:12-15 Ye have made it a den of thieves―(12) And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and
overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, (13) And said unto them,
It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. (14) And the
blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. (15) And when the chief priests and
scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to
the Son of David; they were sore displeased,‖
The people were required to make offerings at the Temple. As it was too difficult for those living far away to
bring animals with them, they would instead purchase the animal when they arrived at the Temple. Also, it
was not permitted to use pagan money to make offerings (or pay the Temple tax), so coins would be
evaluated and exchanged for shekels. The men providing this service had found it too easy to cheat people,
however, and it is for this dishonesty that Y‘shua drives them out.
The verse Y‘shua quotes is from both Isaiah 56 and Jeremiah 7. As the prophets state, the Temple of YHWH
was to be a house of prayer for all nations; thereby including Gentiles into the faith of Israel. The actions of
the money changers were a perversion of justice in taking advantage of people, which is a perversion of the
essence of YHWH's Torah. By such evil works, the name of the Elohim of Israel would be blasphemed