“When a great many of us Jews heard that Jesus was at Lazarus’ house, we hurried to Bethany to see Him, but not only Jesus, we wanted to see Lazarus as well. Jesus and His disciples, and Lazarus were still reclined at the supper table when we arrived. The house was filled with the magnificent fragrance of spikenard. O Aliza,” I said, “It was wonderful to see Jesus, and it was also great to see Lazarus, too.”
“Shiloh,” my wife said, with a smile that told me she was filled with joy as I was, “You are a blessed man.”
“You are correctly named for you are filled with happiness. You are joyful for my good,” I said.
“And you, Shiloh, are His gift to me and our son.”
“Jesus is coming to Jerusalem tomorrow for the Passover celebration. We shall take Ari to see Him, and we will welcome Jesus,” I said. Aliza gave me her usual approving nod.
The next morning, Aliza, Ari, and I walked the short distance to the main road leading into Jerusalem. We were amazed to see a great multitude that had come to celebrate the Passover feast were already lined up on both sides of the road. Someone cut bunches of palm branches and distributed them among us.
People waved their palm branches and cried out loudly saying, “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!”
I looked down at Ari, proudly and exuberantly waving his palm branch and squeezed his hand.
Then, there He was! Jesus riding on a donkey. Ari broke from my hand before I could do anything and ran to Him. And then a most remarkable thing happened. Jesus stopped the procession, looked down at Ari, a child, placed His hand on Ari’s head and blessed him saying, “Be blessed with the joy of the Lord as your strength.”
Ari bowed down to Jesus. How did Ari know to bow down to Jesus? I wondered. A verse came to mind, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the Kingdom of God.” I began to see Jesus through a child’s eyes. My child. When I looked at Jesus through Ari’s eyes of innocence and pure love, I fell to my knees and bowed down before the King of all kings. “Behold! Your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt,” I said, in complete awe.
Aliza leaned into me and with face turned upward, called out, “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!”