The King Is Coming

"Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, "The Lord has need of them," and immediately he will send them.' All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 'Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey."'" — Matthew 21:1-5

Think about this from a purely logistical standpoint for a moment. The King of all creation — the One who spoke galaxies into existence, the One who holds the universe together with the word of His power — is making His grand entrance into Jerusalem. This is the moment the prophets wrote about. This is the big day. And Jesus basically opens up the ancient equivalent of Uber and orders... a donkey.  Not a white horse. Not a golden chariot. Not a royal procession with trumpets and banners flying high. A donkey. A young one at that — one that had never even been ridden before. Can you imagine being that donkey? One minute you are just standing there tied to a post, minding your own business, probably thinking about whatever it is donkeys think about — hay, mostly — and the next minute two strangers show up and say, "The Lord has need of you." And before that donkey could even say "Hee-haw, wait a minute!" — he is carrying the King of Kings into the holy city while the whole crowd goes absolutely wild.  That right there is the most surprising, most humbling, most beautifully unexpected entrance any King has ever made. And it was all by design.

Verse 8 and 9 tell us what happened next:  "And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!'" — Matthew 21:8-9 

The crowd was electric. People were throwing their coats on the ground — and listen, in that day, your coat was one of your most valuable possessions. People were waving palm branches and shouting "Hosanna!" which means "Save us now!" They were declaring Jesus as King loudly, publicly, and passionately.  But here is what we know the rest of the story tells us — some of those same voices that were shouting "Hosanna!" on Sunday were shouting "Crucify Him!" by Friday.  So let me ask you something, and I want you to really sit with this question: When you shout "Hosanna" — when you lift your hands in worship, when you say "Jesus is Lord" — do you really mean it? Or is it easy to recognize Jesus as King when things are good, when the service is exciting, when the crowd is fired up around you?

The real test of whether we recognize Jesus as King is not what we do on Sunday morning. It is what we do on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday — when nobody is watching, when life gets hard, and when following Him costs you something.

 

I think it ought to encourage every single person who reads this that the donkey had no idea what was happening. He did not wake up that morning and think, "Today is my big day. I have been training for this. I have been working on my gait, I have been conditioning, I am ready for the spotlight." No. He was just a regular donkey, living a regular donkey life, and God chose him anyway.  And here is the glorious thing — the crowd was not cheering for the donkey. Nobody went home and said, "Did you see that amazing donkey today?!" The palm branches were not for the donkey. The coats on the ground were not for the donkey. All of the praise, all of the glory, all of the honor — it was for the One the donkey was carrying.

May I suggest that we are the donkeys. And I mean that in the best possible way! We are ordinary people — sometimes stubborn, sometimes slow, sometimes just standing around tied to a post — and God says, "I have need of you." Not because we are impressive. Not because we have it all together. But because we are available to carry the King.  The apostle Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 1:27 — "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty." God is not looking for the most polished, the most talented, or the most put-together person in the room. He is looking for someone who will say yes and let Him ride.

Here is my challenge to you — do not let recognizing Jesus as King be a once-a-year celebration.  It is wonderful that we wave our palm branches. It is wonderful that we celebrate His triumphal entry. But Jesus does not just want to be King of your Palm Sunday — He wants to be King of your Monday morning meeting, your Tuesday afternoon frustration, your Wednesday night exhaustion, your Thursday temptation, and your Friday when everything falls apart.  Recognizing Jesus as King is not just a feeling you get in a worship service. It is a daily decision — a moment-by-moment surrender that says, "Jesus, You are on the throne of my life. Not my fear. Not my agenda. Not my comfort. You." When you make that decision every single day, something shifts. The crowd around you may change. The circumstances may not always be easy. But the King you are carrying never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever — and He is still worthy of every Hosanna you can shout.

Speak this declaration out loud: "Jesus, You are King of this day. I surrender my agenda, my worries, and my will to You. I am available to carry Your presence wherever You send me today."  That is it. It takes about fifteen seconds. But those fifteen seconds can completely reorient your entire day around the right King. 

As you go through your day, look for one moment — just one — where you can let the presence of Jesus show up through you. Maybe it is a kind word to a coworker. Maybe it is patience with your kids when you would normally lose it. Maybe it is stopping to pray with someone who is hurting. Be the donkey. Be available. Let the King ride.  Because Palm Sunday is not just a date on the church calendar — it is an invitation. An invitation to recognize that the King has come, He is worthy of all our praise, and He is calling every one of us to carry Him into the world around us.  Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.