Matthew 21

read this Text, CLICK HERE

Matthew 21:7-9, They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Today, we are looking at what we know as the Palm Sunday passage.  Jesus has sent the disciples ahead to fetch a donkey and its colt. Let’s start by talking about these animals.  Some of us may think it’s strange that Jesus rode on a donkey rather than a horse but that would have been normal at the time.  Horses were only used for battle. 

What’s more, in the Old Testament, new kings would come riding in on the donkey or mule of the previous king.  We see this in 1 Kings 1 when King David puts his son Solomon on his own mule, the trumpet is sounded, the people rejoice and shout, and then the priest and the prophet Nathan anoint him as king of Israel. The mule is like the presidential limo, a sign of power and prestige that says this is the new leader.  What is interesting in this case is that Matthew is very clear – Jesus is not riding on a previous king’s colt or donkey.  He is riding on a colt that has never been ridden before.  This is a sign that God is doing a new thing.  Jesus is king but a different kind of king. 

We also see Jesus being given a royal welcoming.  The people are laying cloaks and branches down for him.  This is the kind of welcome that the emperor or a high official of the Roman government would have received.  Think of it kind of like the red carpet being rolled out, a sign that a very important leader, the new king, has arrived. For the Jews in the crowd, they would have also know that this a fulfillment of prophecy – Zech. 9:9, Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  All the signs point to the fact that this Jesus is the king!

In addition, the people are running ahead and shouting “Hosanna to the son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Hosanna means “pray, save us.”  They are expressing that this is the messiah, the anointed one, the one they have been waiting for that God has sent to save them.  These words are based on Psalm 118:22-26, The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;  the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad  Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.

Surely, this is the messiah who has come to sit on the throne of David, just as God promised 600 years before.  You see, it’s all coming together for them.  There is joy and celebration.  God has sent King Jesus to save us all.

But the enthusiasm is short-lived.  Human beings get distracted and disillusioned fairly quickly (2000 years ago and today!)  They realize that while there is something clearly royal about Jesus, he is the promised figure, it’s not in a way they expected or wanted.  They think Messiah has entered the royal city to stage a royal takeover, to save them from the Romans.  And we know what happens…he has actually entered to royal city to suffer and die. 

Yes, Jesus is Messiah and Savior.  But he wasn’t a military leader on the way to stage a coup.  He was actually God himself who came to save us in a much more fundamental way: to be the final sacrifice for sin so that we can be reconciled to God, so that we can live abundant lives walking hand in hand with God.  Jesus certainly could have overthrown the Romans and reinstituted Israel as they desired it, as it was in the days of King David.  But Jesus’ mission wasn’t just to save the Jews, but rather to usher in the Kingdom of God, in which all people for all time could be part of God’s greater work in the world and could have a relationship with a God who loves them, adores them, and calls them to something bigger and more important, more eternal.

Jesus was king, they were right, he just wasn’t the king they expected.

How often has Jesus not been the King we expect? 

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, Help us acknowledge who you are.  Help us live as children of the one true King.  In Your Name, Amen.