Being a bit of a nerd, I actually enjoy watching the opening procedures of

parliament but not the Australian one but the British parliament. Queen

Elizabeth gets all dressed up in royal robes and Prince Phillip in his

military gear. They both go in a horse-drawn carriage laden with gold from

Buckingham Palace down to the houses. They enter in and they sit upon two

thrones in the House of Lords. It’s a real royal entrance.

In this week’s passage, we see a royal entrance but it looks quite

different to that of the Windsor’s. Jesus is preparing to enter into

Jerusalem and instead of putting on robes and going in a carriage, he gets

on a young donkey. Instead of leading a charge into wage war on a horse, he

comes in on an animal of peace. Moreover, this wasn’t just a random

selection but a direct fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, “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.” Jesus is

this king! He is the long-awaited Messiah! But he is a king like no other.

He is not driven by pride or ego but by love and compassion. He doesn’t

come to wage war but to defeat sin and death. He is our King.

We may not notice it but there may be other things in our lives that

compete for this kingship in our lives. There may be things that seem more

attractive than a king on a donkey. Maybe it’s comfort, maybe it’s that

next holiday, next trip, or that next job promotion. It could be something

else! But the appropriate response to having been saved by Jesus is to make

him king over all areas of our lives even if it means being uncomfortable,

uncertain, or unstable. Because in the midst of this we know that he is

with us every step of the way. MC

Questions

What is the significance of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? What

does this show us about the character of Jesus?

Where do you see competing ‘kings’ in your life?

Prayer

Loving Lord, thank you for the humility, the gentleness, the love of our

King Jesus. Help us to make him Lord and King over every facet of our lives

in the knowledge that your ways are greater than ours. In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.