This was Jesus’ moment. He was on a donkey as the long-awaited Messiah, he

was coming into the centre of the Jewish religion, he was coming to claim

his throne. Will the people recognise him for who he is? Well, some do and

some don’t.

The people who do firstly lay down their cloaks before Jesus. This is a

great gesture of preparing and laying the way for Jesus to enter. It

recognises who Jesus is and it also indicates the submission and humility

of these people towards him. Then, a multitude of people begins praising

Jesus ‘for all the miracles they had seen.’ The miracles were a sign of the

kingdom breaking into the world, of things being made right, and also a

phenomenal sign of the amazing authority of Jesus. He has authority over

sickness, over evil, over the wind and the waves, and even over death. If

he has this much authority, then he is worthy of and deserves all our

praise and worship! They sing with joy.

They sing ‘blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord’. This a

phrase that we can see in some of the Psalms. These Psalms were chanted

throughout some of the festivals and this line is seen specifically in

Psalm 118 where it addresses the king approaching the temple. The crowd

recognised Jesus from what he had done and for who he is. Then this leads

to further praise and thanksgiving to God. They gave all the glory to God

for when one truly recognises Jesus for who he is, it can only end up in

overflowing praise and thanksgiving. MC

Questions

What is the response of the crowds? What do they recognise about Jesus?

When we recognise and see Jesus clearly for who he is, what should our

response be both in our lives and how we live on our frontlines?

Prayer

Loving Lord, thank you for the authority and the kingship of Jesus. Help us

to constantly recognise Jesus for who he is and to live a life of praise

and thanksgiving for all your good gifts to us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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.