The First Palm Sunday

On that first Palm Sunday, We find Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed donkey’s colt, one that had never been ridden before. The disciples are spreading their cloaks on the donkeys back for Jesus to sit on, and the multitudes have all come out to welcome Him by laying their cloaks and the branches of palm trees on the road before him. The people are hailing and praising Him as the “King who comes in the name of the Lord”. There is a considerable commotion as Jesus was riding in to Jerusalem. Why? Well, Jesus’ purpose in riding into Jerusalem in this manner was to make public His claim to be their Messiah and King of Israel in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Matthew says that the King coming on the foal of a donkey was an exact fulfillment of (Zechariah 9:9), “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” So, we see Jesus riding into the capital city as a conquering King and being hailed by the people as such, as was the manner of the day. And like a king He ascends to His palace, not a temporal palace but the spiritual palace that is the temple, because His is a spiritual kingdom. He rightly receives the worship and praise of the people because only He deserves it. And no longer does He tell His disciples to be quiet about Him as he did in (Matthew 12:16, 16:20), but now they can shout His praises and worship Him openly. The spreading of cloaks was an act of homage for royalty , and Jesus was openly declaring to the people that He was their King and the Messiah they had been waiting for. But, the praise the people lavished on Jesus was not because they recognized Him as their Savior from sin. They welcomed Him out of their desire for a messianic deliverer, someone who would lead them in a revolt against Rome. There were many who, though they did not believe in Christ as Savior, nevertheless hoped that perhaps He would be to them a great earthly deliverer. These are the ones who hailed Him as King with their many hosannas, recognizing Him as the Son of David who came in the name of the Lord. But when He failed in their expectations, when He refused to lead them in a massive revolt against the Roman occupiers, the crowds quickly turned on Him. Within just a few days, their hosannas would change to cries of “Crucify Him!” (Luke 23:20-21). Those who hailed Him as a hero would soon reject and abandon Him. The story of the triumphal entry is one of contrasts, and those contrasts contain applications to us as believers. It is the story of the King who came as a lowly servant on a donkey, not a prancing steed, not in royal robes, but on the clothes of the poor and humble. Jesus Christ did not come to conquer by force as earthly kings and nations. He came to conquer through love, grace and, mercy, through His own sacrifice on the Cross. His is not a kingdom of armies and splendor but of lowliness and servanthood. He doesn’t conquer nations, but hearts and minds. His message is one of peace with God, not of worldly peace. If Jesus has made a triumphal entry into our hearts, He reigns there in peace and love. As His followers, we exhibit those same qualities, and the world sees the true King living and reigning in triumph in us.