Sunday being Palm/Passion Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem in a moment we often call the Triumphal Entry. Crowds gather, laying down cloaks and waving branches, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” It is a scene filled with excitement and hope. The people believe their long-awaited King has finally come.
But there is something unexpected about the way Jesus arrives. He rides on a donkey, not a war horse. In that culture, a horse symbolized power and conquest, but a donkey symbolized peace and humility. Jesus is showing us, from the very beginning, that His kingdom will not be built on force, but on love and sacrifice.
The crowds cry out, “Hosanna,” meaning “Save us!” They are looking for deliverance-likely from Roman rule and political oppression. They want a king who will change their circumstances. But Jesus comes to do something even greater. He comes to change hearts. He comes to deal with sin, to restore our relationship with God, and to bring a deeper, eternal salvation.
There is also a warning in this story. The same crowd that praises Jesus on this day will soon turn against Him when He does not meet their expectations. Their excitement is real, but it is not rooted in true understanding or lasting faith.
That leads us to an important question: Are we like the crowd , praising Jesus when it’s easy, but turning away when life becomes difficult? Or are we willing to follow Him as King, even when His way is not what we expected?
Jesus does not change His mission to fit the crowd. He continues toward the cross, knowing that his path will lead to suffering. Yet through that suffering comes true victory — the victory of forgiveness, grace and new life.
When the people ask, “Who is this?” the answer given is, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth.” We know He is more than a prophet. e is the Son of God, the Savior, the King.
So, the question remains for each of us: “Who is Jesus in our lives?”
If He is truly our King, then we are called to welcome Him not just with words, but with our lives. Just as the people laid down their cloaks before Him, we are invited to lay down our pride, our plans, and our need for control.
To welcome Jesus as King means to trust Him, to follow Him, and to live in His way — marked by humility, love and obedience.
Today, may our cry of “Hosanna” be more than a moment of emotion. May it be a declaration of faith. May we welcome Jesus not as the King we expect, but as the King we truly need.
Title: Entry into Jerusalem; Date: 1530; Artist: Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502-1550); Building: Bonnefanten Museum; Object/Function: Painting; City/Town: Maastricht; Country: Netherlands; Scripture: Luke 19:28-40. Permalink: https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56865. (Use this link to refer back to this image.)
