Day 34 - Holy Week: Jesus the Humble King

Matthew 21:1 - 21:11

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a]

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”

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

“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

There was a lot of expectation on Jesus.

From a Jewish mindset, their hope was that He was the Messiah, the one who would rescue them, the one who would break all the oppression and put the Israelites on top again.

Yet from the very beginning, Jesus was different. And even as the people welcomed Him to Jerusalem as a King, He did not arrive in the way a King would, nor would He be the conquering ruler they wanted Him to be.

Jesus came in humility, riding a donkey, preparing for the ultimate sacrifice. Many abandoned Him after the cross because He didn’t live up to what they expected.

What are your expectations of Jesus and how He works in your life? Are there areas that you are disappointed or withholding from Him because He hasn’t done what you wanted Him to do? Spend some time surrendering these to Jesus and inviting Him to be Lord over those situations.