Welcoming King Jesus

“The thing about Jesus is that when He comes into our lives, He doesn’t always come the way we expect. His arrival has a way of turning things upside down.”

On the week before Easter, most churches celebrate Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of what we call Holy Week, leading up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All four of the Gospels record the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Being welcomed by a palm-waving, Hosanna-shouting crowd probably seems out of character for Jesus. After all, He typically did not call attention to Himself. In fact, for three years of ministry, He told people to be quiet about who He was. “Don’t tell anybody,” He would often say after He healed their ailments (Matt. 8:4; 9:30). But this time was different.

What changed? Jesus was about to declare Himself. As they approached Jerusalem, Jesus asked two of His disciples to go into Bethphage (Matt. 21:1). They were to look for a donkey tied with a colt beside her. “Untie them and bring them to me,” Jesus instructed. “If anyone says anything to you say that the Lord needs them” (vv. 2–3). Jesus was fulfilling prophecies spoken hundreds of years ago. Matthew quotes Zechariah’s words in the Old Testament: “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9).

The Bible says a very large crowd was gathered to greet Jesus. They spread their coats and branches on the road and shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matt. 21:9). The whole city was stirred by His arrival. Seeing Jesus arrive on such a humble animal might have surprised people, but it shouldn’t have. After all, Jesus had always arrived in countercultural ways.

When Jesus comes into our lives, He doesn’t always come in the way we’d expect. His arrival has a way of turning things upside down. Jesus taught that whoever wants to be great in the Kingdom of God must learn to serve (Luke 22:27). He came not as a warrior, but as a healer and a servant. He was born in a manger, not in a palace. I think sometimes people miss the arrival of Jesus in their lives because they are expecting something or someone else entirely. This Easter, as we reflect on His death, crucifixion, and resurrection, let’s also ready our hearts for His arrival.