Did You See the King?

The people who were in front and those who followed behind began to shout, "Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the coming kingdom of King David, our father! Praise be to God!" Mark 11:9-10

Palm Sunday, one week before the resurrection.  Jesus, the King of Kings, is expected to arrive in Jerusalem with a triumphant entry.  The crowd was gathered and the excitement was high.  It was a springtime Sunday in about the year 30 A.D. The Holy City of Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims who had come for the annual Passover celebration, and now the King was expected to arrive!  It was sure to be a spectacular event.  Everyone had a vision of what was surely to be event to remember. 

Jesus' Entry into Jerusalem
It was an event to remember, but it didn’t go exactly as the people envisioned.  As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people spread their coats in front of Him and greeted Him with palm branches.  The King came, but it was not the spectacular display everyone thought it would be.  There were no instruments and caravans.  There were no majestic white horses, only a humble donkey, carrying Jesus, who looked just like the rest of them.  He was not the king that many of them expected. 

The people were excited.  They cheered and shouted:
Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord —
the King of Israel!

Only a king would be greeted this way (2 Kings 9:13), and the people wanted Jesus to be their king.  But most of the people did not understand what kind of king Jesus would be. They expected their Messiah to be a great political and military leader who would free them from the tyranny of the Roman Empire.  Jesus is a different kind of king.  Whereas most royalty comes determined to rule, He comes determined to serve.  Whereas most monarchs spend time building their egos with the perquisites of office, He comes with a totally disarming humility.  Whereas most kings ride white stallions or fly in royal jets, King Jesus rode a donkey, a symbol of meekness, of peace.  He knew what He was doing.  A different kind of king; a different kind of kingdom. 

Have you seen the King?  Did you miss Him because He wasn’t what you expected?  Sometimes we have an idea in our minds of how something is going to go down.  We have preconceived notions and expectations we entertain.  We can be thrown off guard when it turns out differently or we can be pleasantly surprised and outrageously blessed.  It is a cliché but very applicable here – God is still on His throne, no matter what.  And that means whether He arrives on a donkey or a white stallion, He is still the King of Kings.  Often God doesn’t show up the way we think He is going to, but He does show up and not only is He the King of Kings, but He is the King of our lives.  Don’t miss Him when He comes your way.

Scripture to Claim:
The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!"  Matthew 21:9