Matthew 21:1-11
When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them,“Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold your King is coming to you,
Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. 9 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!”10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”
This is a mind trip worth taking… let your mind recreate the scene of Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem. Some of them in the crowd knew who Jesus was: they laid their cloaks and palm branches on the road that took Jesus into Jerusalem, but others asked, “Who is this?” because they didn’t know Jesus at all. It would have been quite an experience to be there, to witness God’s Son riding into Jerusalem as the King he was – to shout Hosannas and feel your heart race with excitement!
For us today, it’s different… when we contemplate the scene, our hearts ache with joy because we know this King is riding to his death, for me, and for all God’s children. We too must shout “Hosanna to our King!” Yet as we shout our greetings, tears run down our faces…
Dear Jesus, thank you for being my King. Thank you for not turning away and saving yourself. Thank you for saving a sinner such as me. Amen.