Jesus Revealed Pt. 12 - This Is Why I Came...Sample

The Triumphal entry into Jerusalem  

Thoughts on the Passage

The entry of the King.

It is a powerful and important moment in Jesus ministry. It is the day that Jesus declares Himself to be the Messiah, the King of Israel and the rightful heir of David the King. It is a dangerous moment for the Jewish people as well. They are under the rule of the Romans and to declare Himself as King puts everyone at risk. The people recognize much of the significance of this event – the waving of palm branches is a symbol of welcoming a king. The people come and celebrate the event. 

It is actually rather humorous that the disciples do not remember the promise from Zechariah that the King would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. It is something we understand today, but for some reason, they did not understand it back then. That happens sometimes. We do things and do not realize the significance of what we are doing.

The Jewish leaders are upset. Everyone is following Jesus. They know what the event means – the people have accepted Jesus as their leader, and by implication, they have rejected the Pharisees and religious leaders. That does not mean that they accept this transfer of leadership. They will fight it all the Passover week. We see the way they attack Jesus in the other gospel accounts. John does not talk about that. We will see what He chooses to share. This is because John is not interested in describing Jesus as the King, he wants to describe Jesus as the Son of God. 

Application

Jesus IS the king. What does God want us to do today to demonstrate that Jesus is our King? He has the rightful place as ruler in our lives, how will we submit to Him and His will today? All around us are people who ignore His claim, reject His claim and mock His claim. That is their choice – and they will bear the consequences of that choice. Join today with this crowd celebrating the good things that Jesus as done in our lives – setting us free from sin, releasing healing upon the broken, and giving life to all who ask. 

Time to Pray

Father, every day is a good day to celebrate the declaration of Jesus as king. I will do it as well today. I will sing, I will rejoice, I will declare the good things He has done in my life, I will declare the good things He has done in the lives of others. It is a day the rocks will not cry out on my behalf. I want my world to know that my Redeemer lives. I want my world to know who my King is. It is Jesus – and no one else. In Jesus’ name, Amen.