Today is Palm Sunday, when Christians celebrate the “Triumphal Entry” of King Jesus into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey.
Matthew 21:1-11 contains one account of this historic event. (Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, and John 12:12-19 are parallel passages.)
7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Matthew 21:7-9
In verse 5, we note that Matthew quotes Zechariah 9:9 to show that Jesus is fulfilling one of many Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, the King of Israel:
“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’
When the people shouted, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!,” they were quoting Psalm 118:26.
The other gospel writers also provide evidence that the crowds believed that they were welcoming Israel’s Messiah (the Christ) and King to Jerusalem:
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” (Mark 11:9-10)
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38)
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13)
But Jesus did not establish his kingdom on earth when he came 2,000 years ago – certainly not in the physical and political sense. He will do that when he comes the next time. As predicted in the book of Revelation, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)
In the meantime, Jesus does reign in the hearts of his people, and believers are the subjects and citizens of his spiritual kingdom.
Questions for Reflection:
What does living as a citizen of Christ’s spiritual kingdom mean to you?
In your own life, how do you demonstrate that Jesus is your King – your Supreme Ruler and Absolute Sovereign?
For help, read and meditate on these passages:
Matthew 4:17, Matthew 6:31-34, Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 25:31-46, and Romans 14:17.
Feel free to respond to these questions by leaving a comment below.
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