The King On A Donkey
See, your king comes to you, gentle and lowly, riding on a donkey.
Matthew 21:5
It was Sunday—the day we now call Palm Sunday. Without a doubt, this was not the first visit of the Lord Jesus to Jerusalem. As a devout Jew, He would have gone to the city every year for the three great feasts (Luke 2:41-42; John 2:13). In the past three years, Christ had also ministered and taught in Jerusalem. But this Sunday His coming into the city was radically different.
By riding a young donkey into Jerusalem at a time when thousands of worshippers were coming into the city, Jesus was the centre of attention (Matthew 21:9-11). Why would He take the place of prominence before thousands of people, when for the past three years He had deliberately kept a low profile? Why would He accept the people’s proclamation that He was King just five days before His death?
Matthew says that this took place to fulfil a five-hundred-year-old prophecy (Matt 21: 4-5) that God’s chosen king would come into Jerusalem “righteous and victorious, [yet] lowly and riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
This was a truly unusual way for a triumphant king to enter a city. Conquering kings normally rode on mighty stallions. But Jesus did not come riding a warhorse. This reveals what kind of King Jesus is. He came in meekness and lowliness. Jesus came not for war, but for peace, establishing peace between God and us (Acts 10:36; Colossians 1:20).
Bible Reading
Matthew 21:1-11.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for coming into Jerusalem to reveal Your mighty and humble ways. Fill my heart with Your peace. In Your name I pray. Amen.
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