The King on a Donkey

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John 12:12–19

Jerusalem was packed with people preparing for Passover when word spread that Jesus was coming. Crowds grabbed palm branches, went out to meet Him and shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!” It looked like the arrival of a king—and that’s exactly what it was.

But Jesus didn’t enter Jerusalem the way people expected a king to arrive. He didn’t ride a warhorse surrounded by soldiers. He came riding on a young donkey. John points us back to the prophet Zechariah: “Do not fear, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” Jesus was absolutely declaring Himself King, but He was also showing them what kind of King He came to be.

Many in the crowd wanted someone who would change their circumstances. They wanted rescue from Roman oppression. Jesus had come to accomplish something much bigger. He wasn’t riding into Jerusalem to take a throne by force. He was riding toward a cross to rescue mankind from sin. They were celebrating a victory they didn’t yet understand.

We can do the same thing. Sometimes we have a very specific picture of what we want Jesus to do. Fix this. Change that. Open this door. Remove this problem. And when He doesn’t work according to our expectations, we wonder where He is. But Jesus may be doing something far greater than what we asked.

Following Jesus means trusting not only that He is King, but that He knows what kind of victory we really need.

Today’s thought: Am I trusting Jesus to be King—or only asking Him to follow the plan I’ve already made for Him?

Circle up!