Palm Sunday: Over-Powered

Devotion by: Gale Bobzien

Matthew 21:1-11

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

Palm Sunday is a special day. My mother passed away on Palm Sunday four years ago. It’s certainly a time of remembrance for me. I remember sitting by my mother’s bedside, reading to her from the Scriptures. I read the promise of the Gospel to her.

Yes, the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which we celebrate as Palm Sunday, has very special meaning for me. The passage from Matthew tells of the fulfillment of a prophecy from Zechariah, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

As noted in the New Interpreter’s Study Bible, “Entry processions were important occasions. … [T]hey displayed Roman political and military power.” But Jesus rode a donkey, not a warhorse. His goal was not to conquer, but to humbly serve.

Jesus was not the anticipated Messiah to many of the Jews who were waiting for a mighty military conqueror to restore the glory of the Davidic dynasty and bring peace. Instead, our Messiah came as a suffering servant, a king who ruled (and rules!) in humility.

What an example Jesus has set for us! May Palm Sunday be a time of remembrance for each of us; a time to remember the example of Jesus; a time to humbly serve others.

PRAYER: Gracious and merciful God, as we begin Holy Week, let us remember that, in Jesus, we have a king who rules in humility. Let His example of service to others guide our lives. As we journey to the cross, we thank you for sending Your son to pay a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. This we pray in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.