Scripture Reading: John 12:12-19

Passover was a week away. Jerusalem was beginning to grow to over 5-times its size. And a “new” king was coming to town.

As John tells it, even those who were following Jesus from the time he raised Lazarus from the dead were the ones following him to the edge of town joining up with others from the area bringing both palm branches and shouts of joy for their king riding on a donkey.

Hosanna! Blessed is the king of Israel!

Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.

John tells us something the other gospel writers don’t that ends up being one of the more interesting things about this “triumphal entry” story. John writes, “At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.”

For some, this didn’t make sense in the moment. Why was Jesus coming to Jerusalem like this and why are there people with palm branches shouting hosanna? This isn’t how a real kings come into their cities. They don’t come in on a donkey’s colt; they come in on a proper horse, with a procession of the most important people leading and following. For Jesus, though, it was the poor, the destitute, the outcasts who were accompanying him, and he not only approved of this, but invited this sort of company. You can see then why someone might be wondering how a king like this could have any influence in the realm of those in charge.

For others, however, this did make sense and they were not happy about it. According to John, the Pharisees were speaking to one another saying, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” Notice that. For those who had been in charge for a long time and could read the tea leaves, this was no insignificant king riding in. Instead, this was a king with a people who were not focused on controlling, but following. They were not a people bent on force, but on peace. Not a people looking for servants, but a bunch who were learning to serve as their king served them. In other words, this was a king with a people with whom the controlling world was not ready.

This was the original Palm Sunday. And it is what we continue to celebrate today.

The king—hopefully, your king—is here!