The King We Didn't Expect: Rediscovering Hope This Palm Sunday

Have you ever experienced a moment when reality crashed into your expectations, leaving you puzzled, maybe even disappointed? Imagine standing curbside, eagerly awaiting a presidential motorcade. You envision gleaming SUVs, sleek motorcycles, secret service agents meticulously scanning the crowd—symbols of authority, power, and security. Instead, around the corner rattles an old tractor driven by a humble farmer, waving casually as though he belongs exactly where he is. Confusion, perhaps laughter, fills the crowd. This mismatch is what Palm Sunday felt like for those gathered in Jerusalem.

Two thousand years ago, the Jewish people anxiously awaited a king, a mighty warrior Messiah to free them from Roman oppression. Yet, when Jesus made his grand entry into Jerusalem, he wasn't adorned in royal splendor or mounted on a warhorse. Instead, he rode a borrowed donkey, without armor, surrounded not by soldiers but fishermen, tax collectors, and ordinary followers. On Palm Sunday, God showed the world that His ways are not ours. His kingdom would not come through earthly power but divine humility.

Jesus: The Humble King

Luke vividly recounts Jesus' entry into Jerusalem in Luke 19:28–40, underscoring the deliberate and symbolic choice Jesus made by selecting a donkey's colt, fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Zechariah 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey." Jesus intentionally chose this imagery to signal His true kingship—one of peace and humility, not violence and conquest.

Consider the significance of riding an unbroken colt. Typically, such animals resist, buck, and bolt, terrified by the unfamiliar sensation of being ridden. Yet, Jesus, without struggle, rode this colt. In this subtle miracle, we see the profound nature of His divine authority over creation itself, displaying that true strength isn't always shown in dominance but often in quiet authority and assured peace.

His entrance, so counterintuitive, not only fulfilled prophecy but communicated clearly to those who knew the Scriptures—He was the King they had awaited, though He arrived differently than anticipated. It challenged the religious leaders profoundly. They knew the implications, understanding perfectly that by accepting the crowd's worship, Jesus was openly declaring Himself Messiah.

The Contrast: Earthly vs. Heavenly Power

Jesus' humble entrance contrasts starkly with human expectations. We usually equate kingship with dominance, control, and military might. The crowd expected liberation through force; instead, Jesus offered liberation through sacrifice. He didn't come to conquer kingdoms through war, but to conquer hearts through love and redemption.

The humility of Jesus presents a radical challenge to our modern expectations. How often do we demand God to work according to our terms—fixing our problems, aligning with our plans, fulfilling our personal desires? Yet Jesus' model of kingship calls us into surrender and trust, not control.

Worship: The Appropriate Response

Seeing Jesus enter Jerusalem humbly and peacefully provoked spontaneous worship from the crowd, who erupted in praise, echoing Psalm 118: "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" They recognized that something divine and transformative was occurring.

Yet not everyone welcomed this disruptive worship. The Pharisees rebuked Jesus, fearful of losing their power and control. In response, Jesus affirmed the inevitability and rightness of worship, stating, "If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Worship isn't just a feeling; it's a declaration of loyalty and truth.

N.T. Wright profoundly notes, "Worship is always disruptive to the status quo. When we declare Jesus as King, we challenge every false authority—including our own." Worship reorients our hearts, refocuses our priorities, and realigns us with God’s ultimate authority.

Worship as a Lifestyle

Palm Sunday worship reminds us that true praise transcends personal preference or comfort. It's both personal and public, expressive and reflective. It's an ongoing posture, not merely a Sunday experience. Worship directs our allegiance to Christ alone, preventing distractions from lesser loves—whether career success, material possessions, or temporary pleasures.

As followers of Jesus, our worship should visibly demonstrate our allegiance, realigning our hearts towards God's eternal purposes and away from fleeting concerns. Let worship guide you from Sunday emotion into sustained Monday devotion.

Steps to move to a posture of worship:

1. Reflect: Identify areas in your spiritual life where unmet expectations cause frustration. What are you holding tightly that you might need to release?
2. Release: Engage in prayerful surrender. Take time this Palm Sunday to specifically lay down your personal expectations before God, acknowledging, "You are King. Not me."
3. Reorient: Actively look for ways God might already be working unexpectedly in your life. Choose to embrace His movements, trusting His methods and timing over your own.
   
4. Engage: Move beyond passive observation. Choose one tangible way to express worship this week—be it singing aloud, raising hands, kneeling in prayer, or engaging deeply in Scripture.
5. Express: Identify opportunities to publicly acknowledge Christ as King in your daily interactions, reflecting His humility and love through your words and actions.
6. Embody: Translate your worship from mere emotional expression into practical daily devotion. Ask how your worship can shape your decisions, responses, and interactions this week.

Laying Down Expectations, Lifting Up Praise

Palm Sunday challenges us anew each year, asking us whether we'll hold tightly to our limited expectations or embrace the expansive grace of God's plans. As we approach Easter, let’s remember the humble King whose path led Him not to a throne but to a cross—a King crowned not with gold but with thorns.

Rowan Williams poignantly captures this paradox: "Jesus enters Jerusalem as a king without a sword, without an army, without fear. He is utterly vulnerable, and that vulnerability is the sign of God’s power."

This Palm Sunday, let's trade our expectations for hope. Let’s worship the King who didn’t meet worldly expectations but surpassed all heavenly promises, demonstrating that true power is revealed in humility, true victory is won in sacrifice, and ultimate hope is found in the resurrection.

He might not be the King we expected, but He is exactly the King we need.