Mark 11:1–10 (ESV)

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 

And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

The king has come. Not the king they were expecting. Not the king they had hoped for. But He WAS the king that they needed, they just didn’t know it. His was a kingdom began at the dawn of creation, and one destined to last for eternity. His was a rule built on sacrifice and selflessness. And as He entered, He proved His was in fact that kingdom God had been behind all along. 

Matthew 21:4–5 (ESV)

This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

Humble was the word of the day. There would be no speeches, no spectacles, no special effects – just his friends, his followers and a donkey. In fact, after a small stop at the temple – he would return right back to where He had come from, barely saying a word. 

Mark 11:11 (ESV)

And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Today is a day of celebration. Today is a day to recognize who Jesus is. There are days coming, and soon, where He will challenge our perception of who a king is, and what he does – but today, we celebrate the fact that He came at all. Just a few days prior, Jesus Himself had told the hated tax collector Zacchaeus, that; 

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

“…the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

He is here to seek them out. To show them that God is not far from them, if only they will see Him, and seek Him. He is here to save them. Today is the day God’s Kingdom, come to earth, makes its purpose known. Today is the culmination of the ultimate plan. And we are rejoicing. The King has come.