“Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” (Luke 19:30-31)

Jesus chose a baby donkey.

It would be comical if it was anyone other than Jesus. Have you ever tried to get near an unbroken animal? What comes to mind when you think of someone attempting to lead a donkey…anywhere? Resistance—hard headed—resistance. Let’s go in for more comic effect—have you ever witnessed someone trying to ride an unbroken animal? Imagine what a normal man must do in order to break the will of the animal in order for it to be any use. The man riding into Jerusalem on a foal that has never been ridden has power no one recognizes.

Jesus is coming into Jerusalem to rule riding on a colt that no one has ever ridden and he’s coming to save—not by taking power and killing, but by losing power and dying. He’s going to triumph through weakness and his followers can only come to salvation by repenting and admitting their needs. Not through hard headed resistance. We’re not saved by our human will or good works nor a strong super hero savior to 'do good works’ so we can boast about our own strong super hero savior accomplishments. No, Jesus is very different than anyone expected. He arrives humble and riding a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

A lot of people aren’t strong. Even fewer are strong super hero saviors. It’s salvation through weakness—salvation by grace so that everyone can experience free grace salvation in spite of our sins. This is so dramatic! It also means that anybody can get in—young or old, free or slave, Gentile or Jew, orange or purple. You can see there is way more going on as he comes into the city. Jesus’ action is a very deliberate and clear in fulfillment of Scripture.(Zechariah 9:9) What a scene! It’s like a movie premier and Jesus is the main attraction.

What were the expectations of this crowd?

Well, it’s hard to tell really—palm branches and all. We’ve heard that the people living in Jerusalem at that time had expectations. That’s normal. Who goes through life without expectations? I am certain you have expectations, especially of leaders, at least ones that you choose to follow. It’s often when our expectations are unmet that we go to God. We often go—resistant or hard headed or maybe even hard hearted--to God because we need something. Virtually everyone heads out toward God because they need something. Think about the guy who frantically calls the hospital chaplain and then tells him he doesn’t need him anymore because he learned he received the wrong diagnosis and he doesn’t really have cancer. We tend to go to God and say “you need to give me exactly what I need from you.”

What do people think they need from God?

Back then, some wanted God to bring judgment down on the people they thought were ruining the world...the Romans! Somebody else is always ruining the world. What they really needed was someone to come down to bear the judgment for them because those people were ruining the world and quite honestly, because everybody in the whole human race was ruining the world—and quite frankly, we are still part of that insurmountable ‘ruining the world’ problem. What they really needed was pardon and reconciliation so that God can one day come back to earth to end evil without ending you and me. So, like them, we will all still shout, “Hosanna!” as Jesus rides by on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

There will never be a better example of the worthlessness of human celebrity than Palm Sunday.

We see Jesus arriving into Jerusalem as a king, fulfilling scripture as he rides in on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Some of the people shouting “Hosanna!” which means “Save us!" would shout “Crucify him!” by Friday. The great revelation of the fickleness of corporate human nature or maybe Jesus was the victim of the world’s first attempt at cancel culture. Get rid of Jesus and erase everything he ever said or did. Sis, boom, bah…voila! The problem is all those miracles, the signs and wonders. There were witnesses. There are still witnesses. What is the approval of the world worth? How different is God’s approval. Human celebrity is nothing.

Palm Sunday is an illustration of the life long mismatch of what we think we need and what God has provided.

What we think we need is always shallow. What God often does in the short run is very confusing. Keep in mind that when you come to him he will give you what you really need and will in the long run exceed your expectations. God always gives you what you would have asked for if you knew everything he does. If you learn this you’ll live a contented, non-anxious life of shalom. If you don’t learn this... you won’t.

And about that donkey that had never been ridden…Jesus is a different sort of leader. He didn’t need to break the will of the foal in order to reveal its use. Jesus transformed it. As King of Creation, he has power and authority over all Creation. Jesus walked on water, calmed the storm, turned water into wine and provided amazing catches of fish. But, his greatest accomplishment was transforming a resistant—hard headed or hard hearted—beast into something that would carry him to fulfill his ultimate goal…his redeeming, reconciling work of the cross. Jesus knew what we needed long before we did and I believe he completely exceeded our expectations.

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38 NIV)

Pastor Jen