Jesus enters Jerusalem

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!" 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. - Mark 11:1‭-‬11 ESV 

Pastor Dwight Yoo

Peace found in the plans of the God

Why so much detail about this event? Why was Jesus so precise about this? Jesus comes in this way to fulfill the prophecies. Jesus comes in the way described by the prophet Zechariah and the blessing given by Abraham to his son Judah. Young unridden animals were used in this time for spiritual occasions. Even the disciples were unaware of what Jesus was up to. The gospel of John shares of how the disciples learned about Jesus fulfilling prophecies after the fact. So we should take heart, God is at work, even while we are unaware.

Satisfaction found in submission

Many people heard of Jesus and knew him as a new teacher. But some recognized Jesus as the coming Messiah. So people spread their cloaks and palm branches on the ground. This was not a normal thing. But more than this, many misunderstood how Jesus was to save. Many had expectations of a political king who would overthrow the Roman empire. But this was not the plan of Jesus. We are not to force Jesus to conform to our expectations. That is idolatry. So it is today, here in the States. Many have a distorted Christianity where America is given a special providence as Israel had back in the Old Testament. But Jesus clearly spoke that His kingdom was not of this world. God's kingdom is not constrained to any national or ethnic borders. Jesus is not a mascot for our agenda. This is not limited to either political party. We are all susceptible to this. We all have the desire to make Jesus a justification for what we want. 

Comfort found in a king who rides a colt

Kings in Jesus' time entered on horses. They are regal with their bearing and powerful imagery. But a young donkey... God, the most powerful being, came to earth as a baby. He comes not in kingly robes as a triumphant king. But comes on a young donkey. He didn't come to bring violence, but to experience violence. He knows the troubles of this world intimately. That is the kind of king Jesus is. Jesus draws us with compassion, understanding, & grace. He is the king that we need.