“…Your King Comes To You”

 

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

 

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion,

‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

 

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

 

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

 

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

 

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

 

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

 

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 

Matthew 21:1-11

 

If you have to tell people who you are, you probably not as important as you think you are. With Jesus, He did not claim special privileges, but in humility He came to give His life in obedience to His Father’s will.

 

The words Jesus said and the things He did commanded respect. Unlike insecure rulers, He never demanded that others respect Him. His greatest hours of suffering appeared to be His lowest point of weakness and failure. Yet, the strength of His identity and mission carried Jesus through the darkest hours as He died for our sins so that we might live in His love.

 

He is worthy of our lives and our devotion today. Do we recognize who He is?

 

When once you have seen Jesus, you can never be the same.

 

Our Daily Bread – March 29, 2015