A sermon preached at Covenant Presbyterian Church of Fort Smith, Arkansas on March 29, 2026.
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
“Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him” (John 12:12–19).[1]
Imagine this: Jerusalem is crowded with pilgrims who have come to celebrate the Passover. The city is alive with anticipation. Thousands of Jewish families have traveled long distances to gather for the great feast that commemorates God’s historic deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery. The streets are busy, the markets are full, and the religious atmosphere is expectant. Into this already charged environment comes the news that Jesus of Nazareth is approaching the city.
By this point in his ministry Jesus is widely known. His teaching has drawn crowds across Galilee and Judea. His teaching and miracles have astonished many, infuriated the religious right, and caused consternation among the nation’s leaders. Only days earlier he had raised Lazarus from the dead in the nearby village of Bethany, an event that created enormous excitement among the people. So, when word spreads that Jesus is entering Jerusalem, the crowd pours out to meet him.
They take palm branches, a traditional symbol of national joy and victory, and they wave them in celebration. They shout words drawn from the one hundred eighteenth psalm: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (Jn 12:13). For a moment it appears as though the long-awaited king has arrived, and the nation has recognized him. The atmosphere is jubilant. The crowd is enthusiastic. Jesus is welcomed as a royal figure.
Yet, perhaps more remarkable than the excitement of the crowd is the deliberate intention of Jesus himself. Throughout much of his ministry Jesus was cautious about public declarations of his messianic identity. When crowds attempted to make him king earlier in his ministry, he withdrew from them. Often after performing miracles, he instructed those he healed not to speak openly about what had happened. He even rebuked demons for revealing his eternal identity. But this occasion is different. This time Jesus does not avoid public attention. Instead, he intentionally acts in a way that will provoke it. He arranges for a young donkey. He rides openly into Jerusalem. He allows the crowd to proclaim him king. Why? Because the time has come for the truth about his identity to be revealed.
Note again the cries of the people: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (Jn 12:13). They are not only praising God and blessing Jesus; they are welcoming him as their king, which Jesus openly embraces. And it is this that I want us to focus on this morning, asking the following questions: How does Jesus deliberately reveal himself as a king? How did the crowds misunderstand him as a king? And what kind of king is he?
The King Revealed
Notice first the deliberate action of Jesus: “Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it” (John 12:14). Luke tells us that this was premeditated, as Jesus sent two of his disciples into a neighboring village, where they would find a colt tied, on which no one had ever yet sat.[2] They were to untie the colt and bring him to Jesus (Luke 19:29-30), which, the Apostle John explains, was to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah,[3] as translated here,
“Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!” (John 12:15).
The prophecy describes the coming of Israel’s king, but it does so in a way that would have surprised many people. Instead of arriving on a powerful war horse, the king comes riding on a donkey. In the ancient world Kings rode horses when they went to war. Horses represented strength, conquest, and military power, but a donkey suggested something different: humility, peace.
By riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus is making a deliberate and powerful statement about the nature of his kingship. He is indeed a king. But he is not the kind of king the people expected. He does not come as a political revolutionary. He does not arrive with an army. He does not threaten the Roman authorities with violence. Instead, he comes gentle and lowly in heart.[4]
The King of kings enters the city not with a display of military might but with an act of humility. This is deeply consistent with everything we know about Jesus and what he taught. Greatness in the kingdom of God is very different from greatness in the world. The rulers of this world often exercise authority through domination and power. But Jesus said, “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:25-28). Christian greatness is revealed not in domination and power but service and humility.
As the palm branches are waived and laid, Jesus reveals the character of his kingship. He is a humble king, challenging many of our assumptions about power. While human societies often admire strength, dominance, and self-promotion, in which leaders are frequently judged by their ability to assert control and display authority, the King of kings reveals a different set of values. In Christ’s kingdom, greatness is expressed through humility; authority is exercised through service. And he calls his disciples to do the same.
The King Misunderstood
Although Jesus knew perfectly what he was doing, the crowd did not. The Apostle John makes this point clear, revealing even his disciples “did not understand these things at first” (John 12:16).Even those who had spent years with Jesus did not yet fully grasp the significance of this moment, let alone the crowd, who shouted, “Hosanna,” which literally means “Save us now.”Originally this was a cry for deliverance addressed to God. Over time it had also become an expression of praise and joyful expectation.But what kind of salvation did the crowd have in mind?Almost certainly they were thinking in political terms.
At that time the Jewish people were living under Roman rule. Roman soldiers patrolled their cities. Roman governors administered their laws. Roman taxes weighed heavily upon the population.The longing for national independence was strong.Many Jews believed that the Messiah would come as a powerful leader, who would overthrow Roman rule and restore Israel’s political sovereignty.
So, when Jesus entered Jerusalem surrounded by enthusiastic supporters, it was not difficult for the crowd to imagine that the moment of liberation had arrived.They welcomed him as the “King of Israel.”Yet their expectations were tragically misguided.Jesus had not come to lead a political uprising.He had come to accomplish something far greater.
The irony is the crowd was both right and wrong at the same time.They were right in recognizing that Jesus is indeed the King of Israel.But they were wrong about the kind of king he is.And this misunderstanding had serious consequences.Within a few days the enthusiasm of the crowd would fade.When it became clear that Jesus was not going to overthrow Rome, many of those who had welcomed him would turn against him.
On this day, Jesus’s triumphant entry hearkened to the messianic herald: “behold, your king is coming” (Jn. 12:13). Yet, in a matter of days he would be betrayed, falsely accused and tried, and sentenced to death for a verdict of not guilty. And the Roman governor Pontius Pilate would stand Jesus beaten, bloody, and humiliated before the people and exclaim, “Behold your King!” To which the crowd cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” (Jn. 19:14-15).
What happened? Simply this: Jesus was not the king they wanted. And when their expectations were disappointed, their loyalty vanished. And we are not much different than they, as many are willing to welcome Jesus so long as he fits comfortably into their expectations. They are happy to admire him as a moral teacher. They appreciate his message of love and compassion. They may even speak positively about his influence on Western civilization and culture. But when Jesus confronts them with his authority and demands their obedience, their enthusiasm quickly diminishes. In other words, they are willing to accept Jesus on their terms but not on his.
When Pilate exclaimed, “Behold your King” (John 19:14), he mocked our Lord, not knowing the truth of his exclamation. Jesus is indeed the King of kings, and he must be received either today in his mercy or on the last day in judgment. But make no mistake about it, “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).
The King Victorious
On this Palm Sunday then, we must look beyond the immediate scene and consider what lies ahead.For Jesus is entering Jerusalem with full knowledge of what awaits him.He knows that the religious leaders are plotting against him.He knows that betrayal is near.He knows that suffering and death are approaching.Yet he rides forward willingly.Why? Because the real purpose of his mission can only be understood through the cross.
The crowd believed that their greatest problem was Roman occupation, but it wasn’t. Their greatest problem is ours: sin. Sin separates us from God. It corrupts our hearts, clouds our minds, and distorts our relationships. Ever since the Fall, it has brought guilt, shame, and spiritual death into the world, without fail. And the consequences of sin are not merely temporal but eternal. Apart from Christ, we stand under the judgment of a holy God, a problem no political revelation could, can, or will ever solve. No military victory can remove guilt. No earthly kingdom can restore our broken relationship with God. Only one thing could and did: the cross of Christ.
As Jesus rides onward and upward to Jerusalem, it marks the beginning of the final stage of his mission. The King enters the capital city not to receive a crown of gold but to wear a crown of thorns, not to sit upon a throne but to hang upon a cross. And yet, paradoxically, it is upon the cross that Christ’s kingship is revealed. For on the cross Jesus bore our sin: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). He received the judgment we deserved that we might be forgiven, reconciled to God our Father, saved unto all eternity. The king conquered not by destroying his enemies but by giving himself for them, not through force but sacrifice.
The question on this Palm Sunday is not whether Jesus is a king, but how will we respond to the King of kings? Will we treat him as the crowd did—welcoming him enthusiastically when he seems to meet our expectations but turning away when he challenges them? Or will we recognize him for who he truly is? The humble king, the suffering king, the saving king, the risen Lord of glory, who reigns today with all authority in heaven and on earth. And he still calls sinners to repent and believe the good news, that by God’s grace the King comes to us not only with authority but with mercy, offering forgiveness to the guilty, reconciliation to the estranged, new life to all who trust in him. Blessed indeed are those who receive him. Amen.
[1] Unless referenced otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
(Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001).
[2] Luke 19:30
[3] Zech. 9:9
[4] Matt. 11:29
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