What's Your Response to the King?

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, tell him 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 the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, 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, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 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!"

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." Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.

But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,  'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"

Matthew 21:1-16 

(From a sermon I preached on April 4, 2009)

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is portrayed in many different ways: 

• Lamb of God 

• Bread of Life 

• Good Shepherd 

• Son of Man 

• Living Water 

• Healer 

• Teacher 

• Rabbi 

And many others

In this passage, Jesus is now presented as a king. Not just any king, but the promised one, the one the prophets and poets had written about centuries earlier. Clearly the jubilant crowd expected that Jesus was about to take the throne of David, overthrow the occupying Romans, and restore Israel to its former glorious state as the Promised Land.

This was not the intent of Jesus.

He did not come to establish an earthly kingdom, but rather to usher in a heavenly kingdom. A kingdom not based on nationality or religious heritage, but a kingdom of priests chosen by God to serve before His heavenly throne. Since Jesus knew all this, one might wonder why he allowed the people to hallow and worship Him on the way into Jerusalem that day. Why did He allow them to get their hopes up, knowing that in six short days, He would be hanging on a cross, dying?

There are two main reasons why Jesus allowed this scene to play out.

First, it was necessary to fulfill the prophetic Scripture from Zechariah 9:9 quoted in this passage:

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

This action of riding a donkey's colt into Jerusalem had profound symbolism, and could not be missed by those familiar with the Messianic prophecies. The donkey is associated with the throne of David (God had forbidden the Israelite kings to amass large quantities of horses – one of the major mistakes Solomon made). In addition, a colt that had not been used for common labor was especially suitable for religious purposes.

The second reason is because Jesus had a right to be worshiped and honored as a King.

Just as he allowed the woman to anoint Him with perfume for His burial, He also allowed the people to elevate Him as King, although prematurely. We know from later Scriptures that it would not be until after His resurrection and ascension into heaven that He would take His rightful place on the throne.

Even though Jesus is portrayed as a king in this passage, we find that not everyone responded to Him the same way. Today I want us to look at the various responses to the Kingship of Jesus, and see if we demonstrate any of these same responses to Him in our own lives. 

The Disciples

The disciples followed Jesus' orders without question, regardless of how off-the-wall or impractical those orders were. One can only imagine all the possible reactions they would encounter by walking up to a stranger's house and taking his animals! The amazing thing is, when we do exactly what God tells us, we don't have to worry about what other people think about us, or that perhaps things won't turn out the way God said they would.

The Villagers

In Mark 11:4-6, we actually read the dialogue that took place between them and the disciples:

They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.

Even though these people weren't the animals' owners, they were bound by the law to look out for their neighbors' possessions. It was their duty to investigate this strange behavior, kind of like a first-century block watch. By allowing the disciples to take the donkey and her colt, they were accepting full responsibility for their neighbor's property. One can assume they believed that, if the Lord needed them, the Lord would send them back when He was done.

These villagers expressed an attitude that is all too rare in today's churches. They knew that God has a right to ask for anything He wants from us, since everything we have comes from Him anyway. The answer of "the Lord needs it" should be all we need to hand over whatever God asks of us. How many times do we hoard our stuff, knowing that the Lord needs it somewhere else? 

The Travelers Along The Way

They recognized the royal position of Jesus, and perhaps even recognized the prophetic significance of Him riding on a donkey, and honored Him by placing their cloaks and tree branches on the road. Placing their cloaks on the road was a means of paying homage to royalty. Their shouting and singing indicates that they were not ashamed to have Jesus as their king. Since God requires vocal praise, this was entirely appropriate.

This is probably the most complex response to analyze, because it is impossible for us to know exactly what motivated the crowds to celebrate and rejoice the way they did. It could very well be that they were totally aware of the royal position of Jesus, in which case, their actions were justified. But it is more likely that they were excited because of what they expected that Jesus would do for them, by restoring the kingdom of Israel. The word Hosanna literally means "save" but also came to be an expression of praise. There is no way of telling what each person meant when they shouted "Hosanna" that day.

How often do we get excited about Jesus because of what He has done or will do for us, as opposed to getting excited just because of who He is? Do we mouth the right words, but have hidden meanings known only to us?

The Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law

They criticized Jesus for allowing this unbridled display. They were especially indignant because He was allowing the people to place Jesus in the position of the Messiah. These religious experts knew very well the implications of calling Jesus the Son of David. They also knew that the Messiah would overthrow their carefully crafted religious system once he came to power.

Furthermore, since they loved to receive praise and recognition, it was just too much to be overshadowed by this simple carpenter from Galilee. Some commentators claim that Jesus allowed this event in order to push the religious leaders over the edge and into action, so they would start the process that would lead to His crucifixion.

How often do we respond to King Jesus the way these Pharisees did? When He comes on the scene, do we get indignant because He wants to rearrange our religious customs and traditions? Do we get jealous if He takes too much of the spotlight off of us? Or do we get all bent out of shape when others are praising Him in a way that we don't think is appropriate or dignified?

Jesus will be worshiped, whether we like it or not. Luke 19:40 tells us how Jesus responded to those who commanded Him to rebuke the crowd for its exuberance:

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

If we don't worship Jesus, He will find someone else who will. Jesus will be worshiped.

The Children 
They joined in with the grown-ups and were shouting and praising Jesus as well. Did they understand what they were doing, or what it meant to call Jesus the Son of David? Probably not. More likely, they were simply imitating the behavior of the adults around them.

There are two things to consider here.

First, are we setting an example for the young of our church (either children or those new to the Lord) so that they know the proper way to worship Jesus and give Him the honor that He deserves?

Second, how often do we act like these children and simply do what everyone around us is doing, even if we don't have a clue what the implications might be?

We need to be careful in both of these matters. We need to follow our own convictions and use as much intellect as emotion when it comes to worship. We must always be aware that we are setting an example for somebody.


When the King of Kings comes on the scene, how do we respond?

• Are we like the disciples, faithfully obedient? 

• Are we like the villagers, freely giving God whatever He asks for?

• Are we like the crowds, some worshiping Jesus for who He is, and some for what He can do for them?

• Are we like the Pharisees, who were more concerned with their positions of power and prestige and their religious traditions, than with the reality of God showing up in a worship service?

• Are we like the little children, blindly imitating the actions of others, but not really fully aware of who it is we are worshiping?

As we approach the celebration of our Lord's death, burial and resurrection, may we each examine our response to Jesus Christ, the King and Ruler of our lives, and respond to Him in Spirit and in Truth, giving Him the rightful place of honor in our lives.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David