The King Has Come
What Matthew 21 says about our “Coming King”
I’ve always loved the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem. There’s something about the picture of it that grabs you. Jesus riding into the city with men, women and children all lining the road like they do when a parade comes to town. It was a parade for sure, but one that they might not have been expecting or maybe they were! The picture: Palm branches everywhere, people shouting, “Hosanna!” and It feels like a celebration; and again, it is!
But the more I study Matthew 21, the more I come to believe that we can miss what Matthew is really trying to tell us if we reduce this story to a nice Palm Sunday moment. Speaking of missing something… (quick question)... how many donkeys did Jesus ride into town on… go look it up. It may very well surprise you! Anyway…
Matthew is telling us something much bigger: The King has come. And once you see that, the whole story starts to look different.
Jesus Is Making a Statement
Matthew tells us that Jesus is approaching Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus tells two of His disciples to go find a donkey (and her colt - wink, wink) and bring them to Him. Now, that might seem like a strange detail until Matthew tells us why.
Jesus is intentionally fulfilling the words of the prophet Zechariah: “Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey.” Your King is coming. That's the announcement and one that we, even today, might want to stop and ponder a bit.
Jesus isn't simply entering Jerusalem as another teacher or prophet. He's making a very intentional statement about who He is and Matthew has been preparing us for this moment from the very beginning of his book. For 20 chapters Matthew has been telling us that this moment is on the way and remember how Matthew starts?
The wise men come looking for the one who has been born “king of the Jews.” Now Jesus is riding into Jerusalem. The King has arrived. But there's something interesting about the way He arrives.
He Doesn't Look Like the King People Expected
If you were writing the story of a king coming into his capital city, this probably wouldn't be the entrance you would choose. You'd want the horses. The soldiers. The banners. The power. The spectacle.
Jesus chooses a donkey.
And Matthew specifically says He is humble. That is one of the things I think N. T. Wright has helped us see so clearly about Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
Jesus didn't come simply to offer people a ticket out of this world. He came announcing that God's reign was breaking into this world.
God was showing His creation that, indeed, Jesus was King. But God's Kingdom wasn't going to look like Rome. It wasn't going to look like Caesar and it wasn't going to look like the kingdoms of this world–the very nations He was coming to restore.
At this point in Matthew’s account: Jesus was going to show us what God's rule actually looks like and how we should see our King. The reign of the King will begin with a King riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. That's worth sitting with for a minute. The King comes in humility.
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
Now the crowd gets caught up in the moment a little. They start shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” We sometimes hear “Hosanna” as if it's just another word for “praise.” But originally it was a cry for salvation: “Save us!” And then they call Jesus the Son of David. This is one detail that matters.
David was Israel's great king, and God had promised that a king from David's line would come. So the crowd is saying something very significant: David's promised King is here. Then they quote Psalm 118: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
They're not just excited because Jesus is popular. They're interpreting what is happening through the Scriptures. They believe something important is happening. And they're right. However, they, and maybe us included, just don't fully understand what it means yet.
Then Matthew Says Something Strange
Matthew 21:10 says: “When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken…” I love that word. The Greek word Matthew uses is eseisthē, from a word that means to shake or quake. It's where we get the idea of something being seismic. Matthew could have simply said, “Everybody noticed Jesus.” Instead, he says the city was shaken.
And Matthew uses that kind of language again later. When Jesus dies, the earth shakes. When Jesus rises, there is an earthquake. And now, as Jesus enters Jerusalem, the city is shaken. Matthew is telling us that this isn't just another religious event.
Something is happening here. The King has entered the city.
And then Matthew gives us the question that I think sits right in the middle of this whole story: “Who is this?”
Who Is This – Jesus Guy?
That's really the question Matthew has been asking throughout his Gospel. Who is Jesus? He's the Son of David. He's the Messiah. He's the Son of God. He's the One announcing the Kingdom of God. And now He's riding into Jerusalem as King.
But here's the problem. The people have an idea of what a king is supposed to do and Jesus has just blown that out of the water… what is about to happen will show them something completely different. And to be honest, they are not prepared for that - neither would we have been either.
You see, they want a King who will change their circumstances. Jesus comes to change the world. They may be hoping for someone who will deal with Rome. Jesus comes to deal with something much deeper—sin, evil, death and the brokenness of humanity.
They want a throne. Jesus is headed toward a cross. That's the strange thing about Jesus. He wins by giving Himself away.
The King Goes to the Temple
There's another detail in this story that I think we can easily overlook. Where does Jesus go after He enters Jerusalem? He goes to the Temple. He doesn't head to Caesar's palace. He goes to God's house.
And what does He do there? He confronts what has become corrupted. He cleanses the Temple. He heals the blind and the lame. Children begin shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
In other words, Jesus isn't simply announcing that He's King. He's beginning to show us what His Kingdom looks like. The King comes. He confronts what is wrong. He heals what is broken. He restores what has been damaged.
That's the Kingdom. And that's one of the reasons this passage has become so meaningful to me.
Because This Isn't Just About Jerusalem
It's easy to read Matthew 21 and think: “That's a great story about Jesus”, but then we move on. I think, if we are willing to do this for a moment, Jesus wants us to do more than admire the story–he wants us to sit with this for a moment.
If Jesus really is King, then His kingship changes how we live. That's where this becomes personal. It's one thing to sing about Jesus. It's another thing to live under His leadership. It's one thing to call Him Lord. It's another thing to actually let Him be Lord. And honestly, I think that's where many of us—including me—have to stop and ask some uncomfortable questions.
Is Jesus really King in my life? Not just on Sunday. Not just when I'm in church. Not just when things are going well. But with my money. My relationships. My marriage. My work. My forgiveness. My priorities. My calendar. My anger. My fears. My future. If Jesus is King, then He doesn't just get a part of us. He gets all of us.
Here's the Simple Response
Maybe we don't need another Palm Sunday where we simply hear a familiar story and walk away saying, “That was a good reminder.” Maybe this year we should actually respond to the King.
So here's something simple I want to challenge you to do.
Take five minutes sometime today and ask Jesus one honest question: “Jesus, where am I resisting Your reign?” Listen! Stop and take a breath! Don't rush past the question. Sit with it for a moment and let this question rattle around for a minute or two or three or four… you get the picture.
Maybe something comes to mind immediately. Maybe it's a relationship you've been unwilling to forgive. Maybe it's a habit you keep protecting. Maybe it's money. Maybe it's your pride. Maybe it's control. Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's something nobody else knows about. Whatever comes to mind, don't excuse it and don't beat yourself up over it.
Bring it to the King. Then pray something as simple as: “Jesus, You are King. I surrender this to You. Show me what obedience looks like today.”
And then do one thing. Not ten things. Not a complete life overhaul. One act of obedience. Make the phone call. Apologize. Forgive. Give generously. Tell someone about Jesus. Ask for help. Open the Bible. Pray with your spouse. Serve somebody who can't repay you.
Whatever obedience looks like, take the next step.
Because following Jesus isn't primarily about having the right feelings. It's about trusting the King enough to take the next step.
The King Is Still Sending His People
There's something else I love about Matthew's Gospel. Matthew begins by introducing us to the King. And Matthew ends with the King sending His people into the world. After Jesus rises from the dead, He says: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”
Do you see the connection?
The One who sends us is the One who has all authority. Matthew 21 and the Great Commission aren't two unrelated ideas, they belong together. The King has come. The King has conquered. The King is alive. And the King has given His people a mission.
That's why following Jesus isn't simply about getting people into church. It's about helping people discover the King and those the King has called going to help other people find their way back to the King!
It's about becoming people who live under His reign. It's about pursuing God, pursuing life together with another, pursuing worship, pursuing generosity and pursuing restoration.
It's about becoming the kind of people who don't just say Jesus is King. We actually live like He is.
Maybe That's the Real Challenge of Palm Sunday
The crowd had palm branches. We have our songs.
They shouted “Hosanna.” We sing worship songs.
They gathered around Jesus. We gather in churches.
But Jesus wasn't looking for a crowd that simply knew how to celebrate Him. He was looking for people willing to follow Him. And that means Matthew 21 isn't just a story about what happened then. It's a question for us now.
Who is Jesus?
If He really is the King, then what does that change about the way I live? Because the King who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey is the same King who went to the cross. The same King who walked out of the grave. The same King who has been given all authority. And the same King who still says: “Follow me.”
Maybe that's the heart that we need to see, feel and sit with today.
It's not really about the branches. It's not even really about the crowd. It's about the King. And the King has come. So this week, don't just celebrate the King. Give Him something.
Give Him the thing you've been holding onto.
Give Him the relationship you've been trying to control.
Give Him the sin you've been hiding.
Give Him the fear you've been carrying.
Give Him the decision you've been wrestling with.
Give Him your next step.
And then take that step. Because the King has come. And the King is still calling us to follow Him.
