Palm Sunday

This Sunday we will celebrate. Many people will turn to Matthew 21:9 and read about the shouts of "Hosanna" from the crowd as they laid their cloaks on the road when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. What a contrast. The scene in Matthew is one of excitement, anticipation and revolutionary expectation. Yet, this mighty revolutionary leader was riding on a donkey. As I have studied for my "Palm Sunday" message, I turned back and looked at a old passage in 2 Kings 9. It's a description of the anointing of Jehu as King of Israel. After Jehu was anointed with a flask of oil by the prophet of God and proclaimed to be the next king, his fellow officers spread their cloaks out before him and blew a trumpet and shouted "Jehu is king!". It's a good cultural reference to what we see in Matthew 21:9. In the remainder of 2 Kings 9, Jehu does some damage. Kings are slaughtered and a Queen is thrown from a window and eaten by dogs. Perhaps that is the kind of revolution that the people in Jerusalem expected. But, Jesus was not the leader they "wanted", Jesus was the leader they "needed". Jesus was on His way to the cross. His revolution is far reaching. Jesus did more than damage His enemies. In the words of Paul, Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave. It's a victory he shares with us. It's a great reminder: Jesus may not provide "victories" the way we want, but He continues to provide the "victories" that we need the most.