Take a few deep breaths to center your heart and your mind as you prepare to meet with God.

Meditation on God

Everyone important, from baseball players to presidents, wrestlers to comedians, has a ‘walk-out song’ when they show up to a big event to do something spectacular. Now, imagine God is going to show up somewhere in a big, impressive, powerful display of glory. Take a moment and set the scene in your mind. What kind of walk-out song do you think God would choose for Himself or would be fitting for Him?

Teaching

As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’” The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it. Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!” So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples. (Mark 11:1-11)

In Jesus’ day, God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel, had been promised by God Himself to be God’s home on Earth, but through their numerous exiles as they were sold into slavery in other nations, they grew bitter toward the other nations and hopeful in a savior and King that God did not promise them–a militant king who would help them defeat their enemies and conquer the whole world. When Jesus multiplied bread and fish, they expected that to be a useful military tactic in spite of seeing His compassion. When they saw his miracles, their hope arose because of a man who could keep an army alive without losing a single soldier, not a man lifting the impossible burdens off of downcast people. The people were expecting a king, but not a king like Jesus.

As Jesus rides into the Holy city of Jerusalem, people are tripping over themselves to welcome Him: the king they always wanted. Their people had witnessed many triumphant entries before, but never with open arms. These triumphal entries were all about the triumph of their enemies, parading the leaders of their oppressors through their city streets. For once, they thought to themselves, a man was arriving to stand against those who opposed them. They shouted “Hosanna” at Jesus, which literally means “save now!”

Jesus was here to save, but not from the enemies they thought. As they thought he was preparing for a military conquest that would take back their land from the Romans, Jesus was making the final preparations in his battle toward sin and death. Jesus was not here to attack Rome, the body of the snake, but instead, his goal was to cut off the head of the snake–sin–that poisoned every person toward evil and away from God, building our own kingdoms, our own Romes, instead of God’s heavenly kingdom. This misperception would lead the people in a week’s time to go from welcoming their coming savior and king to demanding His public execution more readily than that of a known murderer and rebel. Jesus would be inaugurated as the King of God’s Kingdom of Heaven this week, but his mode of entry was a donkey instead of a white horse, his robes would be bloody and ripped rather than pristine purple, and his crown would be made of thorns that dug into his head rather than gold and precious jewels. A god concerned with displaying power before a massive military conquest would surely have ridden into the capital in full splendor and glory, but Jesus shows up in humility, ready for what lies ahead.

Examination

Everyone in Jesus’ day had a clear idea of who they thought he was, but as He followed God’s plan to the end, he stumped each and every one of them. From close follower to occupying soldier to religious elite, everyone was proven wrong. Take a moment and ask yourself this question: who do people think you are?

Now, ask God to work in your heart and mind and break people’s expectations by transforming you to look like Jesus.

Memory Verse

As you go throughout your day today, let Jesus ride into your attention in the most unexpected ways by reciting the words of Jesus in Revelation 1:18,

I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. (Rev. 1:18)