On June 2, 1953, Elizabeth II was coronated as the new Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The 25-year-old princess ascended the throne upon the death of her father, George VI. The coronation ceremony was held at Westminster Abbey in London and it contained all the pomp and circumstance you would expect from British royalty.
The procession included foreign dignitaries and heads of state riding in stylish carriages. The first royal coach left Buckingham Palace and moved down the Mall, which was filled with flag-waving and cheering crowds. Along a route lined with sailors, soldiers, airmen and women from across the British Empire, guests and officials passed in a procession before about three million spectators gathered in the streets of London, some having camped overnight in their spot to ensure a view of the monarch. For those not present to witness the event, more than 200 microphones were stationed along the path and in Westminster Abbey, with 750 commentators broadcasting descriptions in 39 languages; more than twenty million viewers around the world watched the coverage on television.
Celebrations took place across the Commonwealth realms and a commemorative medal was issued. During the service, Elizabeth took an oath, was anointed with holy oil, invested with royal robes and regalia, and crowned Queen. The whole event was estimated to have cost £1.57 million (over 50 million in modern American dollars).
Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem was neither televised nor did it cost over 50 million dollars, but it did bear some resemblance to a royal coronation. On Palm Sunday, Jesus began a procession that led him all the way to Pontius Pilate’s palace, where he was crowned as the King of the Jews. Do you remember the story?
Jerusalem was buzzing with people! The city’s population swelled to over ten times its normal size as people came from all around to celebrate the Passover, Israel’s most prominent holiday. People bumped into each other on the narrow streets and as they tried to make their way through the busy marketplace. Local merchants tried to rip off the foreigners. Mothers and daughters hovered around fires preparing food while husbands and sons chose a lamb to sacrifice. Speaking of lambs, some estimate that there may have been 100,000 more lambs than usual in the city. All of this to celebrate Passover as they remembered how God delivered their ancestors from slavery in Egypt!
During the weeklong festival, Jerusalem was like an American shopping mall on Black Friday; too many people in one place preparing for the holidays!
This is the scene Jesus enters as he and his disciples left the village of Bethany and arrived in Jerusalem. Just a day earlier Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume, and now Jesus enters his beloved city for the last time before he would die.
The word of Jesus’ arrival must have traveled quickly. By the time he entered the outskirts of the city, thousands of people had gathered to welcome him. No doubt, most of the people who had gathered had heard about Jesus and his miracles. Those who had witnessed the raising of Lazarus in Bethany continued to spread the word throughout Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Their witness contributed to the increase in Jesus’ popularity and prompted a huge crowd of people to go out and greet Jesus.
The crowds pulled palm branches off date trees and waved them as Jesus he entered the city. Palm branches had originally served as a symbol for righteousness, but they had become a popular symbol for Jewish nationalism. The Jews waved palm branches to show their patriotism the same way Americans fly red, white, and blue flags on Independence Day. They expected Jesus to be a great political leader and military messiah who would liberate Israel from Roman oppression. They were ready to coronate Jesus as their king and hope he was about to enter a golden age.
As the crowd proudly waved their palms, they shouted “Hosanna, Hosanna!” at the top of their lungs. This was a great Hebrew term that mean “save now.” The crowd was clamoring for Jesus to save them right now. Then they quoted Psalm 118 by saying “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the King of Israel.” This was a messianic phrase that insinuated that Jesus was from the line of David. They wanted Jesus to conquer the same way David did.
But little did they know how sorely they would be disappointed. Jesus was indeed the king of Israel; in fact, he was the king of kings, but he was not the kind of king they were expecting. Jesus makes this clear in his choice of animal for his coronation. He did not choose a war horse to rouse the patriotism of the crowd, but he chose a donkey. In Jewish culture, donkeys were symbols of peace and gentleness. Jesus chose to present himself as a king of peace and humility rather than pride and power. This was a fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy given hundreds of years earlier. In Zechariah 9:9, the Messiah is characterized as a leader of peace and gentleness. Even his disciples did not fully understand the significance of his riding a donkey until after Jesus had been glorified.
When the Pharisees saw what was happening, they expressed their exacerbation with the hyperbolic remark “the whole world has gone after him.” It seemed as if their attempts to muffle Jesus’ ministry was backfiring; despite of their efforts, his popularity was growing.
Jesus’ triumphal entry was the climax of his public ministry. It was the pinnacle of his earthly popularity. But it was one of the most misunderstood events of his life. The crowd assumed that Jesus and his movement would serve their agenda, but Jesus’ failure to satisfy their expectations lead to a cry for crucifixion a week later. They sang “Hosanna, Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday, but they shouted “Crucify! Crucify!” on Good Friday.
Unfortunately, many people treat Jesus the same way today! It is easy to get excited about Jesus when we think he is going to give us what we want, but it is just as easy to turn our backs on him when he disappoints us. We love to pray to Jesus when we or a loved one is sick, but if Jesus doesn’t heal, we don’t want to pray anymore. We are quick to serve Jesus when we think he supports our pet agendas, but we want nothing to do with him when we discover that his plans are different from our plans.
Contrary to popular belief, Jesus doesn’t meet all of our personal expectations! But Jesus isn’t the problem; we are! Has Jesus ever broken any of your expectations? Has he ever disappointed you? How did you respond?
Jesus’ actions at the triumphal entry show what kind of king he is and isn’t! Palm Sunday shows us that Jesus’ kingship is not a political or military in nature. Jesus is no one’s political puppet or military messiah; King Jesus is a humble savior who sacrificed his own life for the salvation for our souls!
1.) Jesus is not a political king!
Just as Jesus did not serve the crowd’s political interests at the triumphal entry, he does not serve our political interests today. The crowd was convinced that Jesus would be a Messiah who would grant them political freedom from Rome, but Jesus was not interested in leading a political advocacy group.
Many people today are just like this crowd of old. They try to make Jesus their political advocate. We see this in every election cycle. I heard one politician proclaim from a podium, “If Jesus Christ was here today, he would be a Democrat.” Republicans and Democrats alike try to use Jesus to promote their particular point of view. Activists always want Jesus on their side, but Jesus will not go there.
When it comes to Jesus and politics, we need to be very careful. It is fine for us to have strong political views, but we should not identify Jesus with any political party.
Years ago, in a relatively small Green Mountain community, a few Democrats decided to make the highly irregular move of holding a Democratic meeting and issued an invitation to the public. The town minister was a staunch Republican, but he had a Democrat in his congregation and decided to attend as an observer to find out what was going on. There being no other clergymen present he was asked if he would open the meeting with prayer.
He said that he was sorry, but he would have to decline. “To be frank,” he explained, “I’d rather the good Lord didn’t know I was here.”
Next time you flaunt Jesus as a Republican or a Democrat – think again – don’t cheapen the King of Kings that way. He didn’t come to choose sides, he came to die for the sins of Republicans, Democrats, Socialist, and Communists alike. Our privilege is simply to love him, and from that will flow our obedience for his desires, which will finally result in his Kingdom coming into our hearts and into the world. Jesus is not a political king; he is a spiritual king who died for us on the cross!
2.) Jesus is not our military king!
Jesus is not our political king, nor is he our military king. The crowd wanted Jesus to rally the troops, sharpen his sword, mount a war horse, and charge into Rome. But Jesus was not interested in the crowd’s push for military action. The imagery in Zechariah’s prophecy is framed as a conscious alternative to militaristic rule. True, the Jesus’ kingdom has military and political implications, for it must reflect the righteous and just character of the God who is king over all, but Jesus presents himself as a king of peace and gentleness.
Jesus is not our military conqueror, but he is a king who went into battle. It was not a battle of swords, spears, or chariots. It was not a war of tanks, ships, or missiles, but it was a spiritual war. The enemy was not Rome, Germany, or Iraq, but it was sin. It was not a war that could be won by power or might, but it was a war that could only be won through humility. Jesus didn’t carry a warriors sword, but he carried a criminals cross. He did not wear a crown of gold and jewels but a crown of thorns. His strategy was not to “divide and conquer”; it was to “suffer and die!”
3.) Jesus is our spiritual king!
Jesus is not our political king nor our military conqueror, but he is the savior of our souls. The triumphal entry marks the last week of Jesus’ life before he would be betrayed, brutalized, and led to the cross to die. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he was about to be coronated with a crown of thorns!
What kind of king would do this? What kind of king would willingly sacrifice his own life? Only the King of Kings would do this because he loves us so much. King Jesus came to deliver sinners from God’s judgment and wrath. This is the only way our salvation could be won.
This is why King Jesus didn’t ride into Jerusalem on a war horse, but instead chose a lowly donkey. His kingdom is a kingdom of perfect peace where there is no more war or death or crying.
Listen to the words of this ancient poem which was translated by the Scottish Presbyterian John Brownlie. It is titled, “Behold, the Lord to Zion Rides”:
Behold, the Lord to Zion rides,
And crowds hosannas sing;
They spread their garments in the way,
And hail Him as a king.
O Zion, blind with earthly pride,
Why couldst thou not behold
The Christ of God, whom sage and seer
From age to age foretold?
A king indeed, but not to reign
By power of earthly might;
The glory of whose royal state
Is hid from carnal sight.
Whose subjects are the souls of men
From thrall of darkness won;
Whose kingdom knows no bounds, within
The dawn and setting sun.
Behold thy king to Zion rides
Where He the cross shall bear;
And on that throne with blood bedecked,
His robe of purple wear;
Where slaves to sin His love shall view,
And from their bondage rise
To noble fealty, by the power
Of loving sacrifice.
The good news of the gospel is that we don’t have to wait until the end times to live in Christ’s kingdom. It has already begun, and we can be a part of it right now. If you have not yet declared your allegiance to the king of kings, I plead with you to do it today! Don’t fall into the trap that so many others have fallen into. Don’t reduce Jesus to a political puppet or a military messiah! He is our only hope for everlasting life. If you don’t know him, put your faith in him and coronate him as your king today!