What Happened on Palm Sunday

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

Read Zechariah 9:9-12.

From the earliest days, those who remembered God’s promises anticipated a coming King—the Messiah promised way back in Genesis 3:15 who would crush the head of the enemy. Genesis 49:10 reveals that the scepter will never depart from His hand. According to 2 Samuel 7:13, His Kingdom will last forever. In Psalm 2, He is anointed King by God the Father Himself (vv. 6-7). In Psalm 72, all other kings bow down before Him (v. 11). In Isaiah 2, He reigns in complete righteousness (vv. 3-4). In Daniel 2, His Kingdom topples all others (v. 44). And in Zechariah 14, He is King over all the earth (v. 9).

While the Old Testament offered a rough sketch of the coming King, the New Testament reveals Him clearly. Prophecy becomes history, and Christ’s reign is announced for all who have ears to hear.

Matthew refers to Jesus as King fourteen times. Mark does so six times. In Luke, the point is made five times, and in John, another fourteen times. The New Testament writers are not shy about revealing the King’s supernatural nature either; the power of Jesus is on full display. They emphasize the universal scope of His reign and rule.

And so, on Palm Sunday, King Jesus was acclaimed. Those who were in the crowd that day had heard the Old Testament accounts, and so they had been anticipating His coming. They had heard—and many perhaps had seen with their own eyes—the power of God at work through Jesus, announcing His authority. As Jesus rode the foal of a donkey into Jerusalem, they celebrated Him. They shouted, “Hosanna!” which means “Save now!”

They did not know how that week would end. The crowd didn’t know that in order to save people, Jesus would die on a Roman cross, that His coronation would include not a crown of precious gems but a crown of thorns, not a rich robe of the finest fabric but the faded robe of a Roman soldier draped over His bloodied, torn back. Yet they praised Him that day. In fact, Jesus responded to the Pharisees who criticized Him for receiving their praise, “I tell you, . . . if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). They may not have truly understood the full plan of salvation, but their praise was right and true. The promised Redeemer has come. The wait is over. Now is the time to welcome Him!

Prayer: Jesus, I praise You as the one, true King! May I never keep quiet about what You have done for me but share Your Gospel boldly with Truth and grace. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.