Matthew 21:1-11
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."
I had imagined a conqueror on a white stallion, hooves pounding the cobblestones like a declaration. Instead, there he was, the King of Glory, borrowing a donkey’s colt, its feet barely disturbing the dust. The crowds didn’t seem to notice the contradiction. They shouted Hosanna, laid down their cloaks, cut branches like they were welcoming Caesar himself. But the animal beneath him told a different story: this king comes not to overthrow by force, but to serve unto death.
The same crowd that cried "Hosanna!" would, in less than a week, shout "Crucify him!" Not because they were fickle, but because they wanted a king on their terms, one who would overthrow Rome, not sin. Jesus rode in on a donkey because his kingdom advances not through military might, but through mercy that looks like weakness to the world.
What if the donkey wasn’t just a fulfillment of prophecy, but a parable in motion? Here is the One who holds the universe in his hand, choosing the most humble beast available. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to show us that greatness in his kingdom looks nothing like the world’s version. The donkey wasn’t a downgrade for Jesus, it was a declaration.
"Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey"
He still comes to us humble, not on the war horse of our demands, but on the donkey of his grace. We want Jesus to fix our circumstances, defeat our enemies, make our lives comfortable. But he comes instead to conquer our hearts, to ride into the Jerusalem of our pride on the colt of surrender. Hosanna, indeed, but only when we recognize the kind of king we’ve been given.
With palm branches still in my hands and a new understanding of kingship, Claire