A different kind of King

5 April 2020

Palm Sunday… Jesus comes to Jerusalem as king.  Jesus wasn’t the first king to ride into Jerusalem. In the centuries leading up to this event, the city of Jerusalem was conquered many times, and each time it fell, there would have been a new “triumphal entry”, with the new ruler riding into the city.

On the surface, Jesus was just doing what many had done before. But dig a little deeper, and it becomes apparent what Jesus was doing was very, very different. He didn’t have an army, and he hadn’t actually conquered the city by military force.  He wasn’t riding on a warhorse, but a donkey.  When he arrived, instead of taking charge in the seat of power, he instead went to the temple and rebuked those who were profiteering and corrupting the worship of God.

Jesus is a different kind of king to all who have gone before, and is a different kind of leader from the current leaders of our world.  As he says in John 18: “My kingdom is not of this world.”

It is my prayer for each of us this Easter, that we live as citizens of Jesus’ kingdom more and more, so that those around us can’t help but notice that the kingdom of God is in their midst!(Luke 17:21)

Brendan