Today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week, when Jesus entered Jerusalem to a royal welcome.

Matthew 21:5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

Jesus was certainly the King of the universe, but He was not the kind of king the Jews were expecting. It was prophesied that God would give a king to His people, a descendant of the royal line of David.

Isaiah 9:6–7  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

God repeated that promise to His people throughout the Old Testament. And when the time was right, God sent His angel Gabriel to a Mary with an important announcement.

Luke 1:30-33 …the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

This was part of the Jewish expectation. They were awaiting their King. But it was not limited to the descendants of Abraham.

Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

The recognition of Jesus as the King may have been widely known, but it was not universally popular. Herod tried to have Him killed to eliminate any competition. He sent soldiers to slaughter the male babies in Bethlehem, but he was unsuccessful. Joseph was warned to flee, and Jesus lived. He grew up. He didn’t look like a king, but He was fulfilling the role. He spoke the Word of His Father in order to bring people back to God. And He said He would come again.

Matthew 25:31–34 ³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

Jesus, prophesied as a king before His birth, welcomed as a king when He was born, hailed as a king on Palm Sunday, coming back again as a king. But that is not the whole story. This king came to accomplish your forgiveness. He would do that by living a life free from sin and then offer that life to pay for your sin. Our King was betrayed by one of his disciples, after which Jesus was on trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

Matthew 27:11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.

Jesus did not deny His position. He knew who He was, but He did not use His position to escape what He had come to do. He let those soldiers mock and beat and ridicule and torment Him as a king.

Matthew 27:28–31 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. ³⁰ They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹ After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

They led Him our to Golgotha, carrying His cross so they could carry out the death sentence. And when He was crucified, they placed a sign above His head.

John 19:19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews.

Nailed to a cross. Bleeding. Dying for the sins of the world, including yours and mine. Behold, your king. This is God’s love in action.

Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus did that for you. This is what you should reflect on and contemplate as we go through this Holy Week and prepare to celebrate the Festival of the Resurrection next Sunday.