A King on a Donkey

<p>It was Sunday&mdash;the day we now call Palm Sunday. Without a doubt, this wasn&rsquo;t Jesus&rsquo; first visit to Jerusalem. As a devout Jew, He would&rsquo;ve gone to the city every year for the three great feasts (Luke 2:41&ndash;42; John 2:13; 5:1). In the past three years, Christ had also ministered and taught in Jerusalem. But this Sunday His coming into the city was radically different.</p> <p>By riding a young donkey into Jerusalem at a time when thousands of worshipers were coming into the city, Jesus was the center of attention (Matthew 21:9&ndash;11). Why would He take the place of prominence before thousands of people when for the past three years He&rsquo;d deliberately kept a low profile? Why would He accept the people&rsquo;s proclamation that He was King just five days before His death?&nbsp;</p> <p>Matthew says that this took place to fulfill a five-hundred-year-old prophecy (Matthew 21:4&ndash;5) that God&rsquo;s chosen king would come into Jerusalem &ldquo;righteous and victorious, [yet] lowly and riding on a donkey&rdquo; (Zechariah 9:9; see also Genesis 49:10&ndash;11).</p> <p>This was a truly unusual way for a triumphant king to enter a city. Conquering kings normally rode on mighty stallions. But Jesus wasn&rsquo;t riding a warhorse. This reveals what kind of King Jesus is. He came in meekness and lowliness. Jesus came not for war, but for peace, establishing peace between God and us (Acts 10:36; Colossians 1:20&ndash;21).&nbsp;</p>