Here Comes the King!

Christine DiGiacomo
3 days ago
4 min read

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/fb1e176b/here-comes-the-king-easter-2026

Many are traveling right now - it is Spring Break for students and the airports are packed. 'Turns out, if you and I could time travel back 2000 years, we would find Jesus traveling as well.

Having traveled from the Galilee, through Jericho, Jesus and his disciples are now making their way across the Mount of Olives, on their way to Jerusalem. But they are not the only ones on the road. Many are traveling, some from great distances over many days to get to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover that early Spring very long ago. As the Jewish pilgrims journey, they sing psalms and worship . . . they remember. But they have no idea how different Passover this year would be!

You see, as they travel toward Jerusalem, the Lamb of God is also making his way to Jerusalem, and to the cross. He stops on the eastern slope on the Mount of Olives almost to Bethphage, where Matthew describes the familiar story:

"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.”

Matthew who connects Jewish prophecy to their fulfillment in Christ explained,

"This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, (Zechariah), 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.”1

All four gospels record Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem; it is John who mentions the people waving palm branches. Here is a link to the four passages--note that on the left, there is a speaker symbol that you can tap to listen if preferred. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2021%3A1-11%2CMark%2011%3A1-11%2CLuke%2019%3A28-44%2CJohn%2012%3A12-19&version=ESV.

Look over the shoulders of the people with me, 'Hosanna, hosanna . . .' the townspeople are waving palm branches and shouting 'hosanna' to Jesus. Hosanna is a Christianized form of the Hebrew word Hoshana. It is a combination of the words Yahsha (help, rescue, save, deliver) and na (please, I pray now, I beseech you).

In the Jewish context, it was originally a cry to God for help, "Save, please!"2 but later on it took on a broader meaning. Over the centuries the phrase hoshiya na stopped being a cry for help unique to the language of the Jews. Instead it became a shout of hope and exultation. Gradually it came to mean, "Salvation has come!"

With Jesus in the center of the procession entering Jerusalem, the people all around him are shouting, "Salvation has come! Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!" It is the excitement of a heart that sees hope and joy and salvation on the way and can't keep it in. So "Hosanna!" means, "Hooray for salvation! It's coming! It's here! The Son of David [Jesus] is our salvation! Hooray for the king! Salvation belongs to the king!"

Jesus knows his time has come, even as he rides on the back of that donkey. Within days will be his agonizing death, though now he receives the praise of this people.

Folks sometimes say 'Jesus never claimed to be God,' Au contraire, mon frère! In the Middle East, at a time of war, the king came into town riding a horse; if he came in peace, he rode a donkey; but do not miss that this is Jesus' loud statement that he is our King of Kings.

And I'm not sure about you, but I am an 'eye' person - meaning, when I ask someone 'how they are doing', I oft look long in their eyes... which I do believe are a window to the soul. Similarly, my eyes regularly give me away. While I may answer a similar question with, 'O, I am just fine, thank you for asking!' my eyes tell another story. hmmm...

And so I wonder, on the back of that donkey, looking around,

what is in Jesus' eyes

as he looks at those who are waving palm branches on this day,

knowing one of his own will soon betray him, and

some of these shouting 'hosanna' will soon yell 'crucify him'?

Surely his expressive eyes hold a mixture of love,

pain, compassion and mercy looking at the crown of his creation.

Such love. And in my very next breath, I think of these words of the beloved apostle, 'You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.'3 [I often start my private prayer with this verse.]

Consider Jesus' eyes. They never miss a thing - not a blind man hundreds passed by,4 nor a tear that rolls down your cheek5, nor a kindly thing you do for another6. . . not the look of love in those who cried 'Hosanna'.

Are you ready to receive Jesus as he comes to you, rather like the king making his triumphal entrance? It is almost Palm Sunday, you know, He's coming into town, and you have a chance to find a place and a people--a church where you can worship Him. I pray you do not miss the beautiful opportunity to pay the honor due a King.

"King of Kings", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQl4izxPeNU&list=RDdQl4izxPeNU&start_radio=1

I love worshipping the King!

Christine