When God formally presented Israel with her long-awaited King, He did so in the most unlikely ways. Israel's Messiah entered Jerusalem in profound humility, not the pomp and circumstance expected of arriving majesty. The scenery of Palm Sunday is familiar to us: Jesus arrived on a lowly donkey, not a war stallion; his entourage was no army, but a roiling, ragtag mass of commoners saying all the right things for all the wrong reasons. What Jesus did, and did not do, left people scratching their heads.
"And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" Matthew 21:10 (NKJV).
As Palm Sunday's scenery is familiar, so its message is needful: Jesus is different from people's expectations. He often leaves people scratching their heads. He accomplishes what His people most need, not always what they most want or expect. Just as its scenery is familiar and its message is needful, so Palm Sunday's warning is sobering: to measure Jesus wrongly, however enthusiastically, is to reject Him. We hope you'll join us this Sunday as we turn to Matthew's gospel and consider, "The Presentation of the King." See you here!
SERMON ACTIVITY
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Steve Massey is the pastor of Hayden Bible Church of Hayden, Idaho. He also writes about matters of faith for The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., where he previously worked as an editor and reporter. He and his wife, Pam, have two grown children, Jake and Sarah.
