Good Morning Friends,
In my library at home is a book by Tim Keller entitled “Jesus the King.” It takes the book of Mark chapter by chapter to answer in a simple straightforward way who Jesus is. The identity and purpose of Jesus is woven together like the palm crosses our family made for Palm and Passion Sunday. In similar fashion today’s devotional weaves three passages: Zechariah 9:9, Philippians 2:9–11 and Mark 11:1-11 together. The devotional is shaped by Tim Keller’s book and the insight it shares and the scripture selection for the sermon to be given by our Pastor Steve Aguzzi for this day. It prompts us to explore the nature of this King Jesus who comes low and is lifted high. It prompts us to ask on this Palm and Passion Sunday a deeply personal question: What Does It Mean For Jesus To Be King?
Scripture Passages Summaries: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey…” — Zechariah 9:9
“…Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…” — Philippians 2:9–11
As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He sent two disciples ahead to retrieve a young colt that had never been ridden. He tells them exactly where they will find it and how to respond if questioned—demonstrating His quiet authority and foreknowledge. The disciples find everything just as He said. Jesus mounts the colt and rides into Jerusalem. Crowds gather along the road, spreading their cloaks and leafy branches before Him—an act reserved for royalty. They shout: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” Their cries reveal both hope and misunderstanding: they expect a political liberator, yet Jesus enters as a humble, peaceful King. He arrives at the temple, looks around at everything, and then leaves for Bethany with the Twelve. The moment is symbolic—the King has arrived, but He will not seize power by force. Instead, He surveys the spiritual state of His people and quietly withdraws, setting the stage for the confrontations and cleansing that will follow.— Mark 11:1–11
Message: Tim Keller often said that Christianity is not primarily about moral improvement but about a reversal—a God who comes down so that the lowly might be lifted up. These three passages capture that reversal with stunning clarity. Paradox is at the heart of Christianity. Zechariah gives us a king unlike any other. Ancient kings arrived on warhorses, projecting dominance. But this King comes on a donkey—an animal of peace, vulnerability, and service. He does not demand allegiance; he invites it. He does not conquer by force; he conquers by self-giving love. Jesus is the unexpected King that overturns our assumptions. He is deliberately staging a royal entrance, yet doing so in a way that subverts worldly power. Jesus is the King who comes not to take power but to lose it. The crowds want a savior of their own design. They shout “Hosanna” —a cry for rescue. They want political liberation, national victory, and immediate relief. Jesus offers spiritual liberation, forgiveness, and a kingdom that begins in the heart. He refuses to be the Messiah they imagined. Paul then shows us where this downward movement leads: to the cross. And from that cross, God lifts Jesus to the highest place. The One who descended into humility is the One before whom every knee will one day bow. The gospel is not a story of a king who tries humility and then returns to power. It is the story of a King whose humility is His power. Zechariah says, “Behold, your king is coming to you.” Not waiting for you to ascend. Not demanding you clean yourself up. Not requiring you to meet Him halfway. He comes to you—in your weakness, your confusion, your divided heart, your ordinary living. Keller loved to remind us that grace always moves first. Before you ever sought God, He was already seeking you. Before you ever bowed your knee, He had already stooped low. Philippians shows us the end of the story: Jesus is exalted, worshiped, acknowledged as Lord by all creation. But notice the path that leads there: He emptied Himself. He took the form of a servant. He humbled Himself to death—even death on a cross. The exaltation is not a reward for ambition; it is the vindication of love. In a world obsessed with platform, visibility, and self-assertion, Jesus shows us a different way: The way up is down. The way to life is surrender. The way to glory is humility. This is not just His path—it becomes ours.
And So, Palm Sunday is the beginning of the week in which Jesus will: cleanse the temple, confront religious leaders, and ultimately give His life. Keller would stress that Jesus enters Jerusalem not to claim a throne but to go to a cross.This is the paradox at the heart of Christianity: Every other king sends his people to die for him. Jesus is the King who dies for His people.This is why His entrance is both triumphant and tragic—He is marching toward His own execution. So today we have a call to receive the True King. A King who will not be used; He must be received. Jesus is the King we need, not the King we would have chosen. To follow Him means surrendering our conditions, our agendas, and our self‑rule. So Palm Sunday becomes an invitation: Will you accept the King who comes in humility? Will you trust the King who saves by sacrifice? Will you follow the King who reigns through love? As you contemplate your answer perhaps you will hope for a better Kingdom. Jesus’ first coming was humble; His second will be glorious. The King who rode a donkey will one day ride a white horse. Palm Sunday points forward to the day when every knee will bow—not in coercion, but in joyful recognition of the world’s true King. If Jesus is the humble King who comes to you, then you don’t need to pretend. You don’t need to perform. You don’t need to manufacture spiritual strength. If Jesus is the exalted Lord before whom every knee will bow, then you don’t need to fear the powers that loom large today—your anxieties, your failures, your aging body, your uncertain future. They do not have the last word. The One who rides the donkey is the One who reigns on the throne. And He reigns for you and meets you and me in our lives today.
Pray our Lord Jesus, humble King and exalted Lord, teach us to receive His gentle approach and trust God’s sovereign rule. Pray God free us from the need to prove ourselves. Pray God shape our hearts in the pattern of Divine humility. Pray that our lives quietly confess what all creation will one day proclaim: that Jesus alone is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 