HRT: Triumphant Entry

Let’s be honest, we all crave power. From the moment we develop independent will as toddlers, we long for the power to live the way we want. In the twenty-first century, we have more power and influence over more people than we have ever had in the history of the world. With the touch of a few buttons, you can communicate to hundreds of millions of people through the internet! That kind of power would have been unthinkable a few generations ago.

Christ’s triumphant entry is all about power. By entering the city in the way that he does, Jesus is making a power play. After walking over a hundred miles by foot, he stops about a mile outside the city to finish the journey on a donkey. He is obviously up to something.

In fact, Jesus was setting up for a little street theater. Israel’s prophets had long spoken about a future day when God would provide a king for Jerusalem, and this divinely appointed king would save God’s people from their worst enemies. How would we note this promised king’s arrival? Well, he would come on a donkey.

So, Jesus’ message is clear. He has been given the authority to reign as the king of God’s people. Most importantly, Jesus is signaling that he would save God’s people from their worst enemies. And evidently, the crowd understood. We hear their affirmation as they erupt into song, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9). They were responding to Jesus’ proclamation of power.

However, none of us are expecting Jesus to use his authority and power the way that he does. If Jesus, who is God’s promised king, is the embodiment of God’s power on earth, then we need to recognize that God’s power looks nothing like how we’d imagine. The gusto, bravado, and show of strength that is often the outward expression of worldly power is completely absent in Christ. Though he came to save God’s people by once-and-for-all defeating every form of evil, the way that he goes about accomplishing this is through an act of sacrificial love. By his triumphant entry, Jesus proclaims his power, and by his death on the cross he exercises it.

In doing so, Jesus shows us how to wield power and influence in a godly way, and it is to lay down our lives for the sake of others. When we lay down our pride, and reach out in love, even to those who do not show love in return, we are manifesting the power of our God. This is what it looks like to wield power in a godly way: lowering ourselves to lift other up.

We may not realize it, but everyday we hold power over the people in our lives by what we say and do. How are we using that power and influence? May the Spirit guide our introspection as we seek to follow in the way of Jesus.