With the coming of John the Baptist and his preaching of repentance, the hope of the coming Messiah was building among the people. While John did announce Jesus as the one, questions continued to be stirred about the promised Messiah. During this time, there were those who believed, those who questioned, and those who rejected the idea that Jesus was the Messiah.
In their minds, the Messiah was to be the king in the line of David who restore the Kingdom of Israel. They did not realize that the Messiah was to bring the Kingdom of God, which was the content of Jesus’ message. “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:14-15)
It was the beginning of the week in which Jesus would die for our sins upon the cross. The Scriptures had spoken of the coming king. “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) When the people heard that Jesus was coming into the city, they began to rejoice and celebrate His coming. Jesus in fulfillment of Scripture came in to town riding a colt that had never been ridden. The people welcomed Him in celebration. They also announced the coming king.
“Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (Mark 11:8-10)
The people were looking for a king who would take them from Roman rule and re-establish the Kingdom of Israel. Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God. While Jesus is a descendant of David and in fulfillment of God’s promise to have a descendant on the throne. He is also the Son of God and will be on the Throne of God forever. He has come to reach out to the entire world which God loves.
When we celebrate Palm Sunday, we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promises. We also celebrate the extent to which God brought us salvation by becoming one of us and taking our sin and death. We celebrate His victory over sin and death as Jesus did rise from the dead. We celebrate the coming of the Kingdom of God which we become a part of through our faith in Jesus Christ.
In the Love of Jesus,
Michael Block
Walking with the Word 
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