The New King

Palm Sunday, April 13

It is easy to imagine the spectacle and grandeur of a conquering king entering the capital of a country to claim as his own. Over the years, we have read of Ceasar or Napolean with his armies in tow marching on the city, or we have enjoyed imagining characters such as King Aragon sitting on his throne in Gondor.

So when we come to Palm Sunday, we assume we know what to expect. Jesus is the conquering King, ready to establish His rule, yet as always, Jesus does something unexpected in this moment.

In the book of Matthew, the author is fixated on a central theme—the coming of the King. From the start, Matthew shows Christ’s lineage as the son of David and the son of Abraham. He highlights how foreign dignitaries visit Jesus as a child because they understood Him to be the King. John is described as the herald to prepare the way for the King, and his baptism demonstrates a type of inauguration for Jesus. As the narrative continues and Jesus carries forth His earthly ministry, the concept of “kingdom” is mentioned around 30 times because for Matthew, it is all about the Kingdom.

In the opening verses of chapter 21, Matthew describes the preparation of the arrival of the King. Jesus gives specific instructions to His disciples to find a donkey and a colt for Him to enter. While there, the disciples no doubt helped to inadvertently spread the word about the entry of Jesus. In that sense they were almost accidental heralds, but more importantly, they helped fulfill the words of the prophet Zechariah (9:9).

Jesus then begins the entrance into the city as word spreads of His arrival. With joy and shouts of “Hosanna,” the crowds fill the streets and cover the ground with cloaks and palm branches. They cry out to the “Son of David,” and tell each other that the prophet Jesus has arrived.

At this time, with all of the fanfare surrounding Him, Jesus does something that is, again, unexpected, at least when you think about what this moment is supposed to symbolize. Remember the spectacle described above? When a conquering King enters the capital, where does He usually go?

Most would head straight to the seat of governmental power to take charge of the political powers that rule over the land. Some may head to the economic center to demonstrate their supremacy in matters of money and commerce. Still others would naturally head to the palace, that seat of all of the political, economic, and cultural power.

Jesus does none of this. Instead, Jesus heads to the temple. We can miss this moment because Matthew writes it such a nonchalant fashion. Verse 12 reads, “And Jesus entered the temple.”

You see, Jesus did not come to conquer some temporary realm. He wasn’t interested in the seat of government or the central market or the opulent palace. Those arenas may seem for many to be the pinnacle of power, but they are finite, fleeting, and in the end foolish.

Instead, He went straight to the temple, the one place that truly mattered, the only means through which mankind could connect to the Father.

When He arrives, He sees that the temple is overrun by those outside, temporary powers—political manipulators, cheating merchants, and lying thieves. What should be the main focus of the temple—a relationship with God—became something else altogether because the people had turned their attention to the worldly forms of power—political, economic, cultural, etc.

Shocked to see what had become of His Father’s house, Jesus’ righteous anger is stirred up, and He overthrows the tables, driving out the money-changers. He cleanses the temple because after all, He is the new King, come to establish His Kingdom, and the center of His Kingdom is a relationship with God. He explains, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Whether we realize it or not, we fall prey to the same corruption that Israel faced. We get wrapped up in the ways of the world and seek out safety, security, identity, or prominence in what we can achieve through every area of worldly power and influence.

Sure, we may claim that we are just trying to make our lives better, provide for our families, help our communities, fight for truth, or even spread the Word. These are all lofty and worthy goals and perhaps areas of calling that the Lord has provided for us, but we miss the point when we make those goals our main goal. Our hearts become corrupted because we make it about what we can do and not what He seeks to do.

As we line up with the crowds on Palm Sunday, we want to see Jesus make His way to anywhere else, except to where it matters most. We try to convince Him that the solution to the problems is a new job, a new government, a new house, a new plan, a new anything else except a new temple.

Thankfully, Jesus is not distracted by expectations. Instead, He heads to the temple. He heads straight to our hearts, and whether we like it or not, He is ready to overturn the tables within our soul so that we can become the type of temple God created us to be—a house of prayer, focused on the Father, ready to do His will.

As we begin this Easter journey, are you willing to go beyond the shouts of “Hosanna” and allow Jesus to enter your heart? Are you ready for Him to confront the areas of your life when you have allowed the money changers and thieves to step in? Are you ready for the King to take His rightful place on the throne of your life?

If so, then prepare for what He will do, and trust that this King, this New King of Israel, is the only one true King we will ever know. All Hail, King Jesus!