Throw Down Your Cloak

Everyone wants a king: someone or something we willingly allow to tell us what to do, because we believe they will make our lives better. Jesus’ triumphal entry confirmed that we do indeed need a king, just not the kind we think.

We want a king who gathers all the most impressive people, but Jesus seeks helpless people who need their hands held even to believe. We want a king who promises to fix our lives fast, but Jesus humbly plods into the mess of our lives, empowering us to participate in our own redemption. And we want a king who prevents pain, but Jesus leads us through the ultimate pain of crucifixion into a resurrected life.

Like the disciples on the first Palm Sunday, people who welcome Jesus as their king are marked by exuberant praise and eagerness to use their most precious possessions so that more people would love and serve him.