Notes
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Matthew 21:1-9 (ESV)
This moment marks a shift. Jesus was no longer keeping His identity quiet. He was openly revealing Himself as the King, and fulfilled a 500-year-old prophecy about how the Messiah would enter Jerusalem–by riding on a donkey in humility.
Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies so that we would recognize He truly is who He says He is. And if Jesus is King, then He belongs on the throne of our hearts. But that requires something of us: to get off the throne, and to not let anyone else sit there, either. It means not allowing anything in the throne room that isn’t submitted to Jesus.
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
Matthew 7:13 (ESV)
The gate is narrow because there is not enough room for both your will and God’s will. Following Jesus means daily surrender: laying down our desires, picking up our cross, and letting Him shape our lives. God knows the size and capacity of our hearts; He knows there is no room for us to worship anything else alongside Him. His glory and power are too big, too deep, too wide.
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Matthew 21:12-13 (ESV)
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)
Jesus cleared the physical temple, which was also a picture of what He wants to do in us. As the temples of the Holy Spirit, He wants to clear out anything in us that doesn’t belong.
When we get our throne room in order, we are truly free–free to be humble without self-abuse, free to remove the basket from over our light and shine it bright, free to live the way He calls us without worrying about what others will think. And the only way those things will come back is if we pick them up.
When Jesus is truly on the throne, we begin to reflect His heart. He shows us how to have compassion on others–how to see a broken world and look for ways to the same love, grace, and mercy that He has shown to us.
Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
Just days after this triumphant entry, Jesus would go to the cross. The same King who was praised here chose humility. He chose to sacrifice Himself for us. We don’t serve a harsh king. We serve one who is patient, loving, and compassionate. A king who calls us more than conquerors, who says we are His royal priesthood, and who showed that we are worth dying for.
Group Questions
- What tends to compete with Jesus for the throne in your life?
- What might God be asking you to surrender right now?'
- Is there anything in your temple that needs to be cleared out?
- What would it look like to choose compassion over judgment this week?
Prayer
Thank you for who you are and for loving us enough to die for us. Help us surrender and give you the throne of our hearts. Change us, give us your heart for others, and help us walk in your way today.