The King They Welcomed, the King They Needed

Oct 26, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Palm Branches & Unseen Chains

The crowds waved palm branches celebrating a political liberator while missing the chains Jesus came to break. Their shouts of "Hosanna" carried expectations of earthly revolution, not the deeper liberation from sin’s tyranny. Jerusalem’s streets buzzed with messianic hope – but hope misplaced on flags rather than forgiveness. Jesus rode toward the true throne of the cross, where shackles of guilt would shatter. Celebration without surrender rings hollow. [41:19]

They took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!” (John 12:12-13, NASB)

Reflection: Where have you celebrated Jesus for what you want Him to do rather than who He truly is? How might His kingship challenge your expectations today?

Day 2: The Donkey’s Unspoken Prophecy

A young colt carried eternal royalty into Jerusalem, fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy in plain sight. Jesus chose vulnerability over warhorses, humility over pageantry. The disciples later grasped this deliberate act – a king arriving not to seize power but to surrender it. Every hoofbeat echoed heaven’s countercultural coronation: true authority wears gentleness. Miss this, and we miss the Messiah. [54:53]

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of 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, NASB)

Reflection: What areas of your life crave flashy displays of strength more than Christlike humility? How does Jesus’ choice of a donkey redefine your view of power?

Day 3: Tears Over Triumphant Noise

Jesus wept as cheers surrounded Him – not from joy, but grief over hearts that preferred noise to surrender. The crowd’s adoration would fade into “Crucify!” within days. His tears revealed a deeper longing: not their applause, but their allegiance. True kings mourn what celebration masks – the distance between waving branches and bending knees. [57:11]

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known on this day what would bring peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:41-42, NASB)

Reflection: Where have you substituted enthusiastic praise for actual obedience? What might Jesus’ tears reveal about your own divided loyalties?

Day 4: Palms of Nationalism, Shouts of Salvation

Palm branches once waved for military revolts now misdirected messianic hope. The crowds quoted Psalm 118 but ignored its cry for salvation beyond borders. Their “Hosanna!” meant “Save us now!” from Rome; Jesus heard a deeper cry they couldn’t articulate. True liberation starts when flags become crosses. [59:58]

O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. (Psalm 118:25-26, NASB)

Reflection: What cultural or personal agendas have you confused with God’s salvation? How does Jesus redefine what “victory” looks like in your daily battles?

Day 5: Obedience After the Parade Ends

The disciples didn’t grasp the coronation until after the crucifixion. Following the true King means moving from crowd-fueled excitement to cross-shaped obedience. Palm branches wither; surrendered hearts endure. Jesus’ authority isn’t proven by cheers but by changed lives that trust Him in the silence after the parade. [01:08:02]

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15, NASB)

Reflection: What specific command of Jesus feels difficult to obey this week? How does His kingship transform duty into delight rather than resentment?

Sermon Summary

John presents Jesus entering Jerusalem as the true king, yet the city is not ready for the king it celebrates. The crowds shout “Hosanna,” wave palm branches, and welcome the miracle worker who raised Lazarus from the dead. Their excitement is real, but their understanding is confused. The kind of king they are looking for is not the kind of king Jesus is.

The Passover already fills Jerusalem with the remembrance of God’s deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Into that celebration, Jesus deliberately rides a young donkey. The one who previously withdrew when the crowds wanted to make him king now publicly announces his identity as Israel’s promised Messiah. Zechariah’s promise takes shape before their eyes: the king comes humbly, mounted on a donkey’s colt. Yet Jesus weeps over the city because he knows its unbelief beneath the celebration. Even his disciples will understand these events more fully only after his crucifixion and resurrection.

The palm branches signal national hope, and the crowds want a conquering king who will overthrow Rome. Jesus comes for something greater than making Israel a nice place to live. Sin exercises a tyranny over human hearts, damages relationships, and separates sinners from a holy God. Jesus comes to break those chains, pay for sin, and restore those who are far from God.

Christ’s kingship therefore demands more than songs, excitement, or hopes of easier circumstances. Believers acknowledge his rightful authority by hearing and obeying all of God’s Word, not merely checking off daily Bible reading. Failure does not close the way back to him. His forgiveness and mercy call sinners to return, trusting that his payment for sin is sufficient. The true king is a good king, worthy of surrendered lives, whose rule leads into righteousness rather than astray.

Key Takeaways

1. Celebration Can Hide Resistance To Christ. The Jerusalem crowds welcome Jesus with royal honors while expecting a king shaped around their own desires. Their excitement does not mean they are ready to receive his rightful authority. Believers face the same danger when praise comes easily but surrender remains selective. [41:32]
2. The Humble King Knows His Purpose. Jesus does not ride into Jerusalem on a donkey by accident or for convenience. His deliberate entrance fulfills the promised picture of Israel’s humble king, even while the disciples cannot yet put the pieces together. Their incomplete understanding does not change his identity or interrupt his movement toward the cross. [1:01:20]
3. Sin Is The Deeper Tyranny. The crowds seek freedom from Rome, but Jesus comes to release captives from the power of sin. That bondage reaches into personal conduct, relationships with others, and the sinner’s relationship with God. His kingship offers more than external relief because his saving work reaches the heart and restores those far from God. [1:05:21]
4. Obedience And Mercy Belong Together. Following Jesus means yielding to his authority, not merely finishing a Bible reading or singing songs. When believers sin, God’s Word calls them back to forgiveness rather than away into despair. His sufficient payment for sin gives the failing believer reason to return to the good king and continue following him. [1:09:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[36:20] - Celebrations And The True King
[40:49] - A City Unready For Its King
[43:15] - The Triumphal Entry In John 12
[45:46] - Passover And The Coming Cross
[50:59] - The Colt And The Public Announcement
[56:27] - Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem
[57:42] - Palm Branches And National Hope
[1:01:20] - The Promised King And Misunderstood Kingdom
[1:05:21] - Freedom From The Tyranny Of Sin
[1:07:41] - Hearing And Obeying The King
[1:09:12] - Returning To The Good King’s Mercy

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 12:12-17
“On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him.” [43:15]

Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” [01:01:20]

Psalm 118:25-26
“O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.” [01:01:07]

Observation questions

In John 12:12–17, what details show the crowd treating Jesus as a king, and how does Jesus’ choice of transportation connect with Zechariah 9:9? [01:01:20]
What had the people who witnessed Lazarus’s resurrection continued doing, and how did that contribute to the excitement surrounding Jesus’ arrival? [50:01]
What did the palm branches represent for the crowd, and what kind of deliverance were they hoping Jesus would bring? [58:26]
According to John 12:16, what did the disciples not understand at first, and when did they begin to put the pieces together? [01:03:21]

Interpretation questions

Why is Jesus’ entrance on a young donkey a public announcement of his identity rather than simply a convenient way to travel? How does Zechariah 9:9 help explain his action? [53:35]
How could the crowds honor Jesus as king while still resisting the kind of king he actually is? What is the difference between being excited about Jesus and receiving his authority? [42:07]
Why would freedom from Roman rule alone leave the people’s deepest need unmet? How does Jesus’ mission address their conduct, their relationships, and their relationship with God? [01:05:31]
Why does trusting Jesus’ sufficient payment for sin give a struggling believer reason to return to him and keep obeying, rather than give up or treat sin lightly? [01:09:24]

Application questions

The crowds welcomed a king they hoped would fulfill their expectations. When have you found yourself expecting Jesus mainly to make your circumstances easier? How might you bring that expectation honestly before him? [01:06:46]
It is possible to praise Jesus while holding back part of your life from his authority. Is there an area—such as your words, spending, relationships, or private habits—where surrender feels difficult right now? What might one step of obedience look like? [42:07]
Sin affects both our hearts and our relationships. Where have you noticed a sinful pattern damaging the way you treat someone? What could repentance and reliance on Jesus look like in that relationship this week? [01:05:51]
Think about something you have read in God’s Word recently. What would it look like to respond to it rather than simply finish the reading? What might help you make room for that response? [01:08:06]
When you fail, do you tend to hide from God, make excuses, or return to him? How could trusting that Jesus has paid for your sin help you seek his forgiveness and begin following him again? [01:09:24]
Jesus is a good king who will not lead his people astray. Where are you finding it hard to trust his direction? How could someone in this group encourage you as you take your next step? [01:10:22]

Sermon Clips

43s

#GodsGrace

“When you mess up, when you screw up, when you sin, listen to the word of God that beckons you back to him. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Go to him. Run to him. Cry out to him for his forgiveness and mercy. Trust that Jesus has paid for all of your sin, and by faith in him, has forever restored you to a right relationship with God.”

50s

#BibleStudy

“When you read God's word, it's not just a mental activity that you can check off a box and say, okay, I did my Bible reading for the day. When you read God's word, you are hearing the very breath of God spoken to you. It's not just the red letters that we're to obey, but all of the words that God writes for us in the Bible. Jesus came to give life into what was dead and broken by sin. To know him is to follow him, and to follow him is to obey him.”

48s

#JesusIsKing

“And yet, we, like the Jews, can be guilty of welcoming Jesus for all the wrong reasons. They wanted political freedom. Sometimes, we think Jesus will just bless our lives and give us everything that we want. They invited Jesus because of the promise of external relief and freedom. Jesus, though, is a far more grander king. The king who has overcome not just temporary circumstances. Jesus is the only one sufficient to be able to forgive, to set the captive free, and to restore the one who is far off from God.”

44s

#FreedomInChrist

“And this is what we can't miss in what's happening in this passage as they are celebrating one kind of king, and Jesus is announcing he's a whole other kind of king. Jesus didn't just come to liberate a land. Jesus came to liberate our hearts from the power of sin. He was not just there to expel the Romans and to make Israel a nice place to live in. Jesus came fundamentally for a completely other reason. There is a tyranny in our hearts, and it comes from the power of sin.”

52s

#FollowJesus

“When you follow the true king, Jesus, it's more than just singing songs. Following king Jesus means that you give your life over to his authority and you surrender your ways for his. And here's the joy. He's a good king. He's the goodest king. Jesus will only lead you into paths of blessing and righteousness. He will never lead you astray. Celebrate him for who he is, And may God be glorified as we acknowledge his place in our hearts.”

40s

#ObeyGod

“And so when we welcome Jesus as king in our lives, we invite him to take his rightful place as the true king, the one who rules over all. Church, don't fall into the trap that Jesus was sent to be a king just so you can get what you want out of him. He doesn't work that way. He's more than that. One of the most practical ways you can show that Jesus is the true king is to listen to and obey his voice.”

58s

#KingOfKings

“But I also know that even in a gathering this size, sometimes we hold on to certain aspects of who Jesus is, but we're not really willing to embrace the totality of his authority, of who he is as the king of the universe. And so we could be like the crowds in Jerusalem, yelling and screaming with joy, Hosanna, in one sense, and in a completely other sense, reject him for the rightful authority he has in our lives. And so we may come to Jesus and celebrate the grandeur of the moment, but we need to receive him for who he is as the king of kings and lord of lords.”

50s

#PalmSunday

“Because what we need to see in this event is that when he entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the city and the nation was not ready for the king that they celebrated. We can get caught up in the excitement and the aura and the the fanfare of a celebration. But what we're gonna see is that the people that are declaring hosanna really have no clue what they're saying. They're really confused. They thought one thing and Jesus came for another reason. The kind of king they were looking for was not the kind of king that Jesus is.”

Ask a question about this sermon

North Annville Bible Church This sermon · AI assistant

Why did Jesus choose a donkey for Jerusalem’s entry?

What liberation did Jesus bring beyond political freedom?

How does obedience reveal Jesus’ rightful kingship?