Signs of the Messiah: Crown Him or Kill Him

Jun 21, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Secret’s Out: When Silence Turns to Proclamation

The Messiah no longer hides. After years of telling healed ones to stay quiet, Jesus lets blind men shout "Son of David" without restraint. This shift marks God’s perfect timing—not early, not late. The title "Son of David" carried explosive Messianic weight, pointing to eternal kingship. Now, Jesus embraces it openly as he approaches Jerusalem, signaling redemption’s hour has come. What once simmered beneath the surface erupts into public declaration. [04:36]

“The blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it done to you.’ And their eyes were opened.”
(Matthew 9:27-30, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you sensed God’s timing disrupting your expectations? How might His “sudden” movements in your life invite deeper trust rather than confusion?

Day 2: Donkeys and Details: God’s Meticulous Blueprint

Jesus instructs disciples to fetch a specific colt, predicting exact responses. Every detail—the village location, the owners’ compliance—unfolds as planned. This isn’t improvisation but a script written centuries earlier through Zechariah’s prophecy. The donkey, a symbol of peace, contrasts worldly expectations of power. God’s plans often look ordinary yet carry eternal significance. [09:27]

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
(Zechariah 9:9, ESV)

Reflection: When has God’s attention to small details in your life revealed His care? What seemingly mundane step is He asking you to trust today?

Day 3: Humble Beast, Eternal Throne: Redefining Majesty

A king rides a donkey colt, not a stallion. Jesus’ choice fulfills prophecy but subverts expectations. His majesty lies in humility, his power in surrender. The same Savior who accepts "Son of David" praises later submits to a cross. God’s design confounds human logic, using weakness to display strength. [15:04]

“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
(Philippians 2:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you resist God’s "donkey ways"—His methods that feel too quiet or unimpressive? How might His humility refine your view of true greatness?

Day 4: No Neutral Ground: Crowns or Crosses

“Crown me or kill me”—Jesus permits no half-hearted allegiance. The crowd’s palm branches soon become weapons of betrayal. Lukewarm faith suffocates; Christ demands total surrender. To treat Him as a convenient accessory insults His kingship. Every heart must choose: throne or tomb. [23:13]

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
(Revelation 3:15-17, ESV)

Reflection: What areas of your life still operate on “autopilot,” resisting Christ’s rule? Where might you be clinging to control while claiming to crown Him?

Day 5: Beyond Hosanna: When Praise Becomes Posture

The crowd’s cheers faded into crucifixion cries. True worship isn’t a moment but a lifetime of bending the knee. Crowned hearts don’t just sing—they serve, forgive, and love recklessly. The King who rode a donkey now rides into your daily choices, transforming cheers into cruciform living. [36:00]

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
(Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: How does your Monday mirror your Sunday worship? What practical step could make your faith less about emotional moments and more about enduring allegiance?

Sermon Summary

Matthew tees up the signs so it is super easy to recognize Jesus as the Redeemer sent by God. God sets the timing. Earlier, Jesus kept the messianic secret after miracles, even shushing those who called him Son of David. But now the gag order lifts. The same cry from two blind men that had been shushed becomes the welcome mat for the King. The title Son of David is not small talk. It carries 2 Samuel 7 on its back, where God promises David a forever throne, a son who is also God’s Son. So when Jesus accepts Son of David, he accepts Messiah and Son of God in one breath.

God also runs the planning. The road from Bethany through Bethphage into Jerusalem is familiar ground, a two-mile stage Jesus knows well. He sends two disciples for a donkey and its colt, and he knows exactly what will be said when they untie them. The plan is so tight that the crowds do not have to be hired. They show up from Bethany, lay down coats and branches, and cry, Hosanna. The entry is not accidental. It is executed.

God designs the sign. A king usually rides a war horse. Revelation shows Jesus returning that way. But Zechariah had already scripted a different first arrival. Behold, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. The King comes low and near, on a baby donkey that has never been ridden, with coats for a saddle. The sign says humility, not flash. Yet the same Jesus is never modest about himself. With others, he is endlessly humble. About himself, he speaks plain: I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the only way, truth, and life. The veil is off.

So the entry forces a decision. Crown me or kill me. There is no middle. Lukewarm is not an option. Laodicea’s comfort shows how prosperity makes a third way feel possible, a king of convenience. But partial obedience is just a slower rejection. The King is not waiting for visitors to climb up. Philippians 2 says he comes down. Revelation 3 says he stands at the door and knocks. The crowds cried Hosanna but switched to crucify him because they wanted a conquering hero on their terms. The sign had already told them the terms. A humble, immodest Redeemer has come as a suffering servant to be the suffering Savior. Subjects of this King do not stall at Hosanna. They go, make disciples, love mercy, do justice, and give him all of it.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s timing lifts the secrecy God’s timing governs revelation. The Son of David could be shushed for a season and then publicly welcomed on cue. Faith matures when it stops forcing outcomes and waits for God to say, now is the time. Obedience trusts that the reveal belongs to him. [07:21]
2. The King plans his own unveiling Providence is not vague luck. Bethany, Bethphage, a borrowed colt, even the question an owner might ask fit into a precise plan that gathers a ready-made crowd. Confidence grows when disciples treat details as places where Jesus has already been. [09:27]
3. Humility without modesty names Jesus Zechariah’s donkey does not hide weakness. It showcases a servant King who comes close, yet claims exclusive glory without apology. Disciples imitate the humility toward others while refusing to downplay the identity and demands of the One who says, I am. [21:53]
4. Crown him or kill him, no middle Lukewarm religion is just a slow no. Prosperity tempts hearers to invent a third option, but partial surrender bleeds into quiet betrayal. Whole-life allegiance is the only fitting answer to a King who comes to the door and will not be shelved. [23:13]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:33] - Recognizing Jesus by his signs
[01:51] - Signs revealed on God’s timing
[03:21] - The messianic secret explained
[05:01] - Why “Son of David” is huge
[07:38] - Timing and planning belong to God
[08:06] - Bethany to Jerusalem setup
[09:27] - Fetching the donkeys by design
[11:26] - Crowds, cloaks, and Hosanna
[15:46] - Zechariah and the donkey colt
[18:56] - Humble yet never modest
[22:22] - Crown me or kill me
[23:50] - Lukewarm prosperity exposed
[29:38] - The King comes to your door
[36:00] - Live as subjects of the King

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 21:1-11 (ESV)
1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 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. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 “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.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Philippians 2:6-7 (ESV)
6 [Christ Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Observation Questions

What specific details does Jesus give the disciples about retrieving the donkey and colt (Matthew 21:2-3)? How does this reflect intentional planning?
How does the crowd’s response in Matthew 21:8-9 mirror the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9? What titles or phrases do they use to acknowledge Jesus?
In Matthew 21:10-11, how do the people of Jerusalem react to Jesus’ entry? What does their confusion reveal about their understanding of His identity?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus choose a donkey (a symbol of peace) instead of a warhorse for His entry into Jerusalem? How does this contrast with cultural expectations of a king?
The crowd shouts “Hosanna” (meaning “save us”) but later demands Jesus’ crucifixion. What does this shift suggest about their expectations of the Messiah versus Jesus’ actual mission?
How does Jesus’ humility (Philippians 2:6-7) coexist with His bold claims about His identity (e.g., “I am the way, the truth, and the life”)?

Application Questions

The sermon emphasized that God’s timing governs revelation. Where in your life are you tempted to force outcomes instead of waiting for God’s “now”? How can you practice trusting His timing this week? [07:21]
Jesus’ entry forced people to choose: crown Him or kill Him. What areas of your life still feel like a “third option” (partial surrender)? What would it look like to give Jesus total allegiance there? [23:13]
The crowds laid down cloaks and branches to honor Jesus. What tangible act could you do this week to actively honor Him as King (e.g., serving someone, sacrificing comfort, or worshiping publicly)?
The Laodiceans’ prosperity made them lukewarm (Revelation 3:17). How does comfort or self-sufficiency tempt you to treat Jesus as a “king of convenience”? What small step could disrupt that complacency? [23:50]
Jesus’ humility led Him to serve others relentlessly. Who in your life needs to experience Christ-like humility through your actions? How will you intentionally serve them this week?
The crowd’s “Hosanna” turned to “Crucify Him” when Jesus didn’t meet their expectations. When has God’s plan conflicted with your desires? How can you lean into His design instead of resisting it? [36:00]

Sermon Clips

47s

#MessiahHasCome

“"He's entering into Jerusalem on the back of a baby donkey to tell the whole world that the Messiah has come. That the humble and the immodest Messiah is here. So recognize the signs. Jesus is coming into this. He's coming into his temple to say, this is my house. He's coming into Jerusalem to say, I'm the one that you've been waiting for. He is coming. Jesus entering into Jerusalem and he's basically saying this, crown me or kill me. There's no middle ground. Consider me a liar, a lunatic, or consider me Lord.”

44s

#CrownHimAll

“"See, to crown him king is to give him all of it. To give him everything. All of me. Not just part of me. There is no such thing as a Sunday Christian. You're just not. There's just Christian. You cannot just put Jesus on a shelf when you go to work so you don't have to think about him. Or when you're watching World Cup because you're going to swear because Korea lost. Or you're going to just put him behind you when you're dealing with traffic. God cannot come second. Crown me or kill me.”

43s

#GodsPerfectDesign

“"This whole scene, this whole story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem, coming to be crucified in less than a week. This whole thing is based on God's timing. It's based on God's planning and it's based on God's design. All of it, perfectly. And all of it was so that God could make it super obvious and super simple to point out that Jesus is the son of David, the son of God. God gave us these signs to make it super easy for you and I to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus as the Messiah we so desperately need.”

46s

#HumbleProphecy

“"But the design of this sign, the sign that the Father in heaven had planned out from the beginning, was totally unexpected. And Matthew wants to make it really clear that this design of this sign had been planned out from the very beginning, verses 4 and 5 of today's passage says this, This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet. This is talking about Zechariah. 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.”

46s

#UnexpectedKing

“"Anyway, you want something magnificent. This is something that you would expect of somebody like a new king, the son of David. He would expect the son of God. What you would expect is the Messiah to enter into the holy city of Jerusalem. What you would expect is of a king entering in to establish their reign as a new, eternal king. What you would not expect, what you would not expect is for him to enter on a donkey's coat. You would expect a mighty steed, a horse, something magnificent, not a baby, a mule.”

37s

#IdentityRevealed

“"Jesus accepts the title, son of David. He proclaims he is the son of man. He is the one and only son of God. Jesus was and he is humble, but he was never and will never be modest about who he is. Now, he might have wanted the folks to keep that part a secret for a little bit, just for a minute, but he was never modest about it. He never denied it of who he is, who he was. But now we have in our story, the veil of secrecy has been pulled away. It's gone.”

39s

#MisplacedMessiahHope

“"see when they cried out Hosanna when they cried out save us they thought they were calling out to a warrior king a warrior king who would destroy the Roman Empire reestablish Israel as a dominant force they had their own expectations of what salvation looked like instead of seeking God's design of it they saw the signs but they decided to not understand it not fully hear it they were trying to make a Messiah in their image instead of seeing and recognizing the humble immodest Redeemer”

45s

#ImitateJesus

“"And you and I, we are called to grow in our faith. That's what we're called to do. We are called to live lives that imitate Jesus. And what that means, practically speaking, means that we are called to pray. Practically speaking, we're called to care. We're called to love. That's what it means to crown him. And I'm saying this to myself as much as to everyone else here. I don't think I do that all the time. See, to crown him king is to give him all of it. To give him everything. All of me. Not just part of me.”

39s

#IAmDeclarations

“"Jesus was and is, when it comes to you and me, he is the example, the epitome of humility, but when it came to himself, he was never, ever modest because Jesus when he said what he said of himself, he says, I am the bread of life. Jesus said of himself, I am the light of the world. He said, I am the good shepherd. I am the only way, truth, and life. He was never modest about who he is. Jesus accepts the title, son of David. He proclaims he is the son of man.”

53s

#SignsPointToJesus

“"See, these perfectly timed, perfectly planned, perfectly designed signs, they're significant. They are significant because what they do is they show us exactly who the Messiah is, who the forever and eternal king is, the one that we all so desperately need. It points us directly to him and tells us Jesus the Messiah, he is humble and he has come to us. So I want to take a moment, I want to consider the humility of Christ because Jesus Christ is absolutely the epitome of humility, right? When it comes to other people, Jesus was and Jesus is the most humble person.”

48s

#LiveAsSubjects

“"riding on the back of a baby donkey they didn't understand that Jesus was coming as a servant as a suffering servant so that he might be our suffering Savior he wasn't coming as a conquering hero they didn't get that Jesus was coming to turn everything upside down to redefine redemption into his image for those of you who have crowned Jesus as king this is my challenge to you now live as subjects of the king he calls you to go make disciples”

56s

#FaithInDesperation

“"Over the years, I've had the opportunity to do a lot of traveling, travel to a number of different places. And in those journeys, I've seen real desperation. I've seen real dependence. I've seen the faces of the poor in Zambia, in Mexico, in India, in South Africa. I've seen individuals whose situation was so challenging, so desperate that their only hope was in the power and the might of God our Father because there was absolutely nothing they could do but have faith. There was nothing they could do but literally cry out to God because there was nothing that they could do.”

52s

#PeaceThroughGrace

“"There was nothing they could do but literally cry out to God because there was nothing that they could do. And as a result, in that desperation, what I've also seen is the peace, the amazing supernatural peace come upon a grandma as she received prayer and comfort from a fellow brother in Christ. I have seen the amazing peace that can come from a child who has not eaten in days. as he hears the story of how Jesus can feed thousands with just a few loaves and a few fish. I've seen the tears of a person considering and contemplating their own brokenness in light of Jesus' grace and mercy, the work he has done on the cross for our sake.”

42s

#HealedAndRevealed

“"Jesus, he reveals them to us, these signs and to the world. He reveals them to the world based on his timing, on God's timing, on God's perfect timing. Back in Matthew chapter 9, there's a story of Jesus. He's restoring the sight of two blind guys. And if you read that story in chapter 9, and you read the story that Pastor Joey preached about last week from chapter 20, you realize they're almost exactly the same. There's the same story. Two blind guys crying out to Jesus the same thing. They both say, have mercy on us, son of David.”

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Signs of the Messiah: Crown Him or Kill Him

Devotional

Day 1: The Secret’s Out: When Silence Turns to Proclamation

Day 2: Donkeys and Details: God’s Meticulous Blueprint

Day 3: Humble Beast, Eternal Throne: Redefining Majesty

Day 4: No Neutral Ground: Crowns or Crosses

Day 5: Beyond Hosanna: When Praise Becomes Posture

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Signs of the Messiah: Crown Him or Kill Him

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