“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” John 12:13 (NIV)
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowd went wild. Here was their King! He was going to save them. He was going to change their world. They shouted "Hosanna!" which means save us." And Jesus was planning to do just that. But, not the way they expected.
There was a subtle detail to Jesus entrance into Jerusalem that they overlooked. Jesus was on a donkey. Historically, if a King was coming as a conqueror (which is what the Jews wanted) he rode into the town on a horse - probably a war horse. Jesus rode in on a donkey. When a king rode in on a donkey, he came in peace.
How often do we expect Jesus to show up and with a sweep of his mighty hand remove all of our troubles. We want him to crush our enemies! We want him to squash our problems and give us the peace we deserve as his followers! We almost expect it. We forget. We forget that the most important thing to God is our hearts.
Jesus doesn't want to charge in and take over. He wants to enter in and grow a relationship. Sure, he wants to be our King - not a king who will conquer us - but a King that will bring peace to our world. He wants to deliver a peace that will transcend all the enemies and the problems; a peace that is beyond understanding.
Do we, like the Israelites, miss the donkey? Do we miss the message Jesus is sending each day as he communicates with us? Do we want something so badly for ourselves that we lose sight of the bigger picture? How about you? As you look at Jesus, what are you expecting?