“Rejoice greatly. Daughter. Zion! Shout, daughter. 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)

Yesterday, the church observed Palm Sunday, the day Jesus enters Jerusalem one week before His crucifixion. This moment is recorded in all four Gospels and marks a turning point in Holy Week.

Jesus entered the city publicly, intentionally, and in full view of the crowds who were gathering for Passover. This was not incidental transportation or a spontaneous decision. It was a deliberate and deeply symbolic act.

Jesus instructed His disciples to find a young donkey, one that had never been ridden, and bring it to Him. That detail matters.

In the Old Testament, animals set apart for sacred purposes were often unridden, signaling total devotion to God. By choosing this colt, Jesus was intentionally fulfilling the prophecy spoken centuries earlier in Zechariah 9:9, declaring Himself to be the promised Messiah.

The choice of a donkey was equally significant. In the ancient world, kings who came in peace, rode donkeys. Kings who came for war, rode horses.

By entering Jerusalem this way, Jesus made clear what kind of King He was and what kind of King He was not.

He did not arrive as a conquering warrior, but as the Prince of Peace — even as He moves steadily toward the cross.

The crowds responded by shouting words from Psalm 118, a psalm sung during Passover that speaks of salvation and deliverance. Some recognized Him as the Messiah. Others misunderstood the kind of victory He had come to bring.

But the sign itself was unmistakable, and at the center of it all, was a donkey.

Before Jesus sat on it, it was just a donkey. Unridden, unnoticed. Tied up in a village. No military power. No royal saddle. No idea what prophecy it was about to fulfill. And yet Jesus chose it.

It wasn’t a war horse because conquering kings ride horses. It was a donkey because Jesus comes in peace.

Without Jesus, this donkey was ordinary. But with Jesus, it carried the King into the city where sin would be confronted. Death would be defeated. And resurrection would be secured.

That’s the deeper truth Palm Sunday presses on us.

Without Christ, our efforts are just effort. But when we lift Christ high — when we carry Him into our work, our conversations, our presence — the ordinary becomes holy.

The donkey didn’t preach. He didn’t lead the parade. He didn’t understand the moment. He just carried Jesus. And that was enough. Would you join me for a word of prayer?

Prayer
Jesus, our King and our peace, we confess that we often want to be more than carriers. We want to be noticed. We want to be understood. We want to be sure before we obey. But You chose a donkey. Humble, ordinary, unremarkable. To carry the weight of Your glory. So today, untie us. Untie us from pride and self-importance. Untie us from fear and the need to control every outcome. Untie us from believing that usefulness depends on visibility or recognition. As we enter this Holy Week, teach us again that significance comes not from who we are, but from Who we carry. Help us carry You into every space we enter – into meetings, decisions, hard conversations, quiet acts of care, places of pain, fatigue, and uncertainty. Make our work a witness. Make our presence a proclamation. Make our obedience an offering of peace. Jesus, may You be lifted high in us. And if all we do today is simply carry You faithfully, then let that be enough. Hosanna to You in the highest! Amen.

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