Today is Palm Sunday, and I would like to think for a little while about the first Palm Sunday, when Jesus Christ came into Jerusalem to keep the feast of the Passover. We read of it in Matthew 21. He came riding upon a donkey, meek and lowly, yet truly the King. What a scene it must have been: the branches, the garments in the way, the great crowd crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

And yet, as I read that account, I am struck by how little many of them understood. They knew the words, but not always the One to whom the words were directed. They praised Him, but did they really know Him? That is a question worth asking ourselves today. It is possible to be near the things of God, to hear the Scriptures, to attend worship, to join in the singing, and still not truly know the Lord Jesus Christ.

Palm Sunday points us to the heart of the gospel. Jesus came to Jerusalem for Passover, and He came to be the true Passover Lamb. Long before, God had delivered Israel out of Egypt by blood. The lamb was slain, the blood was put on the doorposts, and the people were spared. That was a picture, a shadow, pointing forward to Christ. He would shed His blood for sinners. He would go to the cross. He would die in our place. He would bear our sin. He would open the way for a new beginning.

There is something comforting in the fact that Jesus came riding on a donkey. It was a creature of peace, and it reminds us that all nature is under His command. The waves obey Him. The wind obeys Him. The fish obey Him. The stars obey Him. The King is in control. And that is just as true today as it was then. There are times when life seems to be moving out of control. There are burdens we cannot carry, sorrows we cannot explain, and fears we cannot silence. But the King is still in control.

Palm Sunday also reminds us of the fickleness of the human heart. One day the crowd cried, “Hosanna.” A few days later many cried, “Crucify Him.” How quickly people can change. How easily public opinion shifts. But Jesus never changed. He came for sinners. He came to save. He came to give His life a ransom for many.

And He still calls today. “Come unto me,” He says, “all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” That is the invitation of the King. Not religion only. Not empty words only. But Christ Himself. Trust Him. Follow Him. Give Him your heart.

Palm Sunday tells us that the King came, the King died, the King rose again, and the King is coming again. Let us be ready. Let us be found in Christ. Let us not merely cry “Hosanna” with our lips, but receive Him with faith and love in our hearts.

Amen.