Israel waited centuries for a king.
The prophets spoke of him. The songs longed for him. The people, weary from Roman oppression and temple corruption, dreamed of the day the Messiah would come. And when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, palm branches waving and praises rising, it looked like the moment had finally come.
But five days later, those same voices shouted something else: “Crucify him.” What happened?
The Geography of Hope and the Pressure of Expectation
To understand the tension in this moment, we need to step into the geography and culture of the first century.
Jesus approached Jerusalem from the east, through Bethany and Bethphage on the Mount of Olives—a location loaded with messianic meaning (Zechariah 14:4). The road descends into the Kidron Valley with a stunning view of the temple. Pilgrims filled the area for Passover, stirred by the miracle of Lazarus, and they lined the road with cloaks and palm branches.
The palm was more than decoration. It was a symbol of Jewish nationalism and hope for liberation. When they shouted “Hosanna,” they were crying out for rescue. But their definition of rescue was shaped by politics, not eternity.
The King They Wanted
The crowd—Jewish pilgrims and residents of Jerusalem who had come to celebrate Passover and longed for deliverance—had strong ideas about what kind of king He should be.
They wanted Rome gone. They wanted justice. They wanted the temple cleansed and life restored.
When Jesus came riding a donkey instead of a warhorse, He was sending a message. He was fulfilling Zechariah 9:9: “See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey.” But the next verse says He will “proclaim peace to the nations.”
This wasn’t just about Israel. It was about the world.
When God Disappoints Us
It’s easy to judge the crowd. But haven’t we been there?
We pray for healing, but the sickness lingers. We ask for a door to open, but God seems silent. We want peace, but the conflict deepens. We expected a warhorse. We got a donkey.
Disappointment often stems from a gap between who God is and who we expected Him to be. But what if our unmet expectations are an invitation to trust Him more deeply?
Trusting the God We Didn’t Expect
One of the most powerful moments in the Triumphal Entry is when Jesus stops and weeps over the city (Luke 19:42).
Jesus still weeps when we seek peace in the wrong places. He sees our longings, our assumptions. And yet, He keeps walking toward the cross. For us.
Put It Into Practice
What to do when God Doesn’t Meet Our Expectations
We let go of the warhorse and we follow the donkey. We name our disappointment, but we don’t stop there. We ask God to reshape our expectations, to reveal His greater purpose.
We remember that the cross wasn’t the end of the parade.
Resurrection is coming. And the King we didn’t expect is better than we imagined.
