The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: ‘Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realise that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

JOHN 12:12–16

—

When Charles was crowned as king in 2023, I was one of the few lucky ballot winners to get a front row seat to the coronation procession. One could not fail to watch in awe of the gold-plated carriage and entourage that processed down the streets in order and magnitude. Perfectly timed, seamlessly executed, with the strongest and sleekest of steeds.

Jesus, as King of the universe – and not a king limited by an unwritten constitution – had a very different coronation. Fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy, he arrived by humble donkey. While no jet streams or fireworks were to be seen, a bed of palm leaves pointed to the Israelite desire for a sovereign who would make them sovereign again. Accompanying the greenery, the crowds shouted loud, ‘Hosanna!’, which means ‘Save us!’ It wasn’t quite the Royal Household brass band. It was an ancient cry for a powerful messiah.

How did Jesus respond to this cry? Why did he not use this opportunity to execute a spectacle worthy of his power and the crowd’s expectations?

I wonder if the answer lies in power itself. Power is the ability to make something of the world.* Said more simply, power is a gift. It is a God-given gift right from the start in Genesis, when God graces Adam and Eve with the calling and capacity to steward his creation (Genesis 1:28).

Jesus’ entry reflects this truth about the gift of power. He is called to journey to Jerusalem as part of his job while he is on earth. He chose this ironic entry with the cross in mind: the spectacular King from heaven is the Saviour who humbly liberates on earth. His entry on that first Palm Sunday was therefore a testament to his power. An ability only he has as God incarnate (as a man), to reclaim this world.

Jesus was given the greatest gift of power. In his enactment of it, he reconciled humanity to himself (2 Corinthians 5:16–21), bridging the distance between heaven and earth. As we reflect on this Lenten celebration, marking the beginning of the Holy week, let’s prayerfully consider the example of Jesus – our humble Saviour, and consider the gifts God has given us to steward.

In light of Jesus, what does your power require of you? How can you use gifts of power and authority humbly and ironically? How can we make ourselves less for the sake of raising others up?

Al and Mims Atkinson 
Al studied theology at ST Mellitus and Mims is LICC’s Culture and Discipleship Project Lead. 

How will you model the power of your weakness this week?

*Andy Crouch, Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power (IVP, 2013), 17: ‘Power is the ability to make something of the world. … [It’s] the ability to participate in that stuff-making, sense-making process that is the most distinctive thing that human beings do.’