Daily Devotional | The King of Israel

The coronation of a new monarch in the United Kingdom has always been an impressive event. Crowds gather to catch a glimpse of the joyous occasion, which begins with a 1.3-mile procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. About 400 million people around the globe viewed the broadcast of the most recent coronation.

Jesus was also greeted as King by the crowds when He entered the city of Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. People pushed forward to catch a glimpse of Jesus’ arrival. They were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” (v. 12). As Jesus entered the city, He found a young donkey to ride on, a symbol that a new king was being installed in Israel (vv. 14–15).

It is helpful to observe the crowd’s reaction to this processional. The common people of the day recognized and accepted the fact that Jesus was worthy to be established as their King. They didn’t understand exactly what that would mean, but they were willing to submit to it. The religious leaders, on the other hand, rejected Jesus. They wanted to put a quick end to the praising of Jesus (v. 19). The disciples were observant, but they didn’t fully understand what was happening (v. 16). It wasn’t until after Jesus was glorified that His disciples realized what they had experienced.

Fortunately, we have the advantage of hindsight. As we look back on this event on the other side of the Cross and Resurrection, we know that Jesus is our risen King.

>> During Christmas, we picture Jesus as a baby. While that is a part of His story, it is not the complete picture. Let’s take some time today to worship and give thanks to King Jesus. “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matt. 2:2).

Pray with Us

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs...It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (Ps. 100:1–3).

BY Eric W. Moore

Eric Moore is Professor and Chair of the Applied Theology Field at Moody Theological Seminary. Eric is graduate of Michigan State University, Dallas Theological Seminary, the University of Michigan, and Western Seminary. He is the author of Pastoring the Small Church and a contributor to the One Volume Seminary (Moody Publishers). He has pastored Tree of Life Bible Fellowship church for over two decades. Eric and his wife, Marilyn, live in southeast Michigan and have three children.