A Certain Kind of King

“See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Matthew 21:5 (NIV)

Presentation is everything. Leaders know this and they painstakingly sift their decisions regarding their presentations to ensure that people don’t misconstrue their intent.

This is why Jesus chose to ride into the city of Jerusalem in a certain way. He was displaying His priorities for them—and for us—in the particular presentation He offered on that day while crowds waved palm branches and shouted their festive hosannas.

It’s not what Jesus says when He rides into the city that clearly defines His motivations and His intent. It’s how He rides into the city that makes the difference.

Jesus chose a donkey, and He did so for one reason. With no weapon in hand and no army in tow, Jesus on a donkey means but one thing, and it cannot be ignored. It is the placement and the priority of peace in our lives.

The deliberate and specific choice Jesus made implies His intentions: I want it known, I want it discerned, and I want it clearly understood that I have come to set humanity at peace with God, extending forgiveness for sin and settling humanity’s debt in full.

Jesus prioritized peace. Living at peace with God settles so much of the inner condition of a person’s life. It helps one to live at peace with themselves. You cannot be at peace with yourself until you’re at peace with your Creator. There’s no need to be jealous or envious of the possessions or the gifts or the talents or the graces or the favor or the access or the opportunity that has been given to another person’s life when you are at peace with God.

Jesus knew, on that first Palm Sunday, how important it was for Him to present Himself as a certain kind of King to the people: a King that makes our peace His highest priority.

Here’s what Jesus says to us today: “I am the King who wants you to live at peace with God so you can live at peace with yourself, and so you can live at peace with other people.”