Welcome to day 34 of our 40 day challenge! Today, we are in Matthew 21:1-11

(You can catch up on our Intro, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, Day 29, Day 30, Day 31, Day 32, Day 33 if you missed them)

Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

⁵ “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

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The people were looking for a conquering king, riding in on a warhorse, ready to defeat the Romans for them. But they got a savior who rides in on a donkey and gives His life for theirs. He doesn’t assert His rights or defend Himself. He gives Himself to them willingly. No matter how unjust and illegal it is. He allows it. For us. For them. For people who will take His offering and spit in His face. For people who will use His name to excuse all sorts of evil. He remains love. And He tells us to do the same.

The Lord is still offering Himself to us and still surprising us 2,000 years later. Whatever notions we have of Him, whatever hopes or desires, He is infinitely better. He is kinder and more generous.

And if you’ve walked with Him for any length of time at all, you’ll know He is surprising. Just when we think we know what the plan is or how things will work, the Lord disrupts our plans. Because learning to walk with Him and follow His lead is more important than us knowing and following a plan.  And His involvement makes everything better. His way is better, even when it seems harder. Because His yoke is easy, His burden is light, and He walks it with us (Matthew 11:28-30). He walks with us even when He knows we’ll mess things up and it’ll take longer. He is patient and so loving. He pulls more than His fair share. He goes above and beyond.

Hosanna! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.

In Luke’s version (Luke 19:39-42), the Pharisees tell Jesus to rebuke His disciples, and He tells them that if the people were silent, the stones would cry out. I still have a stone I picked up from that road in Jerusalem as a reminder of the praise Jesus deserves.

If only you knew that day what would bring you peace.

Jesus is still offering us peace. The peace that reconciles us to Him, and the peace that we need from Him each day.  (John 14:27)

Options for further  journaling or discussion throughout the challenge:

• Choose a part of the passage to write out by hand. Writing by hand helps us slow down and focus on what the Lord might highlight for us in the passage. Our brains can focus and remember better by writing than just reading alone.
• Journal about what the passage brings to mind. Does the passage tell us anything about God? Does it tell us anything about our response to Him?
• Does your heart respond in gratitude to any part of the passage? Write or pray your gratitude to the Lord.

We’ll see you Monday for Day 35,  in Isaiah 42 and John 12

♥ Samantha