Palm Sunday: The King We Expected Isn’t the King We Received

“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!’” 

– John 12:13 NIV

Have you ever been so sure you knew what you needed, only to realize it wasn’t what you needed at all? 

That’s exactly what happened on Palm Sunday. 

A crowd gathered, filled with hope and anticipation. They waved palm branches, shouting “Hosanna,” and welcoming Jesus as their long-awaited King. In their minds, this was the moment everything would change. Their Savior had come.

But the king they were celebrating… wasn’t the king they expected.

A King They Thought They Needed 

For generations, the Jewish people had been waiting for a Messiah. The Old Testament is filled with promises of a King who would come to restore, redeem, and reign. 

The Old Testament prophecies said that the king would be: 

• A king from the line of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

• A ruler who would bring peace (Isaiah 9:6-7)

• A deliverer who would rescue God’s people (Isaiah 61:1)
  

At the time, the Jewish people were living under the oppression of the Roman Empire. They were mistreated, oppressed, and longing for freedom. Naturally, they took the prophecies to mean that their Messiah would free them from the Romans and restore Israel’s power and its earthly kingdom.

So, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, they saw a king who would conquer militaries and empires—someone who would bring justice on earth.

The King They Didn’t Know They Needed

Jesus came riding on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9: “See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey…” 

Jesus didn’t come on a war horse, as most great military leaders would. He didn’t come riding into the city with thousands of armies behind him. Instead, he came riding on a donkey, unarmed and humble. 

Jesus didn’t come to conquer empires. Instead, He came to conquer sin, darkness, and death.

Jesus came to conquer more than the people’s earthly circumstances. He came to save them for eternity. 

They wanted a king who would save them from their circumstances. But Jesus came to transform them from the inside out. 

They wanted temporary freedom, but Jesus came to offer eternal salvation. 

Our Expectations Can Make Us Miss the Bigger Picture 

Every year, when we read this story, it's easy to wonder how the people missed it. It seems obvious, right? It was prophesied in the Old Testament, and Jesus came doing exactly what Scripture said he would do.

How could they have gotten it so wrong? 

The people wanted a Savior who would change their circumstances. But they needed a Savior who would redeem their hearts. The same can be true for us. 

We come to God with expectations. We pray for specific outcomes, certain doors to open, and for God to move in our lives. 

We think we know what’s best for us too. And when God doesn’t reply exactly as we expect, we feel confused and even disappointed sometimes. 

How do we respond when Jesus doesn’t answer us the way we expect?

The crowd shouted, “Hosanna!” Then, days later, they insisted that Jesus be crucified. What caused them to change their minds? 

Why? 

Because Jesus didn’t become the king they wanted him to be. And when he didn’t act the way they expected, they turned on him.

The King We Truly Need

Palm Sunday invites us to reflect on the King of the entire world. And today, I want to invite you to reflect on this: What if the way Jesus shows up in our lives doesn’t match what we expect?

Will we still trust him? 

Will we still follow him? 

Will we put his plans above our own?

Because the truth is: Jesus may not always be the Savior we expect. But he is always the Savior we desperately need. And that is worth celebrating and putting our trust in.

Kali Gibson is the Editor-in-Chief for So We Speak and a senior copywriter for the YouVersion Bible App.