Connect Church
The King We Didn't Expect
  • Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)
  • Firm Foundation (He Won't)
  • What A Beautiful Name
  • Holy Forever
  • Goodness Of God
  • Have you ever been driving somewhere you know you need to go and the GPS starts taking you a route that makes absolutely no sense?
    You’re watching the screen. You’re listening to the voice. And you start think, “Why in the world is it taking me this way?”
    You were expecting the fast route. The direct route. The obvious route. But suddenly you’re turning down roads you didn’t plan for. You’re hitting detours you didn’t expect. You’re driving through places you didn’t intend to go.
    And the whole time, you’re frustrated because in your mind, you’re thinking, “This is not the way I thought we were supposed to get there.”
    But then later you find out there was a wreck ahead, the traffic was at a standstill, and the route you didn’t understand was actually the route that got you where you needed to be.
    Here’s what I’ve learned, just because the route is different than what you expected doesn’t mean the destination is wrong.
    And that is exactly Palm Sunday.
    The people had a destination in mind. They wanted freedom. They wanted a victory. They were ready for restoration. They were expecting a kingdom. But they had the wrong route in mind.
    They thought the Messiah would come through force.
    But instead, Jesus came to them through surrender.
    They thought the crown would come first.
    But Jesus knew the cross had to come first.
    And that’s the tension of our text this morning.
    They expected a king to take a throne… but Jesus came as a King on His way to a cross.
    This is a familiar passage of scripture. For those that didn’t know, we call today Palm Sunday. It is one week to Easter. Today begins passion week. Look at what Mark says about this event. Go to Mark chapter 11.
    Mark 11:1–11 NIV
    1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ ” 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

    The King Arrived on God’s Terms

    Everything about this moment in history was intentional. The setting was perfect. All the players were in place. The mood is just right. Only God could plan something this perfect.
    Look at the first six verses.
    Why was the setting perfect?
    Because everything about Palm Sunday was divinely arranged.
    The timing was perfect — it was Passover, the season when Israel remembered God’s deliverance from Egypt. That meant the city was full of people longing for freedom, full of messianic hope, and full of political tension under Roman occupation. If there was ever a moment to reveal a Deliverer, this was the moment.
    The location was perfect — Jesus approached Jerusalem by way of Bethphage, Bethany, and the Mount of Olives, a place loaded with prophetic expectation. He was not randomly entering the city. He was stepping into prophecy.
    The symbol was perfect — Jesus chose a colt, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9. Not a war horse. Not a chariot. Not military power. He came in humility, peace, and surrender.
    So why was the setting perfect?
    Because the timing declared need, the location declared prophecy, and the colt declared the kind of King He was.
    Before Jesus ever preached a sermon, His entrance was already preaching one.
    And that’s what makes Palm Sunday so powerful, everything looked triumphant, but everything was actually pointing toward the cross.
    They saw a parade, but Jesus was presenting a kingdom they did not yet understand.
    The setting was perfect because it revealed the truth: Jesus was absolutely the King they were waiting for, He just wasn’t the King they were expecting.”
    So, yes, the timing was perfect, the place was perfect, and the symbol was perfect, because God was not improvising, God was unveiling His king.
    There are times that life feels like it is raveling out of control, but the truth is Jesus is still in control.
    Before the crowd shouted that day, the king had already planned the path.

    2. The King Revealed a Different Kind of Kingdom

    When we get to verses 7 through 10, the scene begins to look like a parade. The colt is brought to Jesus. They throw their cloaks on it. Jesus sits on it. People begin laying their cloaks in the road. Others cut branches from the fields and spread them out before Him. And the crowd starts shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
    This is not random excitement. This is royal imagery. This is public recognition. This is a crowd saying, “We believe the King has arrived.”
    But here’s what makes this moment so powerful, everything about this parade says “King,” but everything about this parade also says, “Not the kind of king you expected.”
    Jesus tells two disciples to bring Him a colt “on which no one has ever sat.” This detail is important to the story. Jesus did not just need a ride. He didn’t borrow transportation, He borrowed a symbol. And this was deeply intentional.
    It points directly to Zechariah 9:9
    Zechariah 9:9 NIV
    9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
    That means Jesus is making a deliberate messianic statement.
    He is not accidentally fulfilling prophecy. He is not being swept up in the emotion of the crowd. He is intentionally revealing His kingship.
    He is saying, “Yes, I am the King, but you need to understand what kind of King I am.”
    And that matters because if a Roman general entered a city in triumph, he would come on a war horse in a chariot with soldiers surrounding him and his power on display with victory already visible.
    But Jesus enters on a colt in humility, in peace, and in submission to the Father’s will.
    Rome’s kings rode in to conquer people. Jesus rode in to save people.
    Rome’s power was built on force and intimidation. They were all about domination. Jesus’ kingdom was built on humility and surrender. Jesus was all about sacrifice.
    And Mark even tells us this colt had never been ridden. This matters because in Scripture and in ancient practice, something unused often carried the idea of being set apart. It means that it is consecrated and reserved for sacred purpose.
    In other words, this wasn’t just an animal. This was a holy symbol for a holy moment. The colt was preaching before Jesus ever did.
    Now let’s talk about the parade itself. When we hear “parade,” we think of celebration, excitement, noise, waving, and people lining the streets.
    And yes, Palm Sunday had all of that. But this parade was different from the parades we see today.
    Our parades celebrate what already happened.
    A championship parade happens because the team already won. A homecoming parade happens because the victory has already been secured. A presidential parade displays power that is already established. A military parade shows strength that is already visible.
    But this parade was different. This parade was not celebrating a victory everyone understood yet.
    This parade was announcing a King whose greatest victory would not come through a battlefield but through a cross.
    Modern parades usually feature floats, music, banners, lights, performance, and a huge spectacle.
    This parade featured a borrowed colt, dusty roads, cloaks in the street, branches from the fields, and people crying out for salvation.
    Modern parades are designed to impress. This parade was designed to reveal.
    Modern parades often magnify fame, success, power, and popularity. This parade magnified prophecy, humility, surrender, and salvation.
    Most parades celebrate power on display. This parade revealed power under control.
    Mark says the people spread their cloaks on the road and leafy branches cut from the fields.
    This mattered in the ancient world. This was a sign of honor and submission. It was a royal welcome.
    Laying garments before someone was like saying, “We receive your authority.” “We acknowledge your kingship.”
    So, They are treating Jesus like a king.
    They are honoring Him. They are welcoming Him. They are celebrating Him.
    But here’s the tension. They are right about who He is but wrong about what He came to do.
    They are giving Him royal treatment but many still think He’s here to overthrow Rome. They believe that He’s here to restore national power and establish a political kingdom right now.
    They saw royalty but they misunderstood the mission.
    Then the crowd cries out, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
    That language comes largely from Psalm 118, it is part of the Hallel Psalms, which were often sung during festival seasons like Passover.
    And the word Hosanna originally means, “Save now!”, “Please save!” or it is a cry for deliverance.
    So this is not just praise. This is a desperate cry. This is the crowd saying, Save us now. It is like they are saying, ‘Do what we expect now.”
    And when they say, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David.” That is huge. Because now they are explicitly connecting Jesus to Davidic kingship. They are looking for national restoration. They are wanting kingdom renewal.
    In other words, they are not just welcoming a preacher. They think they are welcoming a political Messiah. And here’s the tragedy of Palm Sunday, they were shouting the right words with the wrong expectations.
    Because they were right that He could save. They were right that He was King. They were right that the kingdom was coming. But they misunderstood how He would save. They misunderstood what kind of kingdom He was bringing and what He had to do first.
    They wanted a crown without a cross. They wanted victory without sacrifice. They wanted a kingdom without crucifixion.
    They wanted Jesus to deal with Rome, but Jesus came to deal with sin.

    3. The King Came for More than Applause

    Look at verse 11 again.
    Mark 11:11 NIV
    11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
    We may look at this and think, why did Jesus just go into the temple look around and leave. This is a deliberate pause before He takes action.
    Jesus is taking a moment to inspect the spiritual condition of the house.
    In the next few days Jesus will cleanse the temple, confront hypocrisy, go to the cross and rise again.
    This is something important that all of us need to take note of.

    Jesus didn’t come to enjoy a parade. He came to complete a mission.

    It’s possible to wave branches, sing songs, say “Hosanna”, call Him King, and still not surrender to His actual purpose.
    The people were recognizing Jesus as King, but many still thought He had to fulfill their expectations:
    “Save us from Rome.”
    “Give us a political kingdom now.”
    “Fix our problems the way we want.”
    They were celebrating a King, but not embracing the Kingdom He came to establish.
    Crowds can celebrate Jesus and still misunderstand Him.
    The question for us is the same as it was for them.
    Do we want a Savior who rescues us from sin, even if it means sacrifice and suffering?
    Or do we want a Savior who simply serves our preferences, giving us comfort without correction, approval without surrender, blessing without holiness?
    The crowd in Jerusalem wanted a parade. Jesus wanted a surrendered people.
    It’s easy to wave palms. It’s harder to obey the cross.
    Verse 11 reminds us that Jesus’ ultimate mission was not applause, popularity, or political power.
    He entered the temple to inspect, confront, and fulfill prophecy. His kingdom is not of this world.
    John 18:36 NIV
    36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
    The people’s celebration was real, but the kingdom they wanted wasn’t the one Jesus came to bring.
    Jesus didn’t come for the show. He came for the heart.
    Ask yourself: Are you celebrating Jesus, or surrendering to Him?
    Are you enjoying the benefits of His kingdom without submitting to its cost?
    Are you waving branches on Sunday but resisting obedience on Monday?
    Jesus didn’t come to meet expectations—He came to fulfill God’s plan. And that plan starts in the heart.
    Palm Sunday looked like triumph, but it pointed to the cross. It looked like celebration, but it demanded surrender. The King we didn’t expect didn’t come to serve our preferences—He came to save our souls.
    We have to stop thinking about what we want and surrender to what God wants for us.
    It starts with surrendering your heart.

      • Mark 11:1–11NIV2011

      • Zechariah 9:9NIV2011

      • Mark 11:11NIV2011

      • John 18:36NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 9:6NIV2011

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