King of Glory

August 21

(Luke 19:28-38 NIV) ““After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. {29} As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, {30} "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. {31} If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'" {32} Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. {33} As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" {34} They replied, "The Lord needs it." {35} They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. {36} As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. {37} When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: {38} "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!””

(Zechariah 9:9 NIV) “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

(Psalm 24:9-10 NIV) “Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. {10} Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty -- he is the King of glory.”

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy regarding the Messiah. The crowds hailed Him as a King with palm branches and loud proclamations of praise. The people were “lifting up the gates, so that the King of glory could come in.” God had come to town. But in less than a week, the shouts of “Blessed be the King!” devolved into shouts of, “Crucify Him!” Crowds can be fickle when you don’t meet their expectations, or someone offers them a better deal. Millions today are looking for a Savior who will love them and deliver them -- far fewer are looking for a King who will be their Lord. But with Jesus, you can’t have one without the other. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, but He is a Lamb with the bite of a Lion. Jesus is both Savior and Lord or He is not the King of glory who rode into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day