Behold, Your King Comes to You

Behold, Your King Comes to You

Palm Sunday – 3/29/26

Zechariah 9:9–12

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

                That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Old Testament lesson from Zechariah chapter nine with special emphasis on verse nine which reads as follows:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Palm Sunday is certainly a day of joy, but it is a serious joy. There are palm branches, singing, and shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” But Palm Sunday is not simply a cheerful introduction to Easter decorations and springtime religion. It is the beginning of the Passion. It is the public presentation of Christ as King, and at the same time, it is His deliberate march toward the cross. Teachers of Scripture, exegetes, call this event the triumphal entry. And this shift in tone in the Gospel record from the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus to His setting of His face to Jerusalem for His death is why the triumphal entry matters so much. On Palm Sunday, Jesus shows us what kind of King He is, what kind of salvation He brings, and how He saves His people.

Zechariah prophesied this blessed event 550 years before it happened. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey.” That one verse gives us the heart of Palm Sunday.

Your King comes to you

Notice first what Zechariah said: “Behold, your king is coming to you.” This is how the Gospel always works. The sinner does not climb up to God. God comes down to the sinner. Jerusalem did not rise up to heaven to bring the Messiah down. Christ came to her. And that is still the comfort of Christians today. The Lord does not wait for sinners to improve

Detail of a fresco depicting the Triumphal Entry in Nativity of the Theotokos Orthodox Church in Bitola, Macedonia.

themselves, purify themselves, or make themselves worthy. He comes to them. He comes to the guilty. He comes to the ashamed. He comes to the weak. He comes to those who cannot save themselves. That is the first great comfort of Palm Sunday: your King comes to you. Not because you have earned Him.Not because you have made enough spiritual progress. Not because you are finally worthy.

He comes because He is merciful. And that is what makes Him such a different King from all the rulers of this world. Earthly kings demand loyalty, tribute, service, and sacrifice. But Jesus comes first not to take from you, but to give Himself for you.

He comes as the promised King, but not the kind sinners expect

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He was not merely entering a city. He was openly declaring Himself to be the promised Son of David, the Christ, the Messiah. This was a royal action.

He received the crowds. He accepted their cries of “Hosanna.” He fulfilled the prophet’s words.He presented Himself publicly as Israel’s King. But He did, and does, not look like the kind of king people expect. He came not on a warhorse, but on a donkey. Not with swords, but with meekness. Not to overthrow Caesar, but to overthrow sin, death, and the devil.

This is where so many misunderstood Him. The people wanted deliverance, but many wanted it on their own terms. They wanted visible glory. Political rescue. National victory. A kingdom that looked impressive according to the standards of the world. But Jesus did not come to do something small like that. He came to do something infinitely greater. He came to save sinners from the wrath of God. This is why Palm Sunday is so important. It teaches us that the greatest problem in your life is not Rome, not government, not enemies, not hardship, not suffering, not even death by itself. Your greatest problem is your sin before a holy God. And your greatest need is not advice, improvement, or inspiration. Your greatest need is a Savior.

The King enters Jerusalem to die

That is why Palm Sunday cannot be understood apart from the Passion reading, that is, the reading of the account of the death of our Lord. This King enters Jerusalem for one purpose: to die.

The donkey was already pointing Jesus to the cross. The cries of “Hosanna” were already moving toward “Crucify Him.” The road into Jerusalem is the road to Golgotha.

And this is exactly what St. Paul teaches in Philippians: “Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant… he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Palm Sunday reveals the humiliation of the Son of God, that is to say, that the Son of God is sent into a death He did not deserve for people who did not deserve it. His humiliation is that He is treated shamefully, mocked, ridiculed, spit upon, and dies. None of it is what He deserves. Yet he bore it for you who do deserve such things.

The One who rode into Jerusalem is not merely a holy man. He is the eternal Son of the Father. He is true God of true God. He is the One through whom all things were made. And yet He humbles Himself. Not by ceasing to be God. Not by losing His divine glory according to His nature. But by hiding His majesty beneath weakness, humility, suffering, and shame. And He does this willingly. He is not dragged reluctantly to the cross. He is not trapped by circumstances. He is not a victim of history. He goes knowingly. He goes obediently. He goes lovingly. He goes for you and your salvation.

The triumph of Palm Sunday is the cross

That is the great paradox of this day. It is called the triumphal entry, and rightly so, but where is the triumph? It is not in military conquest. It is not in political domination. It is not in visible earthly glory. The triumph is that the King enters the city to offer Himself as the sacrifice for sin. This is what makes Jesus unlike every earthly ruler. Earthly kings send others to die for them. Jesus the King dies for His people. Earthly rulers preserve themselves by the suffering of others. Christ saves others by suffering Himself. Earthly kingdoms are built by force. Christ’s kingdom is built by forgiveness. This is the true meaning of Palm Sunday. Jesus rides into Jerusalem as the Lamb of God going to the altar of the cross.

He goes to be betrayed by Judas. He goes to be denied by Peter. He goes to be abandoned by His disciples. He goes to be condemned by the Sanhedrin. He goes to be mocked by soldiers.He goes to be sentenced by Pilate. He goes to wear the crown of thorns. He goes to the nails. He goes to the torture. He goes to the darkness. He goes to the cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He goes to death. And He goes there as your substitute. He does not merely suffer alongside sinners. He suffers for sinners. He bears the judgment that should have fallen on us.He carries the curse that belonged to us. He drinks the cup of wrath that was ours to drink. This is why Palm Sunday matters: your King comes to save you by dying in your place.

Conclusion

And where does this King still come to you now? He comes in His Gospel. He comes in His absolution. He comes in His Supper. The same Lord who entered Jerusalem to give His body into death and to pour out His blood for the forgiveness of sins now still gives that same body and blood to His Church. So behold your King, not only in memory, but in mercy. He still comes humble. He still comes saving. He still comes for sinners. And therefore with faith and joy we cry: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.