The Red Carpet

Monday, April 11

The Red Carpet     

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9

The red at any major event is a moment to shine before the main event. You’ve been primped, prepped, and dressed out to the nines. Walking on the red carpet is a very elaborate affair. But, this is not new. Two-thousand years earlier, Jesus showed up on what was His red-carpet arrival. Not in any luxury car or decked out limousine, instead Jesus chose an animal known for carrying the supplies and burdens of others – a donkey. This intentional choice to ride a low animal put Jesus right up close with the people he came to save. Matthew 21: 4-4 says, “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

With the words of the prophet Zechariah ringing in his ears, Jesus chose an important moment to make a public demonstration. At a time when thousands of pilgrims were entering Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Festival, Jesus stood out, but not for his outfit. Jesus entered Jerusalem deliberately as a humble king.

This may have happened 2000 years ago. You can hear it today, too. No matter where you are today, you can invite the Savior to come in and save you. Jesus came not merely to save us from our sins, but to reign as King over our lives. This is how he taught his disciples to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Spend time today focusing on how you see Jesus. Is he King or something less than that?