The Donkey, the Crowd, and the Crown
Palm Sunday and the Paradox of Messiahship
Today is Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, exactly one week before his resurrection.
It is always observed on the Sunday before Easter, and it begins the final week of Lent—known as Holy Week, the most sacred time in the Christian calendar.
According to all four Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, fulfilling the messianic prophecy from Zechariah 9:9—one of the most explicitly recognized messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Bible.
It plays a central role in both Jewish and Christian eschatological frameworks.
“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.”
(Zechariah 9:9, NIV)
Messianic Elements in This Verse
This prophecy encapsulates a vision of the future Messianic king and carries several key components.
“Your king comes to you” presupposes a kingly figure—someone with authority and sovereignty—returning or arriving to rule Jerusalem.
It implies divine appointment, not just political leadership.
In Hebrew, “Righteous and victorious” is often rendered as tzaddik v’noshah—righteous and saved or delivering salvation.
The double meaning here is that The One is both morally upright, and a bringer of deliverance—suggesting divine justice and redemptive power.
It can also be read as “righteous and endowed with salvation,” possibly hinting that the power to save comes from God.
“Lowly and riding on a donkey” is the most symbolically loaded part.
“Lowly” (Hebrew: ‘ani) can also be translated as “humble,” “afflicted,” or even “poor”—suggesting the opposite of a conquering warrior king. Instead of arrogance or force, this king embodies humility and, perhaps, suffering.
“Riding on a donkey” instead of a war horse subverts ancient expectations of what a triumphant king would look like. Donkeys were associated with peace and humility (as opposed to horses, which were war symbols).
The donkey signifies peaceful intent, approachability, and connection to the common people.
The repetition of “on a colt, the foal of a donkey” strengthens the imagery and may also link to poetic parallelism (common in Hebrew scripture), reinforcing that this king’s entry is peaceful, humble, and nonviolent.
In Judaism, this verse is part of the wider messianic expectation—that a Davidic king will return to restore justice, rebuild the Temple, and bring peace.
The peaceful, humble entry emphasizes the kind of spiritual authority this messiah will carry, in contrast to idealized military might.
Some interpretations hold this prophecy to be metaphorical or future-oriented, yet to be fulfilled.
In Christianity, this verse is seen as directly fulfilled in the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), as described in the Gospels (e.g., Matthew 21:5, John 12:14–15).
The Gospel writers explicitly reference Zechariah 9:9 to establish Jesus as the prophesied messiah. Who writes laws now?
The prophecy walks the line between imminent hope and eschatological vision, serving both the post-exilic Jewish community it originally addressed, and future generations longing for divine deliverance.
The king arrives not as conqueror, but as redeemer, undermining expectations of worldly power and framing a radical kind of leadership—one that governs through spiritual authority rather than brute force.
Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a horse, was a theatrical, symbolic act—a statement that His kingdom is not of violence and domination but of humility, peace, and divine justice.
The crowds welcomed him by waving palm branches—a traditional symbol of victory, kingship, and peace—and laid them, along with their cloaks, on the road before him, shouting:
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9)
But within days, those same crowds—or at least the powers behind them—would cry out for his crucifixion.
How often does this very thing still happen today?
How often do you participate?
Palm Sunday is a moment of divine paradox.
It celebrates the recognition of Jesus as Messiah, even as it foreshadows the betrayal, suffering, and death he will soon endure.
It represents the collision between expectation and reality: People hoped for a political liberator; Jesus offered spiritual deliverance.
It highlights the fickleness of human loyalty: Crowds can shift from praise to persecution on a dime.
It demonstrates entry into sacrifice: Jesus walks willingly into the seat of power, knowing it will kill him—and does it anyway.
Is this not the same understanding of every father and of every leader?
Not everyone makes good choices though.
For Catholics, Palm Sunday begins a week of profound reflection on suffering, injustice, humility, and redemption.
In Catholic and many Protestant churches:
• Congregants are given blessed palm branches, often woven into crosses or crowns.
• A special reading called the Passion narrative is performed, recounting Jesus’s betrayal, trial, crucifixion, and burial—usually from one of the Synoptic Gospels.
• The Mass is both joyful and somber, a rare liturgy where celebration and sorrow are held side by side.
Some churches begin outdoors with a procession, echoing Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem, and move into the sanctuary in symbolic pilgrimage.
The blessed palms are later burned and saved, becoming the ashes used for Ash Wednesday the following year—completing the cycle.
In spiritual terms, Palm Sunday asks:
What do you celebrate outwardly but betray inwardly?
Are you ready to walk into the sacred fire of your own becoming?
What I’d like to pose is: What if He was not the final?
How many truth speakers have been enslaved, silenced, or executed throughout the world since Him?
It’s always a spiritual war, Friend—through and through. This is how the evolution of mankind works.
Because we all came from the same place in the same way at the beginning, regardless of how far back you want to dig.
Stories emerge for mutual safety and security. Always.
You just never know which origin you’re subscribed to, unless and until you really are sure that You know.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.