Blessed is the King

Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.

Luke 19:38

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and just and having salvation, Humble and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9

This Triumphal Entry icon by Kateryna Kuziv from Ukraine, depicts Christ coming to us “lowly and riding on a donkey.” God has come to us, offering his reign of justice, peace, and mercy even in our days of chaos and evil.

READ. Luke 19:28-38

On Palm Sunday, the crowd welcoming Jesus with palm branches and praise, rightly identifies Jesus: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” But chaos and evil influencers quickly turn the praise to disorder and death threats on Friday: “Crucify him!” (Luke 23:21). Then as now, culture does not reward meekness or gentleness, but puts forward arrogant aggressiveness as the model of power.

Yet Jesus, with determined obedience, “set his face like a flint” and “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.” (Isaiah 50:7; Phil 2:7-8) He was “pierced and crushed” and “poured out his soul to death” so that Easter Sunday could bring reorder, peace, healing, wholeness, and redemption. Jesus, the Blessed King, persecuted for righteousness sake, rules and reigns in the Kingdom of God.

REFLECT. Jesus instructs his disciples in the way of kingdom living in the Sermon on the Mount, saying, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” This “blessedness’ is a portrait of Jesus, his character and the way of life he offers us as his followers:
“Jesus is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” 1 Tim 6:15.

Ask the Spirit to bring to mind your conversations and thoughts over the past day or week and notice any critical thoughts, hateful comments, resentments, or unkind gossip. Mercy or kindness is not honored in our culture, yet Jesus blesses the meek. How can you practice trust and acceptance of things you cannot control, respond in mercy instead of react with judgment, and be intentional in praying patiently, “Your kingdom come” ?

PRAY. Give me today the meekness, mercy and kindness I need to forgive myself and others. In humility I recognize my powerlessness before God. Christ with your example of humble meekness, help me to love my neighbor with gentleness, understanding, and encouragement.  I offer you whatever I have, whatever you need to bring the salvation and justice of your kingdom to earth.

Practice Contemplation Using Art. Spend a few moments with Kuziv’s Christ. Notice the blue and red color of Christ’s robes symbolizing his divinity dwelling in earthly humanity. The bleak and colorless background bears the wounds of a war zone. Jesus comes into our battered world to save and deliver, to satisfy those who hunger for justice, to comfort those who mourn, and purify our hearts to see God.