Thesis
In Matthew 21, Jesus enters Jerusalem not as the conquering military king Israel demanded, but as a humble, sacrificial Savior riding on a donkey. Pastor Hunter Jones argues that when we place our own expectations on Jesus — expecting Him to fix our circumstances, crush our enemies, or validate our comfort — we set ourselves up for the same tragic disappointment that turned Palm Sunday's 'Hosanna' into Friday's 'Crucify Him.' True discipleship means embracing the King Jesus actually is: one who wins through humility, leads us through sorrow to joy, and offers salvation through His sacrifice rather than our own striving.
Key points
- 1
If we place wrong expectations on Jesus and He doesn't meet them, we will conclude that God doesn't work — when the real problem is we invented a counterfeit Christ.
- 2
Jesus is a king who brings victory through humility — He rode in on a donkey, not a war horse, modeling that true winning in relationships and life comes through peace and humility, not power.
- 3
Jesus is a king who brings joy through sorrow — like a shepherd who leads us through the valley, He does not route us around pain but walks us through it to healing and real joy.
- 4
Jesus is a king who brings salvation through sacrifice, not strength — He entered Jerusalem as the perfect Passover Lamb, dying in our place so we could be saved by His sacrifice, not our effort.
- 5
Our response to His sacrifice is to offer our lives as living sacrifices — surrendering ourselves to Jesus as Lord and Savior and living from His love rather than working to earn it.
Outline
Introduction — Setting the Stage
Pastor Hunter introduces the series 'The Road to Easter' and frames the central tension: Jesus presents Himself as king, but He is not the king people expected. The Kevin-and-the-garbage illustration sets up the idea that Jesus may not be the help we want, but He is exactly the help we need.
Historical Context — Israel Under Rome
Pastor Hunter explains 90 years of Roman occupation, heavy taxation, and the Jewish longing for a Messiah who would crush their enemies and restore their freedom, showing why the crowd's expectations were so misplaced.
The Triumphal Entry — Matthew 21:1-11
Pastor Hunter reads and unpacks the triumphal entry, noting that Jesus deliberately rides a donkey to signal humility and peace — and that by Friday the same crowd shouting 'Hosanna' will shout 'Crucify Him.'
Point 1 — Victory Through Humility
Jesus chose a donkey over a war horse, modeling that lasting victory in marriage, relationships, and life comes through humility and peace rather than power plays and one-upmanship.
Point 2 — Joy Through Sorrow
Using the buffalo-in-the-storm illustration and Psalm 23, Pastor Hunter shows that Jesus leads His people through pain rather than around it, because real joy lies on the other side of sorrow.
Point 3 — Salvation Through Sacrifice
Jesus entered Jerusalem as the perfect Passover Lamb, offering salvation not through strength but through His sacrifice on the cross. We receive that salvation freely and respond by offering our own lives to Him.
Gospel Invitation and Closing
Pastor Hunter invites anyone who has never surrendered to Jesus to pray and make Him Lord and Savior, then calls the whole church to worship with 'Hosanna' — both a cry for help and a cry of praise to the king we truly need.
Memorable moments
Jesus may not be the king we want, but he's the king we need
They're saying praise God, Hosanna on Sunday, these same voices that are screaming out Hosanna are gonna be the same voices on Friday screaming out, crucify him
He may not be the Jesus you want, but he's the Jesus we need
we live from God's love. We're not here to earn God's love, but we actually start with the fact that Jesus wanted us while we were still sinners, while we were still broken
Jesus is a king who knows that only makes things worse. He wants to take us through. That conviction in your life, He wants to take you through that. He wants you to deal with it. He wants you to walk through it because there is healing on the other side
Hosanna is this beautiful word that we can bring to our king. It's a word that says, God, save me in my hard times now. Would you save me? Hosanna, help me. At the very same time, Hosanna, praise you because I know you're gonna do it because you've done it before
Application
Pastor Hunter calls us to honestly examine where we have built a counterfeit Jesus shaped around our own preferences — a king we expect to fix our circumstances, defeat our enemies, or confirm our comfort. The practical challenge is threefold: first, bring humility into the relationships where you have been trying to win through power; second, stop numbing or avoiding the pain in your life and instead run through it with Jesus, trusting that healing and joy are on the other side; third, stop trying to earn God's love through performance and instead receive the salvation Jesus purchased through His sacrifice — then offer your life back to Him as your Lord. For those taking that step for the first time, the invitation is open right now. For everyone, the next question is simply: where is Jesus asking you to sacrifice?
