The Promise of a King

The casting of your robes was both a sign of reverence on the one hand, but it was also a sign of your willingness for this king to have everything. In Mark 11, 1 to 11, they start waving palm branches, which in ancient Israel, those were symbols of victory. They shout, hoszammer, which simply means save now. So this picture is beautiful. He comes as Messiah. But the manner in which he comes is surprising. It does not come on a majestic horse demonstrating his might but on a lowly donkey demonstrating his humility. There's a paradox there. Yes, he has come to bring salvation but perhaps not the kind that the people had imagined.