A Reenactment Reinterpreted

On the surface, the Triumphal Entry looks like a spontaneous parade—palm branches waving, crowds shouting “Hosanna!”—but John shows us it’s something far deeper. The people are reenacting a familiar script from Israel’s history, welcoming Jesus the way their ancestors once welcomed Simon Maccabeus, their liberating leader. Yet Jesus intentionally flips the scene on its head.

He doesn’t ride a warhorse like a conquering general; He comes on a donkey—a prophetic drama that redefines kingship. In this sermon, Pastor Thomas unpacks the historical and cultural backdrop of John 12 to show how Jesus confronts our expectations—both then and now.

You’ll hear how Christ refuses to be co-opted by our politics, why reforming culture is not the same as saving souls, and why the Church—not government—is God’s chosen instrument to display His Kingdom. And you’ll see the hope of the gospel: the humble King who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey will one day return in glory, riding on a white horse to judge evil and rescue His people.

This message calls us to receive Jesus as He really is—not our version of Him, but the King revealed in Scripture—so that we might follow Him faithfully in our world today.