King For A Day

It’s prom season now. In the fall, it’s homecoming season. Each of these has a king and queen for the day. It’s just a temporary title. The next year there will be a new one crowned. The sad fact about Palm Sunday is that for many involved it was the same. Many who yelled “Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord” that very day would look at Jesus the following Friday in Pilate’s Hall and make fun of him saying “we have no king but Caesar.”

There is a lesson for us all. If you’ve never accepted Jesus, there is a king over you—Satan himself. No matter how you believe or feel about it, the fact doesn’t change. If the devil can keep you away from the cross, you’ll die in your sins and realize the awful truth. Pay heed to this scripture. In a sense, Palm Sunday was a stark reality that Jesus was King only for a day in the minds of so many people. I hope you realize this is the time of God’s visitation to you today.

Luke 19:37 “And when he was come nigh , even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38 Saying , Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace , the stones would immediately cry out . 41 And when he was come near , he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying , If thou hadst known , even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round , and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground , and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

I’ve often wondered what was in Jesus’ mind when he crested Mount Olivet that day. He’d done it many times, but that morning was very different. Little did the world know, this began a week that would change the course of history. Sitting on a donkey, his 12 disciples with him, he came into sight. No doubt he was dusty. No doubt he was tired. For three years he had no place to call his own to lay his head. What was on his mind?

There were many people there. It was the first day of Passover. Everyone would be choosing their lamb for the occasion. When they looked up, Jesus stood out. They began to shout and lift praises. “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” The emotion of the moment caught on. They cut palm branches and began to wave them. Many took off their outer garments and laid the proverbial red carpet down for Jesus. He paused. Yes. He was King, but instead of being flattered Jesus wept. He knew in only four days it would change. He could look around and see the garden of Gethsemane. He could see the house of the High Priest where he’d be tried. He could see the court of Pilate where this very crowd would gather on Friday and cry “we have no king but Caesar.” He could look further and see the hill of the skull-Golgotha. He could see crosses on the blood-stained hill because Roman executions were a daily occurrence. As they called him King that day, he could see the cross with a sign over it that said “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.” What happened? What kind of people would do this?

Before we can say a thing about them, we have to think about Jesus in our own life? How often does he get to be King and for how long? Is he your King only on Sunday? Is he King for a few days and then you lapse back into ruling your own life? Is he your King at church when you sing, but out of these doors you don’t pray. Maybe you don’t even live for him. Do you ever prove what you say in church by what you do? Sure they got loud and hyped up that day, but Jesus knew what it meant. It wouldn’t hold. They couldn’t, and neither can we, blame Jesus for it.

Jesus knew all this, but he kept on riding into town. Everything changed when he hit the gate of the city. The temple was anything but a temple. They had made it a den of thieves. Many churches today are anything but. Is he King? What Pilate ordered placed above the cross was not changed even though the people protested. To be this King, Jesus had to take unto him all our sins, the sins of the entire Adam race. For the first and only time, the Father couldn’t look at his Son. Jesus felt it. He was forsaken by God, and he did it for us. Because he was King, he could have come down from the cross. He didn’t even have to come to earth in the first place. In spite of all this, he stayed on the donkey riding to his death. He did it because he was the King of Glory, the King of all creation, the King of eternity. Nothing man can do or say will ever change it. He remains King forever! He stayed on the cross so he could be the King of your soul. We don’t realize our hyprocrisy. We should hit our knees everyday because of our very need for him. He provides for us. He governs us. He saved us from hell.

His presence spoke of who he was. He wept. If only they could realize it. If only they had known it was the day of their visitation from heaven. If we’d only grasp it. It’s such a privelege to know the Lord. We have a choice. Pilate asked the people what they wanted him to do with Jesus. They shouted “crucify him.” I have some questions for you. Do you really have a king? Do you realize the importance of having Jesus as King? Do you recognize who Jesus is? Do you realize how much you need him? If you do, how long will he be your King? Till you get to work with your buddies Monday? Just for today but not again until next Sunday?

Jesus is King forever! Recognize him all the days of our life. He wants to be your King each and every day. Do you want him to be? Don’t let him be just King for a day.