The King We Need - Radical

The King We Need

Though Jesus came as a king, he was not the kind of king that most people expected. He didn’t come to provide immediate political and military victory, nor did he strike people as outwardly impressive. Jesus was different than other earthly kings. In this message from Mark 11:1–11, David Platt helps us see that, despite our expectations, Jesus Christ is precisely the kind of king we need. His authority, his humility, his power over sin, his ability to give us peace with God, and his ability heal us—for all these reasons and many more, there is no one like Jesus.

There is nothing like this Word in all the world. It’s why we gather together, in a way that doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, to open up a book and read it together. Because this is the Word of God, passed down for generations, century after century after century, thousands of years. It is remarkably relevant to our lives in the world right now, just like it has been for generation after generation, in nation after nation. 

Just think about this last week, as we’ve seen a tragic, evil and all-too-predictable script play out yet again through another school shooting, followed by all kinds of people shouting, often with vitriol, their opinions and perspectives about these policies and those politicians. To be clear—for people whom God has called and requires to do justice—we care a lot about policies and politicians. We work hard to protect people, particularly the vulnerable. But if we’re not careful, especially in this city—the capital of our country where there’s so much focus on our government, lawmakers, policies and politicians—we are in danger of missing the whole point. This is where the Bible, and the text we just so happen to be in today, is so relevant, helpful and needed. In the passage we’re about to read from 2,000 years ago, the Jewish people were being oppressed by an unjust Roman Empire. They were looking for political solutions, namely a political savior who would deliver them. They were wanting a king who would save them from their political enemies, a political messiah who would restore a political kingdom to Israel. So momentum was building around Jesus, as many people thought, “He’s the one. He’s the Messiah.” By that, they meant, “He’s the political savior we’ve been waiting for.” So let me show you what happened in Mark 11: 

1 Now when [the disciples of Jesus] drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

So here’s this text for Palm Sunday. The reason it’s called Palm Sunday is in this picture in verses seven and eight that we just read. As Jesus sits on this colt and comes into the city of Jerusalem, they spread their cloaks on the road, others spread leafy branches. John 12 tells us they were branches of palm trees which is significant because palm branches were symbols of political might and military victory. 

A generation before Jesus, people had waved palm branches before another leader named Simon Maccabee, who led a military campaign to drive Israel’s enemies out of Jerusalem. So these people in this text were probably thinking, “Now Jesus is going to do the same.” But the way Jesus enters into the Jerusalem makes clear that he is not the kind of king they thought he was. He’s not the kind of king they wanted. Instead, he was unlike any other king and the kind of king they needed.

In the capital of our country, where people are already lining up to say what kind of politician or president we need in the days ahead, what kind of policies we need to save our country—those are important questions and conversations to dive into—but infinitely far above it all, we need to lift our eyes to the King who can provide what no policy, politician or president can ever provide. 

1. We need a king with authority and power over sin in this world

This is the kind of king we need. The first clue we have in this passage that this king is unlike any other in the history of the world is when Jesus sends his disciples to find a colt for him to ride on The owner asks, “Why are you doing this?” The answer is, “The Lord has need of it.” The Lord. That’s a title for God. God in the flesh, riding on a colt? That’s exactly what the prophet Malachi had written 500 years before this in Malachi 3:1: “And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” The Lord will come to the temple in Jerusalem. That’s exactly what’s happening in Mark 11. More specifically, Zechariah 9:9–10 prophesied the following—again, 500 years before Mark 11:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.    

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.” Zion in the Bible is a reference to the people, the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is often referred to in the Bible as Zion because Mount Zion is the highest and most prominent hill in Jerusalem. So Mark tells us about Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a colt as a fulfillment of what Zechariah had written five centuries before. “Inhabitants of Jerusalem, rejoice and shout, because your king is coming to you.” 

What is the first description of this king? He is righteous. He is perfectly just. He is one in whom there is no evil, no sin, no injustice. He is righteous. Is this not what we most need in the world? Not another sinful politician or president. Not imperfect policy developed by sinful people. What we need is a just and righteous king with all authority over evil and injustice.

2. We need a king with humility and compassion for sinners in this world

Not only is this king righteous, Zechariah 9:9 says he is also humble. Don’t we all long for a humble king? Just think about a king in a coronation. He would be hailed, honored and revered, dressed in ornamental and regal attire, surrounded by splendor and pageantry. That’s not the picture we have in Mark 11. 

Jesus is surrounded by lowly Galileans, coming into the city not with riches, but in poverty, not in majesty, but in meekness, humble and riding on a colt—which I’ll come back to in a minute. Let’s read how Luke describes this moment as Jesus rides toward Jerusalem. Listen to Luke 19:41–44:

41 And when [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

 Jesus knew these inhabitants in Jerusalem were about to reject him, about to crucify him, and not long after that Jerusalem would actually be destroyed. So what does Jesus do? He weeps over the city. He cries. This is a king who is crying passionately about the people he sees. Isn’t this what we need? A king who not only has power over sin, but who also has compassion for sinners—to be clear, that includes each one of us. 

It is so easy in weeks like this, when we see such evil in others, to lose sight of the seriousness of sin in us. We can compare ourselves with people who do those things, or even groups of people who think differently about those things than us, then in the process we can totally lose sight of the depth of depravity in each of our hearts. Ladies and gentlemen, we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The problem in the world is not those people with those issues. The problem in the world is not outside of us; it is inside of us. 

G.K. Chesterton once read an article entitled “What’s Wrong With the World?” He responded to the editor with a short note that said, “Dear Sir, I am. Yours truly, G.K. Chesterton.” 

Without exception, whatever you may look like, however you may identify yourself, whatever your profession or preferences or perspective may be, we are all sinners who have turned aside from God’s good and wise ways, to ourselves and our own evil, foolish ways. We all need a king who not only has authority and power over sin, but who has humility and compassion for sinners.

3. We need a king who can save us from our sin

Which leads to the ultimate picture of what we need: a king who can save us from our sin which is why these crowds in Mark 11 are shouting, “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest.” This word means “Save us!” The reality is though that they had no idea of the depth of what they were saying. They didn’t just need to be saved from political enemies;  they needed to be saved from their own sin. 

Psalm 118 says, “Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” This is what Zechariah 9:9 says, “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he.” Put these together with the timing of Jesus entering Jerusalem. It’s Passover week, the time when God’s people traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the day when God saved his people from slavery in Egypt, when God brought his people salvation through the blood of a spotless lamb. Jesus was entering the city with no sin in him, then five days later, on Good Friday, he went to a cross. Why would we call this “Good Friday”—the day when God in the flesh was crucified by sinners? How is that good? It is good because he paid the price for our sins. We need a king who can free us from the payment and penalty of sin. We need a king who will make a way for us to be forgiven by God, accepted before God and restored to God. We need a king to save us. 

The story doesn’t end there. Let’s  keep going.

4. We need a king who can give us peace with God

 Now come back to this picture of Jesus riding on a colt. It was not uncommon for a king to ride on a donkey or colt like this; the key was when a king would ride on a donkey like this. If a king was going to war, he would ride on a war horse as a picture of power, but when he was not at war, he would ride on a donkey as a picture of peace. Now this starts to make sense, doesn’t it? When Luke tells this story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem, he knows the crowds didn’t just shout, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” They shouted, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38). We read earlier what Luke writes right after this when Jesus was weeping. He said, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!” Now, remember the prophecy from Zechariah 9:10: “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations.” 

One of my other favorite moments from our prayer gathering Friday night was when we went around the auditorium and shouted out the names of nations where we had lived. It felt like we covered most of the countries around the world. It was so beautiful—from Bolivia to Qatar, from Russia to Ukraine, from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to one person who shouted out “Alabama.” The kingdom of Alabama! It’s not another nation, but it’s pretty different from Saudi Arabia, so we’ll count it that way. So we thought together about all the places represented in this room. There is a king who has power to bring peace to all of them together. 

This is the whole scene at the end of Revelation—a multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. What are they doing? They’re singing the same song. They’re enjoying the same king. Just picture two of those countries, Russia and Ukraine. There’s a king who has power to bring peace to the nations! In a world of evil, wickedness, strife, conflict, injustice and war, we need a king who will bring ultimate peace with God, which then leads to peace with one another. 

Now let’s make the connection here. In Jerusalem, these people were not expecting a political messiah with military might. They wanted a ruler who would wield his power and overthrow Israel’s oppressors, just like we want rulers who will wield power and crush enemies. We’re drawn to them. But Jesus is a different kind of king. He came not wielding political power, but bringing spiritual peace. Isaiah 9:6 says he is the Prince of Peace. Jesus comes, not crushing enemies, but loving them, all of them, from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth, to all nations, to every generation. The generation today is drowning in anxiety and depression. We desperately need a king who can give us peace, which leads to the last picture here.

5. We need a king who can heal our hearts

In the end of this passage, Jesus enters Jerusalem, goes to the temple and looks around at everything. The bottom line is that these were people whose hearts were sick and desperately in need of healing. We’ll develop this more in the weeks to come.

Ladies and gentlemen, so are we. In the world around us, just look at the headlines. In the country around us, just look at the headlines. But don’t stop there. In this room, we desperately need one who can heal our hearts in a way that no politician, president, policy, rule or regulation can do. Our greatest need is not these things. Our greatest need is new hearts.

You need a new heart. I need a new heart. We all need new hearts and there’s only one king who can take sinful, broken, weary hearts and make them new. His name is King Jesus—he’s the one we need. He’s the one every single person in Metro Washington, DC, needs. He’s the one every single person in our country needs. He’s the one every single person in every country needs. 

Let’s remember that this king came the first time riding on a donkey, a colt. But ladies and gentlemen, one day this king is coming back and that scene is going to be a lot different. Let me show it to you in Revelation 19:11–16: 

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Mark it down. Jesus came the first time to be crucified as king. Jesus is coming back to be crowned as king. Then every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Then every tongue will confess in every nation that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is king, to the glory of God the Father. 

The question for every single person is are you living your life under the lordship of King Jesus? Is it clear in your life that Jesus is your king? If your answer to that question is not a resounding yes, then know there is coming a day when you will bow the knee to Jesus as king. The question is not, “Will you bow?” The question is, “Will you bow now, or will you bow when it’s too late?” I urge you to bow to King Jesus now, not because you have to, but because he is the king you need, because this is where life is found. 

In a world of evil and injustice, follow the king who has power and authority over sin, who has humility and compassion for sinners, who can save you from all your sin. Only he can bring you peace with God. Only he can heal your heart and make it new. Yes, bow to this king and experience life. Follow Jesus and experience life now as a son or daughter of the king himself, not just as a citizen of an eternal kingdom, as if that’s not enough. 

So, I urge you today to trust in and follow Jesus as king. When you do, and for all who know Jesus as king, can I just give you a word of exhortation flowing from this text? Especially for us in this city and country, as another political cycle is already gearing up, I plead with you, based on the Word of God, as you have opinions and convictions about policies and politicians, live with far greater passion and commitment to loving and leading people to King Jesus. As a people called to do justice, let us think well and wisely how to promote goodness and protect the vulnerable around us. Let’s even share our thoughts with others in a spirit of honor and humility, with compassion, realizing that even brothers and sisters in Christ may disagree on these opinions and convictions at different points. 

Yet let us all live with single-minded passion and zeal, with commitment to loving people of all kinds around us, leading all kinds of people around us to the king they need. If we are more passionate about our political positions in our country than we are about people’s salvation in eternity, then we—like the crowds in Mark 11—will completely miss the point. Live, love and lead people to King Jesus all over this city. May the fragrance of our lives be to live,  love and lead people to King Jesus.

So who will you share Jesus with this week? Who will you invite to come with you next Sunday? I invite you to answer those questions in the next couple minutes, then write down names of people who come to mind. Who is in your sphere of influence? Think of family members, friends, coworkers, classmates, neighbors, acquaintances , realizing that God has put these people in your life to love and point them to King Jesus. 

If you’re here today and you’re not a follower of Jesus, you might be getting weirded out, maybe thinking we’re targeting you. You might be wondering what this is all about. Think about it this way. What if this is all true? Just imagine for a moment that it is all true, that 2,000 years ago Jesus died on a cross to pay the price for your sin, then rose from the grave and conquered death. That anyone who trusts in Jesus would be forgiven of their sin and have eternal life with God. That anyone who doesn’t believe, when they die, will spend eternity in suffering, separated from God.

Now, I know that for some, that may be a big leap. But just imagine for a moment it’s all true. If it is true, wouldn’t you want somebody to be intentional about sharing this with you and inviting you to hear it? If somebody believes this and doesn’t share it with you, doesn’t that show you they don’t love you very much? If they know your eternity is dependent on you hearing about and believing in Jesus, would they tell you about him? 

 Hopefully this gives a new perspective for those of you who are not in Jesus, and hopefully it gives some perspective to those who are in Jesus. 

God, give us hearts that weep over those who don’t know Jesus, in ways that lead us, in the opportunities we have, all over this city, to share Jesus, to invite people to come with them next Sunday. 

I want to give you a moment just to think and pray about these question right now, then I will lead us to pray accordingly. Knowing that when we invite people to hear the gospel, God will show the power of the gospel. 

God, right now, speak to our hearts by your Spirit. Put names and faces on our minds. Who are you calling us to share Jesus with this week? Who are you leading us to invite to come with us next Sunday?  

Okay, God has put names and faces in our minds, so right now, let’s intercede for those people. Just think of people who don’t know Jesus, or who are far from Jesus. Let’s intercede for them right now. Just picture Exodus 32 where Moses stood in the gap, praying for people who were under God’s judgment. In response to Moses’ prayer, God saved those people. In response to his prayer! So let’s stand in the gap and pray. Let’s believe God hears our prayers and will bring about salvation through our prayers. 

This can play out in different ways. Certainly during this time you can just pray on your own, silently where you are. At the same time, , if you are comfortable and would be willing, turn to a couple people around you and pray together; stand in the gap together. All across this room, let’s lift our voices and pray for people we long to see come to know Jesus over the next week. Pray for boldness for each other as you share the gospel or  invite them to church. So let’s do that right now, all across this room. Feel free to pray on your own, or to the extent you are willing, turn to somebody near you, and start praying together right now. Just dive in, praying and interceding for people who don’t know Jesus. Let’s just spend a few moments right now, based on this passage, praying that God would use us to lead these people to King Jesus and lift them up specifically before God.

O God, you hear our voices. You see our hearts as we lift these individuals before you—family members, friends, coworkers, classmates, neighbors. God, you love every single one of these people. You love them so much that you’ve given your Son to die for them. You desire all of them to be restored to relationship with you. So, God, we pray, please bring about your salvation in their lives this week. We pray that you would give us boldness, by your Spirit in us, to share the gospel this week, to invite people this week.

We pray for your compassion on us. We pray you would give us the heart of Jesus. We know the Spirit of Jesus is in us, so cause us to weep over those who don’t know you. God, we pray you would forgive us for not weeping over those who don’t know you. Give us a heart that cries passionately for these people in our lives to know you, to know your love, to be saved from sin and judgment, to experience restoration to you for all eternity.

God, we pray, that you would soften hearts and open eyes. Do what only you can do. Break through objections. We’ve been praying for some of these people  for years; we pray this will be the week they believe. We pray this across our city. We pray multitudes of people in our city would come to know you this week, Jesus. We pray for spiritual awakening in our city, for unexplainably soft hearts, for a supernatural drawing to you in our city. Please, God.

We pray this, not just for our church, but for churches all across this city that are proclaiming the gospel. We pray for your blessings on them. We pray that they would all be full next Sunday, filled with people coming to know Jesus. In fact, let’s just do that now. Let’s pray for churches all across our city. Let’s shout out names of different churches all across this city that are preaching the gospel. Let’s pray God will bless them for the spread of the gospel, that many people will come to know Christ through these churches over the next week. 

Yes, God, bless all these churches, we pray. Bless all the spirit-filled pastors and church members proclaiming the gospel in these places this week, . We pray that you would bless these churches all across our city for the exaltation of King Jesus. We’re so glad we are not in competition with any other church that’s proclaiming the gospel. We are so thankful to be a part of a family, a kingdom that’s much bigger than any one church.

God, cause your glory as king to be made known in all these churches, all across the city—and among the nations. Let’s do what we were doing in the smaller group on Friday night. Let’s just call out names of nations where we’ve lived. Let’s call out those nations in a spirit of prayer. 

Jesus, cause your name to be hallowed in all these nations. We pray for people in all these nations to come to know Jesus this week. King Jesus, speak peace to all these nations. Spread peace in all these nations, the peace that can only be found in you. God, we pray for your blessing on churches in all these nations. We pray for salvation of people we know in these nations. Give us faith as we’re praying these things. We’re not just throwing out words; we’re interceding. We’re standing in the gap. As you hear our prayers and answer our prayers, we pray that you will show your glory in our city, that you will show your glory among the nations. God, thank you for this privilege. We pray, show your glory in this church, in other churches, in our city, among all the nations this week in astounding ways that can only be explained by your hand. Draw people to yourself, King Jesus. 

Even as I pray this, with our heads bowed and eyes closed, I know that in a room this size there are some of you who are not living your life in submission to King Jesus. Some of you have never put your faith in King Jesus. Others of you maybe you followed Jesus as king at one point in your life, but it’s been a long time and you’re far from King Jesus right now. I want to invite you to say today, “I want to place my faith in Jesus as king now. I want to bow my knee now, not when it’s too late.” Or pray, “I want to come back to Jesus as king in my life for the first time in a long time.” If that’s you, with heads bowed and eyes closed, I want to pray over you. If that’s you, either for the first time or the first time in a long time, I invite you to follow Jesus as king. 

Would you just lift up your hand where you are if that describes you? Just lift your hand before God. This is not intended to be for others, but just you saying, “Yes, today I’m going to put a stake in the ground and follow Jesus as king of my life. I want to come back to Jesus as king.” Amen. Praise God. 

God, I pray over all those who are raising their hands. You know what is going on in their hearts and  lives. You love them and are passionately pursuing them. God, I praise you for their humility and boldness to say, “Yes, today is the day.” 

For those who are trusting in you as King Jesus for the first time, may they know that by faith in you, Jesus, they are forgiven of their sin and restored to relationship with you for eternal life. God, may they know that you so loved the world that you gave your one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will never perish but have everlasting life. 

All glory be to your name for bringing salvation in this room, for restoring others to you, bringing them back to you. God, we praise you that you don’t give up on your people, that you pursue your sons and daughters. We pray that as they come back to you, they would not do so with heads held low in shame. In our Bible reading this morning, we read Psalm 3 that tells us you are the lifter of our heads. May they know they are welcome back at your table, welcome in your family, with  heads held high, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus who forgives all our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. 

Jesus, we love having you as our king. We love seeking. worshiping and proclaiming you as our king. We shudder to think where we would be in our lives and where we would be in the world right now if we did not have the assurance that you are king over it all. So we want to praise you, worship you, exalt you as king. 

What does the passage say?

1) Read Mark 11:1-11 aloud as a group and take some time to let group members share observations about the text. Don’t yet move into interpretation or application, simply share what you observe.

  • Where are Jesus and His disciples headed and what does Jesus anticipate (Vv. 1-3)?
  • What do you notice about these disciples and about the others in this location (Vv.4-6)?
  • What thoughts and feelings do you have as you read or hear verses 7-11?
  • How would you summarize Mark 11:1-11 in one sentence?

What does the passage mean?

1) Jesus is Sovereign King and He has authority over everyone and everything.

  • Why does Jesus go to Jerusalem? Why did He enter Jerusalem in the way that He did? What is the significance of Jesus on the donkey? (Mk. 11:1–3) (see Mal. 3:1 and Zec. 9:9–10)
  • What do the owners of the donkey do and why? (Mk. 11:4–6) (see Lk. 19:29–35)
  • How is Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem not a political act, but a spiritual act? (Mk. 11:7–8) What does Jesus declare through this act? Why does Jesus come in peace, rather than in war?
  • What do the actions and words of the people show us? (Mk. 11:9–11) What does Mark declare in his gospel? (Mk. 11:10) 

How can we apply this passage to our lives?

1) Jesus is the King that we need.

  • Read Revelation 19:11-16.
  • What does it mean that we have a King with authority and power over sin in this world?
  • Why is it important that our King has humility and compassion for sinners and that He can save us from our sin?
  • Why do we need to have peace with God?
  • Why do we need Jesus to heal our hearts?

2) The world tries to draw us away from King Jesus.

  • Where are you trusting in peoples’ words rather than in God’s Word?
  • Where are you leaning into politics and public policies, when you should be leaning into Jesus?
  • How does your witness demonstrate that your allegiance is to Jesus and not to the world?
  • How can we help one another in our Church Group to focus more on Jesus and to lead others to Him?

3) True disciples point and lead others to King Jesus.

  • Who will you share Jesus with this week?
  • Who can you invite to come to church with you on Easter Sunday?

Mark 11:1-11 ESV

1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” 11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Why We Need a King

  • We need a King with authority and power over sin in this world.
  • We need a King with humility and compassion for sinners in this world.
  • We need a King who can save us from our sin.
  • We need a King who can give us peace with God.
  • We need a King who can heal our hearts.

As we have opinions and convictions about policies and politicians, we should live with far greater passion and commitment to loving and leading people to King Jesus.

David Platt

David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.

David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow MeCounter CultureSomething Needs to ChangeBefore You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.

Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

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