Jesus, who we now know to be God, humbled himself by not only taking on the appearance of a man, but going even further to sit on a donkey. Jesus could have just as easily come to Jerusalem on the back of a stallion or an even greater animal, but He obeyed the will of God, and fulfilled the prophecies by entering on a lowly animal. Even the disciples, we read, didn’t understand why Jesus decided to do this, until after His resurrection. 

So Jesus rode into Jerusalem, with a crowd of people singing praises and laying down their clothes and palms before Him. Even with the humble appearance, the crowds still decided to follow Jesus and glorify His name. This agitated the Pharisees greatly. Throughout the earlier accounts (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) we hear of the Pharisees trying to test Jesus, and attempting to contradict His teachings. They always had something negative to say about Him. But in this account, the Pharisees were unable to say anything against Jesus; they could only get frustrated because of their futile efforts. They say that “the whole world is following him,” which shows that, regardless of their actions, they could not stop people coming to Christ.

This is truly amazing. As Jesus came humbly, to what He knew would be His death, the crowds could not help but sing praises and follow. Even the Pharisees could not speak against Him, after arguing with Him every step up till this point. We are called to bring the same humility in our walks with Christ, but often we fear what others will think. If we lower ourselves too much, won’t others simply walk over us? But Christ promises that humility will be rewarded by our God. When we act humbly, people will see that, and just as the passage shows us, they will be unable to do anything about it. We serve a God that is bigger than all of our problems, why should we fear what those around us may think? We must lower ourselves so that people may not see our own shortcomings, but God’s glory through us.

This upcoming Holy week, I challenge each of you to humble yourselves for God’s glory. You need not fear of what others may think- God promises a great reward for His faithful servants. Keep your eyes on that reward when life becomes difficult. When every step is exhausting and you can no longer support the burden on your shoulders- think of the reward that is promised for you. God does not break His promises. Stay humble my friends, so when people look your way, they don’t see you, but the God who sent you..

 Mathew Kuriakkose , NJ, USA