Matthew 21:1-11

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

The Mount of Olives overlooks Jerusalem to the east, and on Palm Sunday Jesus comes down the Mount of Olives in a triumphant procession as he enters the city. The excitement around Jesus has been slowly coming to a boil, but each time the lid is about to blow off, Jesus calms the crowds, or quickly withdraws, or tells the people not to say anything. Palm Sunday, however, is the moment when Jesus goes public. He encourages the shouts of Hosanna and the waving of the palm branches; his procession is a deliberately provocative and political act. And, just a few days later, he'll be crucified.

So, why does he do it?

I think the answer is that it's finally time for him to engage the fight. Jesus was born to die. Up to this moment, he has been biding his time. Now that the time has come, he's ready.

At some point, the difficult thing can't be avoided--it must be engaged.

P.S. Jesus is the son of David [1:1] who finally claims David’s city— Jerusalem—as king, and for a brief time on that first Palm Sunday, the people correctly acknowledge his identity [21:9].