Through The Bible in a Year - July 6, 2026

"Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!' And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, 'Who is this?'" - Matthew 21:8-11

When the crowd spread cloaks and palm branches in the road and shouted "Hosanna," they weren't inventing a new ceremony. They were reenacting the inauguration of King Jehu—the Old Testament king sent by God to deliver Israel from the wicked reign of Ahab and Jezebel. When Jehu arrived so suddenly and unexpectedly, the people improvised: no silk carpets, no gold bricks, just whatever they had—cloaks, branches, whatever was at hand—was spread in the road as a makeshift coronation carpet.

And "Hosanna" was not just an exclamation of praise. It was the cry from Psalm 118, shouted annually at the Feast of Tabernacles—the feast that celebrated God tabernacling, making His home with His people. "Hosanna" means "God saves." "Hosanna in the highest" means "God’s salvation deserves our highest praise and honor."

The crowd may not have fully understood what they were saying. But they were right. This King had come to deliver His people from a worse enemy than Ahab. He had come to tabernacle with humanity forever, making his home in the hearts of those who receive Him. And for those who receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord, God saves forever – that is the highest of blessings, deserving the highest of praise.

The whole city was stirred up asking, "Who is this?" It is still the most important question any person can answer.

Not "What do people say about Jesus?" Not "What does my tradition declare about Jesus?" But honestly, personally: Who is this Jesus to you?

Jesus made this ride as a deliberate declaration of His identity. He rode the prophesied donkey. He accepted the coronation cloaks. He received the Hosannas. He preceded this triumphal entry with a personal tour through the territories of Israel, re-claiming them as His own—from Dan in the north, to Caesarea Philippi in the west, through Jericho like Joshua in the east, then – from the South – down the Mount of Olives. Jesus was leaving no ambiguity about who He was or the claim that He had on the Promised Land that reflects the spiritual Kingdom He gives to those who trust Him. Jesus’s journey showed that, unlike previous kings of Israel, He was the King who would not fail to claim or hold all the territory that God had prepared for his people.

Jesus is the King. Not one option among many. Not simply a prophet among prophets. Not just a teacher among teachers. He is the King. The One who deserves our love and devotion because His power and love are securing the blessings of his eternal Kingdom for us.

Respond: "Who is this?"—the whole city asked it, and it's still the question that determines everything.

If He is truly the King—not just of Palm Sunday but of your life—then He is due the honor of your heart, the praise of your lips, and the obedience of your daily choices.

This week, take stock of how you're actually treating Jesus day to day. Are you treating Him as the King who deserves your devotion, or as a helpful advisor whom you listen to when it seems best for you? Where is your practical allegiance going—to His priorities or to the world's?

The crowd gave Jesus what they had—improvised, inadequate, but genuine devotion. Bring what you have – your resources, your priorities, your devotion. Give them to the King and He will reign in your heart and life, providing what is absolutely best for your eternal soul in his Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, the crowd asked "Who is this?" and I want to answer from my heart, not just my head: Jesus is my King. He is the Son of David, the fulfillment of every prophecy, the one who came to deliver me from a worse enemy than Ahab. Because of Jesus, I can shout, “Hosanna—God saves—in the highest”. Jesus is my King. Not just a helpful advisor for my life. Jesus is King over my life. So, help me to lay whatever I have in the road of my life before Your Son—my inadequate praise, my imperfect obedience, my whole life. He is worthy of it all. Help me to trust Him enough to consecrate my all to Him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.