Palm Sunday - Glorified Humility
John 12
Jesus’ Triumphant Entry
12T he next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,
“Praise God!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hail to the King of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:
15“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.
Look, your King is coming,
riding on a donkey’s colt.”
16 His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.
17 Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. 18 That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”
See, Believing and Misunderstanding...
true glory looks like humility:
- not power taken/seized
- but love given
- not control or coercion
- but surrender
- not domination
- but self-giving
"In Jesus, we see the fullness of God—and that fullness looks like humility."
The Tension of Palm Sunday
The crowd shouts:
“Hosanna!”
But Gospel of John tells us:
They did not understand.
They celebrate Jesus…
but expect something different from him.
- They want victory without suffering
- Power without sacrifice
- Glory without a cross
This Lenten Journey
Each story has been shaping how we see Jesus:
- Nicodemus → Faith doesn’t always begin with clarity
- Samaritan woman → Being known matters more than having answers
- man born blind → Seeing often begins with admitting we cannot
- Mary and Martha → Trust is formed in grief and delay
We are still learning to see.
The Kind of King Jesus Is
Jesus enters not on a war horse—but a donkey.
This fulfills the vision prophesied in Zechariah 9:9
A king who comes in gentleness.
And deepened in Philippians 2:5–11:
He humbled himself… even to death on a cross.
This is glorified humility:
- Humility is not weakness
- It is the very character of God
- It is how God works in our lives
Responding to God's Humility
We still wrestle with this.
We want:
- clarity
- control
- certainty
- quick resolution
But Jesus invites us to:
- trust without full understanding
- follow without control
- love without guarantees
Humility makes real relationship possible.
Without humility:
- we defend ourselves
- we protect our image
- we avoid truth
With humility:
- we can tell the truth about ourselves
- we can receive from others
- we can change
Humility accomplishes what force never can:
it creates space for honesty, transformation, and love.
Trusting Love
We’ve been praying:
We trust your love.
Not because everything is clear—
but because Jesus shows us what God is like.
A Lenten Litany of Trust
Leader:
God of love,
you meet us in the wilderness and call us your own.
People:
We trust your love.
We will stay present to the needs of others.
We will notice what we might usually pass by.
Leader:
When questions rise and answers are unclear,
People:
We trust your love.
We will pause before rushing to solutions.
We will pray and listen before acting.
Leader:
When following Jesus asks us to take risks,
People:
We trust your love.
We will speak the hard truth with care.
We will choose integrity over convenience.
Leader:
When we are seen more clearly than we expected,
People:
We trust your love.
We will bring our full selves honestly to God and others.
We will resist hiding behind excuses or masks.
Leader:
When our vision is limited and our faith feels fragile,
People:
We trust your love.
We will keep showing up, even in small ways.
We will practice patience with ourselves and others.
Leader:
When grief lingers and hope feels delayed,
People:
We trust your love.
We will stay with those who mourn.
We will care without needing immediate results.
Leader:
When Jesus is not what we expected,
People:
We trust your love.
We will follow without insisting on comfort or control.
We will look for him in surprising places and people.
Leader:
When temptation whispers that love is not enough,
People:
We trust your love.
We will resist shortcuts that harm relationships.
We will act with honesty and patience.
Leader:
Shape in us a holiness
that is not about rules,
but about loving in practical ways, day by day.
People:
We trust your love.
And we will walk in this way.
Amen.
Questions to Consider:
- What kind of “king” are you expecting Jesus to be right now?
- What does humility cost?
- Where are you resisting the slower, less obvious work of God?
- What would it mean to follow Jesus without needing resolution?
- Are you willing to sacrifice "the glory" and exercise humility?
