Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the most powerful and prophetic week in all of history—Holy Week. It’s the moment Jesus publicly enters Jerusalem, not just as a teacher or miracle worker, but as the promised Messiah.
But He doesn’t enter the city like most kings would.
He doesn’t ride a majestic warhorse or arrive surrounded by troops.
He rides in on… a donkey.
It’s one of the most beautiful paradoxes in Scripture—and one of the clearest reminders that God doesn’t always show up the way we expect. But He always shows up.
In Luke 19:28–40, Jesus tells two of His disciples to go into a village and find a colt—specifically a young donkey that had never been ridden. He gives them supernatural insight about where it would be tied up, and what to say if someone questions them:
"The Lord has need of it."
What seems like a simple moment is actually the fulfillment of ancient prophecy.
Zechariah 9:9 declared:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey…”
Why a donkey?
Because God delights in doing the unexpected.
He bypasses grandeur and enters in humility.
He doesn't need a show horse—He chooses the unqualified, the tied up, the overlooked.
And in that choice, we find hope.
Let’s not sanitize the image.
A donkey in Jewish culture was considered unclean.
It walked through dirt, carried burdens, and brayed obnoxiously.
It wasn’t majestic—it was mundane.
And that’s the point.
If Jesus can use a donkey to carry His glory into Jerusalem, then He can use you and me to carry His message to the world.
You may feel like your life is too messy, your past too checkered, or your gifts too small.
But hear this: The Lord has need of you.
So often, our frustration comes not from a lack of faith—but from mismatched expectations.
The people on Palm Sunday were crying out “Hosanna!” (“Save us!”), expecting a King who would overthrow Rome.
But by Friday, many were shouting “Crucify him,” because the salvation they expected didn’t look like the salvation they received.
They wanted a crown.
Jesus came for a cross.
They wanted military power.
He brought mercy and grace.
They were expecting the right thing, but in the wrong way.
And because of that, many missed the miracle in front of them.
In the middle of Israel’s captivity in Babylon, God spoke a promise:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” — Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)
In Hebrew, that phrase “expected end” is “acharit tikvah”—a hope-filled conclusion.
God was telling His people:
“You may be in an unexpected place, but I haven’t changed My plans.
I still know the ending I have in mind.
And it’s filled with hope.”
You may feel stuck in a “Friday” season right now.
Pain. Disappointment. Questions.
But—Friday is not the end.
It’s just the middle.
And the middle is messy, but the resurrection is coming.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He healed blind men in different ways:
The expected end was the same: their sight.
But the method was different each time.
And that’s important—because if you put your faith in the method, you’ll miss the miracle.
God’s nature never changes, but His methods often do.
So stop comparing your journey to someone else’s.
Your breakthrough might look different, feel different, or take longer—
But God is still working.
The donkey Jesus used had never been ridden and was still tied up.
That’s powerful.
Because many of us disqualify ourselves while we’re still bound.
We say: “I’m not ready.” “I’m still stuck.” “I’m too far gone.”
But Jesus doesn’t wait for us to be perfect.
He calls us while we’re still tied up.
And when He looses us—He redeems us.
Exodus 13:13 tells us that donkeys were redeemed by the blood of a lamb.
How fitting—because that’s exactly what Jesus, the Lamb of God, came to do.
This Palm Sunday, the question isn’t whether Jesus wants to use you.
He’s already said: “The Lord has need of you.”
The question is—will you carry Him?
Will you praise Him even when your expectations aren’t met?
Will you trust Him even when it looks like Friday and not Sunday?
Because if you do…
You’ll see that even the most unexpected places are part of the plan.
Even donkeys can carry divine purpose.
And the story always ends with hope.
So walk tall, even if you’ve been walking low.
You’re carrying the King of Kings.
Lift your head.
Lift your voice.
And don’t be surprised when God does something unexpectedly good in your life.
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