Scripture: “Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey…” — Matthew 21:5
During Lent, we journey with Jesus toward the cross. It’s a season of reflection, repentance, and realignment. But if we’re honest, it’s also a season that challenges our expectations.
The Triumphal Entry should have been Jesus’s big moment—the crowd cheering, palm branches waving, people shouting “Hosanna!” But underneath the celebration was a deep irony. The King came, not in glory, but on a borrowed donkey. Not to conquer Rome, but to conquer sin. And within days, the same crowd would yell “Crucify Him!”
Why? Because Jesus didn’t give them what they wanted. He gave them what they needed.
Lent calls us to confront the same question: What do I want from Jesus? Healing? Comfort? A quick fix? And what will I do when He doesn’t meet those expectations?
Jesus often enters our lives gently, not triumphantly. He calls us to humility, not applause. He offers us a cross, not a crown—at least not yet.
And here’s the mystery: the cross is the crown. The donkey ride is the victory parade. The disappointment of unmet expectations becomes the doorway to deeper faith.
Lenten Prayer:
Lord Jesus, during this season of Lent, strip away my false expectations. Teach me to welcome You as You are, not as I wish You’d be. Help me follow You, not for what You can do for me, but because You are the King who gave everything for me. Amen.
