Jesus rides into Jerusalem in order to identify himself as the king prophesied in the scriptures and anticipated by the people of Israel, but he does not meet their exact expectations of what their king would be like. When Jesus doesn’t meet our exact expectations, is he the king we want?

The people of Israel expected and wanted a warrior-king who would battle their enemies. Some of us want Jesus to be a king who expels the people we disagree with. We want a king who legitimizes our team, our take, and our perspective, while forgetting the grace-based, open, and inclusive kingdom over which Jesus is king. Others of us want the grace-based, open, and inclusive kingdom, but are less comfortable with Jesus as a sovereign king who makes a total claim on our lives.

But, Jesus is both sovereign king and inclusive savior who rescued us that we would be the new temple of God: filled with the Spirit to extend the love of the king and his kingdom.