Why did Jesus ride a donkey into Jerusalem?

Pastor Ken says the crowd expected a king on a stallion who would free them from Rome. Zechariah 9:9 describes a king who comes humbly on a donkey, and Pastor Ken reads that as Jesus saying he is a servant king who came to suffer and save the world, not to lead an army. He also notes the colt was borrowed: “The Lord needs it.”

Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem?

Pastor Ken says the same crowd that shouted praise would be calling for his crucifixion days later, and even disciples who had seen miracles would turn away. He says Jesus wept rather than raged. In his telling, it shows Jesus still pursuing people who don’t yet understand who he is.

What does it mean that “the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40)?

When the Pharisees tell Jesus to silence his followers, he says that if they kept quiet, the stones would cry out. Pastor Ken takes that to mean worship will happen with or without us, and that you don’t have to be perfect or have it figured out to join in. He says the way we cheer at a game is a small picture of how we’re made to respond to God.

Can you be around Jesus and still miss who he is?

Pastor Ken says yes. The crowd had seen Jesus’ miracles and still turned on him, and he warns that growing up in church or knowing the name of Jesus isn’t the same as surrendering your heart. He adds that people walk away when they expect Jesus to serve their agenda, and he encourages reading Scripture for yourself, as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11.