The Return of The King

Luke 19:28-40; ( 2 Samuel 15)

God was always meant to be the people’s King, but the people nevertheless asked for a human king. So God gave them what they asked for—a man named Saul from the left-handed tribe of Benjamin was the first to be anointed king over Israel. But his reign was short-lived, and Israel had to take a mulligan on their request.

Then came a man after God’s own heart—a shepherd boy from the fields, the ruddiest of Jesse’s sons. David was anointed king-elect in his hometown, Bethlehem. And when his time came, he showed great promise. He defeated Israel’s enemies with courage and fervor. His worship was just as fierce—he captured Jerusalem with his mighty men and paraded the ark into the Holy City, dancing and singing in the streets. David rearmed the Levites with stringed instruments instead of swords and introduced song into the worship services of Israel for the first time. He seemed to be the ideal king that Israel desired.

Yet, though he was great, his reign ended in ruin. David’s sin with Bathsheba triggered a downward spiral that unraveled the kingdom. His sons followed in his footsteps, and their actions were constant reminders of the offenses David had committed. Though Goliath couldn’t defeat the anointed king—sin proved to be his greatest enemy and the one he could not overcome.

David’s kingship was stripped from him in a coup by his son Absalom. Like a magician yanking the tablecloth from beneath a fully set table, Absalom pulled the kingdom out from under his father overnight. King David didn’t fight. He retreated. And the once-mighty king—the psalmist, the worshipper, the giant slayer, the ark-deliverer—left the city of God in tears.

Mounted on a donkey, David rode out by way of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went over City. His friends tore their coats as they mourned the king's retreat, and as each hoof of his donkey trampled upon the ground, his fiercest critic hurled curses and stones upon him. The same king who had once entered Jerusalem in triumph now departed in defeat. How could this be the end? How could the man, after God’s own heart, finish his reign in retreat, leaving us longing, wanting, for a better king?

From that moment on, Israel would never be the same. David’s fall set in motion a slow unraveling—a divided kingdom, a broken people. But even in the darkness, a whisper remained—a promise of hope: one day, a son of David would ascend the throne again—and this time, it would have no end.

Sin—the great enemy of all kings and kingdoms of the world—had taken David down. If there was ever to be a kingdom that astonished the world, whose King no sin could defeat, no coup could unseat, and no enemy could conquer, He would have to be a King above all other kings—a King of Kings.

And then, one day, a child was born in Bethlehem—the very town where David once lived when he was anointed king.

Just days before Passover, that child—Jesus—now a man—approached Jerusalem for the last time. He rode on the foal of a donkey, one never before ridden, a firstborn of its kind. He, too, made his way through the Mount of Olives. But unlike David, this King wasn’t retreating—This King was Returning. Upon the very path David had wept and wandered in defeat, Jesus approached in triumph.

Coats weren’t torn in mourning this time—they were laid down in honor. The stones weren’t hurled in hate—they lay silent, held back by shouts of praise.

Jesus was hailed as King by Jews and Gentiles alike. They cheered, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the Son of David!” The True King, A King of Kings, rode into Jerusalem that day. The ancient longing for a more excellent King was finally answered.

Though Jesus’ critics sneered and demanded silence, He kept riding. Though He wept over Jerusalem’s impending rejection of him, He did not turn back. His compassion did not lead Him to retreat—but to press forward, all the way to the cross. There, He would be lifted up—enthroned—as King forever.

In King Jesus, we don’t just find the Son of David—we find the Son of God. He is both the heir to David’s throne and the fulfillment of God’s original desire: that He Himself would be the people’s King.

Jesus is the King above any and all Kings who have gone before him or to come after him because He is without sin. But more than that—He conquers sin. The very thing that defeated every king before Him, He overcame. And because sin has no claim on Him, it has no claim on those who belong to Him. Therefore, His Kingdom is eternal, unshakable, and unconquerable.

All who trust in Him will never be disappointed. All who belong to His Kingdom inherit its treasures—peace, joy, righteousness, and eternal life. His gates are open. Jew and Gentile alike are welcomed in. The once divided kingdom is now made of—one people, under one King, forever. In Christ, peace between God and man has been achieved.

So choose this day whom you will serve. To Where does your citizenship belong? Will you serve a dying kingdom of this world—or a Divine Kingdom offering you eternal life? Is your head bowed in defeat and shame, Like David? Then, let Christ the King lift it. Have you allowed someone or something to reign and rule your life rather than King Jesus? Hear this: every self-made king meets the same end as David. Only one King reigns and rules perfectly forever.

Are you left wanting by the world’s empty promises? Then, cling to Christ. Be satisfied in His Kingdom, for in Him, all hope is fulfilled.

And one more thing—There’s a hidden message that must be revealed so you can fully cherish the Return of the King.

That foal, the firstborn of a donkey that King Jesus rode, wasn’t just a symbol of peace. It was a sign of redemption.

After God delivered Israel from Egypt, He commanded that every firstborn male of man and beast—be set apart for Him, but with one exception—the donkey.

For the Scriptures says,

12you shall devote to the Lord the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the Lord. 13But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. (Exodus 13:12-13)

 So when Jesus, the Lamb of God, rides on a firstborn, the foal of a donkey, never before ridden, He declares something profound: He returns as King so the unclean can be redeemed. He is the Lamb offered in our place. We—like that donkey—are the unclean ones. And by His sacrifice, we are spared, made clean, and set apart for the service of the King.

So lift up your heads, and shout Hosanna. The King has Returned. And His Kingdom will have not end.

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Journey on,

Pastor Bruce