Palm Sunday is an annual reminder of the moment when Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem as the king just days before His crucifixion.

This was a moment prophesied about five centuries earlier by Zechariah when he foretold the arrival of a new king riding on the back of a donkey.

Before entering Jerusalem, Jesus stopped at a little village named Bethphage to find a donkey that He could ride into town as a fulfillment of the 500-year-old prophecy.

Two of Jesus’ disciples tracked down the donkey, put cloaks on its back, and had Jesus get on top before they continued their pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

As Jesus and His disciples approached the big city, crowds began to form as they chanted, “Hosanna!”

Hosanna is a Hebrew word meaning “save us”. They chanted to Jesus over and over: “Save us! Save us! Save us!”

It feels so similar—two thousand years later—as thousands, if not millions, of people flock to live-streamed online church services with the same state of mind, asking Jesus to “save us” from this pandemic.

As Jesus and His disciples entered Jerusalem, Matthew describes the whole city as being “stirred”, and people began asking the question, “Who is this?!”

The crowds who had been following along correctly stated that His name was Jesus, but incorrectly stated that He was just “a prophet”.

I find this boggling. The very people who had been following Jesus from town to town and heard His teachings perhaps over and over still didn’t quite understand who He really was.

Jesus wasn’t just a prophet. He wasn’t just a good man. He wasn’t just a good teacher.

The story of Jesus’ arrival to Jerusalem for Passover makes me realize just that many people who “follow” Jesus even today likely still don’t quite know who they’re following or why.

For many people, Jesus is nothing more than a motivational speaker. Perhaps an influencer. Perhaps a guy who said some inspiring stuff.

But Jesus is much more than an inspiring, influential motivational speaker.

Jesus was—and is—the King of Kings. He’s the Lord of Lords. The Redeemer. The Savior. The Messiah. Jesus is God in the flesh.

Perhaps you feel completely out of control in the middle of a pandemic, but friend, Jesus is in control.

Draw close to Him. Get to know Him. Learn more about Him. There is power in the name of Jesus.