Matthew 21:1-11

¹Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸ Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” ¹⁰ And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, He fulfilled ancient prophecies about the coming Messiah. The prophet Zechariah had written, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

The crowd’s shouts of “Hosanna!”—which means “Save us now!”—revealed a deep longing for salvation and change. Though many misunderstood what kind of salvation Jesus offered, their desire was genuine. 

They hoped for freedom, for restoration, for a better tomorrow.

Hope is a powerful force. It gives us strength to endure present difficulties because we believe something better lies ahead. But for those trapped in generations of poverty, hope can seem impossible. When every day is consumed with survival, when parents watch their children go hungry, when illness goes untreated because medical care is unaffordable—hope becomes a luxury they cannot imagine.

Yet the message of Palm Sunday is that hope arrives in unexpected ways. The crowd expected a conquering king but received a humble servant riding on a donkey. 

True transformation often begins differently than we expect, but it always begins with hope—the belief that tomorrow can be better than today.

Inocencio walks with a cane; he suffers from hypertension, a gall bladder stone, and constant pain in his back. In his younger years, he used to be stronger and worked as a security guard for 24 years. But those days are long gone.

Inocencio lives with his wife, and with the support of his children, the couple is able to barely get by. He burns through his monthly pension to support his medical needs. These days, Inocencio sits at home, constantly worried and fearing death.

One day, their local pastor invited him to attend Transform. Unlike most attendees, Inocencio couldn’t participate in the hands-on cooking lessons and other activities. But he received far more than he expected—during the values lessons, Inocencio realized that there is hope in Jesus Christ.

Without hesitation, he prayed to give his life to Christ and was baptized the following week.

“My desire is to be baptized because this is what the Bible says. I no longer fear death. I am now ready knowing my salvation is insured in Jesus Christ,” Inocencio shares.

Today, though Inocencio still struggles with his health problems and their daily needs—he finds peace knowing that God is with him. Like the crowds on Palm Sunday who glimpsed the arrival of hope in an unexpected form, Inocencio discovered hope not in physical healing or financial security, but in the presence of Christ. His story reminds us that transformation begins when we open ourselves to hope, even when it comes to us differently than we expected.

• Take a moment to speak to the Lord about times when hope has seemed distant in your life. Where do you need His hope to enter your circumstances today?
• Ask God to reveal how He might be working in unexpected ways in your current situation. Where might you be overlooking His presence because it doesn’t match your expectations?
• Pray about someone in your life who needs to experience hope. How might God be inviting you to be a messenger of hope to them, as the pastor was for Inocencio?

Lord Jesus, as I reflect on Your entry into Jerusalem and Inocencio’s story, I open my heart to You. Where I carry fears like Inocencio once did, replace them with confidence in Your presence. When I worry about tomorrow, remind me that You hold my future. When health, finances, or relationships bring uncertainty, help me find peace in knowing You are with me.

Transform my perspective, Lord, that I might recognize hope even when it arrives differently than I expect. Give me eyes to see beyond my immediate circumstances to the deeper hope You offer.

And as You fill me with this hope, let it overflow to others. Help me notice those who, like Inocencio, sit alone with their worries and fears. Give me courage to extend invitations that might become pathways to transformation. Make me a bearer of unexpected hope in my home, workplace, and community.

During this Holy Week, teach me to walk the path of compassion, seeing needs and responding with the same love that led You into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. Amen.