Jesus Doesn’t Always Meet Our Expectations — But He Gives Us Something Better | Palm Sunday Sermon

Have you ever asked Jesus for something and felt like He gave you the opposite? Maybe you were praying for healing, but the pain stayed. Maybe you begged Him to fix a situation, and instead, it got worse. Maybe you were hoping for Palm Sunday, but all you got was a donkey ride into chaos.

If you’ve ever been there, you’re not alone.

The King Who Came on a Donkey

In Matthew 21, we read the familiar story of Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry.” It’s the moment when crowds shouted “Hosanna!” and laid palm branches before Him as He entered Jerusalem. But don’t miss the irony here: He wasn’t riding in on a warhorse. He wasn’t marching in with armies or gold. He came on a donkey. A borrowed one, no less.

In modern terms? That’s the equivalent of the King of the universe rolling into town in a 1989 Toyota Corolla with one hubcap missing. Humble. Gentle. Unexpected.

Jesus, the true King, didn’t come to meet our expectations. He came to meet our need.

He Knew What Was Coming

What amazes me is that Jesus knew exactly what was ahead. He knew the same people shouting “Hosanna!” would shout “Crucify Him!” just days later. He knew the betrayal, the beating, the cross—all of it. And He went anyway.

Why? Because love goes anyway.

Jesus wasn’t caught off guard by our fickle hearts. He wasn’t surprised by our brokenness. He came because of it.

“He goes anyway,” I said in the sermon. “And that act of coming anyway is the act that transforms the world.”

And if we’re following Him, we might be called to do the same: to walk into situations knowing we may be hurt, misunderstood, or rejected—because love goes anyway.

When It’s Time to Rip Off the Band-Aid

There are moments in life when God says, “Now is the time.” For Jesus, the entire Gospel narrative had been building to this moment. The crowds, the temple, the cross—this was it. No more waiting. No more delays.

Some of us are still sitting in Bethphage—the “house of unripe figs”—knowing we’re called forward but hesitating to move. Maybe you’ve been circling the same decision, the same call, for years. Maybe it’s time to rip off the Band-Aid.

God Will Ask for Your Donkey

Okay, maybe not literally. But in the story, Jesus tells His disciples to go and borrow a donkey and a colt. “If anyone asks, tell them the Lord needs it,” He says.

That phrase has stuck with me: The Lord needs it.

What if God reaches for something in your life—your time, your money, your comfort, your schedule—and says, I need that? Our gut reaction is often, “But that’s mine.” No. It’s His. All of it is His.

Would you be like the donkey owner, unnamed but eternally part of the story, who simply gave what he had to Jesus? I’d rather be in the story than keep something that won’t last.

The Best Thing He Gives You Might Be… Pain?

Let’s be honest: most of us want a victorious Jesus who fixes things. But the real victory—the crowning moment—wasn’t a healing or a teaching or a miracle.

It was the cross.

That’s not what the crowd wanted. That’s not what they expected. But it was what they needed.

And if we’re following Jesus, it might mean our most Christlike moment isn’t when we’re blessed, but when we suffer well. When we forgive someone who hurt us. When we love someone who rejects us. When we endure something painful, not because it feels good, but because we know it’s good for someone else.

That’s when the world sees Jesus in us.

Expectations vs. Reality

I closed the sermon with the story of John the Baptist—the man who first said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”—later sitting in prison, wondering if Jesus really was the Messiah. Why? Because Jesus didn’t meet his expectations. John expected freedom. Jesus let him die.

And yet Jesus said, “Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”

There it is again: Jesus may not meet your expectations. But He will always give you something better. Himself.

So here’s the question for all of us:

When Jesus doesn’t do what you hoped He’d do… will you still follow Him?

Will you still cry “Hosanna”?

Will you still say “Yes, Lord” when He asks for your donkey?

Because the King is riding in—not to overthrow our enemies, but to overthrow our hearts.

Let Him.

Let’s Reflect:

• What expectations do you need to surrender today?
• Is there something God is asking for—your time, your finances, your comfort?
• How might humility and love be your greatest witness this week?

Thanks for reading. If this message spoke to you, feel free to share it with someone who needs to be reminded that even when Jesus doesn’t meet our expectations, He gives us something far greater.

Hosanna. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.