The crowd thought they were welcoming the king they wanted. They didn't realize they were crowning the King they actually needed. In this Palm Sunday 2026 message, Pastor Justin Sturgeon takes us into Matthew 21:1–11 to retell the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed donkey. But here's a detail most of us miss: that day was the Tenth of Nisan — the very day Israel's families were to select their Passover lamb. Pastor Justin shows how every layer of Palm Sunday was loaded with meaning — the donkey, the colt, the palm branches, the shouts of "Hosanna" — and how the crowd's expectations of a political deliverer collided head-on with the deliverer Jesus actually came to be. This message at First Christian Church of The Dalles asks the same question Palm Sunday asked the crowd: are you welcoming Jesus on His terms, or only on yours? If this sermon encouraged you, please like, subscribe, and share it with a friend. Visit fcctd.org to learn more about FCC — we'd love to celebrate Easter with you this Sunday, in person or online.