Palm Sunday

James Tissot

Readings: John 12: 12- 15,  Matthew 21:5, Zechariah 9:9, Luke 19:28-44, Revelation 19:11-16

Today is Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus made His Triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The whole city was buzzing with excitement. They were in a festive mood with the approach of Passover. But also in the excitement there was talk of a man named Jesus, who had recently performed an unprecedented miracle. He raised a man from the dead!!! It was His friend Lazarus, who was from Bethany, a village not far from Jerusalem. It is likely that many knew Lazarus and  his family. News of this miracle spread among the people of Jerusalem and those who came from afar to attend the Feast. The crowds must have wondered... "will Jesus come into Jerusalem, that we may see Him who raised a man from the dead? Will we see Lazarus, who was once dead and now is alive? Then we can see for ourselves if this is really true. Perhaps He is Messiah, The One Israel has eagerly waited for centuries. Believing that perhaps He is to be revealed in our time." Lets join Matthew as he tells us about this day:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey...'"
Matt. 21:5 NKJ

Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; riding on a little donkey... such an odd approach for a King coming into a great city. Jesus was THE KING, the Son of David, the KING of all KINGS! When the crowd heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took their clothes and branches of palm trees and spread them on the road. They went out to meet Him and cried out, saying:

"Hosanna! 

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! 

The King of Israel!" 

John 12: 13 NKJ

Were they wondering "Is this Him?... God's Chosen One?... Is He the One spoken of by Zechariah, the prophet?

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, Your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey..."
Zechariah 9:9 NKJ

Such a time of great rejoicing, God's Chosen One finally came into the city of David, the city of the Great King. Look at Him in your heart, through the eyes of these people on this day. He was righteous and just, bringing salvation. And He was lowly and riding on a little donkey. In their eyes He was coming to save them from the injustice of  the occupation of the Romans over Israel. But that is not how it was to be. There are tears in His eyes as He drew near the city. Why tears on such a day of rejoicing?

"...He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem... ' Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, 'If only you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.' " Luke 19:28-44 NKJ

Look at Jesus' grief. Catch His emotion, the deep sorrow He has for these people, who would soon send Him to the cross and eventually would be destroyed themselves. Beautiful Jerusalem, the city of the Great King, the city of peace would once again lay in ruins. Why would this happen to them? They did not know the time of their visitation. This rejoicing of the crowd was only on the surface and their hearts were not fully convinced that He, their long awaited Messiah walked among them. Jesus knew that mere men would be able to persuade this crowd and only days later to put Him to death for blasphemy. Jesus knew this. Look at His heart. He wept and grieved for what would come upon them. Read more about His tears and how we as His followers should pray for the lost. Go to Mourning for a People.

But this is not how the story ends. Yes, God's chosen One, came in humility. He rode on a little donkey, rather than a majestic horse. He came in peace, not in war. And now we 2,000 years later can look ahead to the second coming of our Great King.  He will come very differently.

"Now I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse,
and He who sat on him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness He judges and makes war...
His name is called The Word of God...
and He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
Revelation 19:11-16 NKJ




Behold, Your King is coming to you!