Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter Sunday, so we celebrated it a little over two weeks ago. Yet, the historical Palm Sunday, or as some call it, The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, was four days before Passover. And, technically, Christ did not rise on Easter but on Firstfruit, or Bikkurim (Easter vs Firstfruit). This year, Passover is not until April 22nd. This would then mean the first day of Unleavened Bread (or Matzah) is April 23rd, and Firstfruit (or Bikkurim) is April 24th. So, this year, the Christian celebration of Christ’s resurrection was three weeks earlier than the historical occurrence. It was in 325 AD that The Council of Nicaea decreed Easter to be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21), which means Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. This decree then separated the historical occurrence of Christ’s resurrection from the celebrated date.

But how did Palm Sunday get its name? It comes from the Biblical account found in John 12:12-13 which says, “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival [i.e., Passover] heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’, ‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’” [italics mine]

If we look at the word “hosanna” further, we find that in Hebrew it is a compound word meaning “Please, Save Us!” It is thought to be an actual plea for help. Yet, it became an expression of adoration and praise for salvation. The Messiah was the one who could achieve this plea for salvation. The one to come in the name of the Lord was the Messiah. The people also knew that the coming Messiah was supposed to also reign as their king. So, in essence, they were saying that Jesus was coming to save them as their Messiah, and he would now reign as their king. Therefore, it was a very jubilant display for all to see as coats and cloaks were placed in front of Jesus’ donkey, and the people waived palm branches in joyous anticipation of what Jesus would do once he reached Jerusalem. Yet, their idea of salvation was a physical saving whereas Jesus’ idea of salvation at this time was a spiritual one.

We don’t always think about palm trees being associated with places like Jerusalem. Yet, palm trees are an important part of the Jerusalem landscape. Their prevalence today may not be as great as they were in the first century due to all the destruction and construction that has occurred there over the centuries. Yet, there are three main types of palms in this geographic area: date palm (elongated branches with many thin elongated leaves), sable palm (leaves more in a fan shape), and pygmy date palm (also with elongated branches with fewer thin elongated leaves). Any or all of these could have been used by the pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. They are more abundant in valleys and their fruit much tastier than in the mountainous regions. With so many people flocking to Jerusalem at this time, as Passover was one of the required feasts where physical presence was commanded, and many others going out of Jerusalem to meet those coming in to join in their celebration, it likely looked like palm trees were walking down the Mount of Olives toward Jerusalem. What a sight, indeed!

Over the next several posts, I want us to think about eight questions concerning this event: (1) Was it a triumphal entry? (2) What occurred during the event? (3) What prophecies were fulfilled? (4) Who controlled the narrative of this event? (5) What led up to this event? (6) What happened after the event? (7) What did this mean for the Jews of the day? and (8) What does this mean for us today?

I hope you join me as we discover something quite profound as to why Jesus did what he did at this time and did not fulfill what the people were expecting of him once he reached Jerusalem.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens