Holy Week Palm Sunday
What would you do if you only had a week to live? How would you spend that time? Perhaps you would check off your bucket list. Sky diving, Rocky Mountain climbing, 2.7 seconds on a bull. Granted, most (if not all) of us won’t know that we have a week to live. But Jesus did. Jesus uses His last week in significant ways, not to glorify or serve Himself, but to fulfill God’s plan. My hope is that each day, as we look at the significant events in His day, that we can reflect on Christ’s tremendous sacrifice for our sins. I pray that we can be encouraged by the depths of His love for us. Join us, if you will, for a journey through the last days of Jesus. This week is what Christians refer to as the Holy week.
Imagine for a moment if the President or another famous person came to your city. Huge crowds of people would flock to see him or her. Local and national news reporters would pick up on the story and be there to cover it. The person would be treated well, and would receive the praise of many as they tour the area. On Palm Sunday, we remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem where He reveals what He has previously kept secret. Jesus is the long-anticipated King and Savior, but He enters the city in an unexpected manner. Many of the people who wanted a rescuer, a deliverer that would offer them freedom from Roman oppression, would find themselves disappointed this King brings rescue in a lowly and humble way.
The gospels present the picture of Jesus heading to Jerusalem to fulfill the purpose for which He came. Along the way, Jesus has plenty of opportunities to tell people that He is their Messiah, their Savior. What’s interesting and often puzzling is that Jesus seems to keep His identity a secret. For example, Jesus heals a leper in Matthew 8:3. We would think that this would be the perfect opportunity for Jesus to show everyone this miracle as proof that their Savior is here. That’s not what Jesus does though. Instead, He tells the leper not to tell anyone. Many other passages have the same theme-Jesus tells others not to reveal His identity (see Matthew 9:30; Matthew 12:16; Matthew 16:20; Matthew 17:9; as well as the gospel of Mark). Why does Jesus conceal His identity?
Jesus conceals His identity to many because He doesn’t want people to misunderstand who He is. He isn’t the conquering king that will come riding into Jerusalem on a war horse to win the country back for Israel. Instead, He’s the King Who will rescue His people in a way that’s better than any fairy tale story that we could read. However, the only way we can rightly understand this story is in light of the cross.
Jesus enters Jerusalem on Sunday, the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday. His preparation for the cross is nearing its end. The forces of darkness and light are set to collide. We read about Jesus’ entry in Matthew 21:1-11, as well as in the other gospels. For our time today though, we’ll stay with the account in Matthew. Jesus arrives to finally reveal who He is, and to prepare His people for a King that rescues them, not temporarily, but eternally.
As His disciples bring forth the donkey and the colt that Jesus will ride (the colt, with the donkey alongside), He fulfills the prophesy of Zechariah 9:9,
“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,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
Instead of riding a war horse, Jesus rides in humbly, bringing peace and rescue through His suffering. Jesus doesn’t rescue His people at this point by being a conquering warrior arrayed in battle armor, but through His suffering on the cross. He does this to set the example for His followers, who must walk in humility and put their own interests last. The crowds line the road with palm branches, much like rolling out the red carpet. Contrary to what you may have heard however, there are two different crowds. The crowd that sang his praises on Sunday is not the same crowd that called for His death.
As Christians, we should celebrate Palm Sunday as a reminder of Christ’s humility and His rescue. We see that often the disciples and the crowds didn’t have the right categories for Jesus-their expectations were wrong, and as a result, they had difficulty thinking of Him rightly. Many of the people rejected Jesus because they couldn’t take the idea of a suffering, humble King. When Jesus returns again, He won’t be the King Who returns on a donkey. Instead, He will come back on a war horse, and it will be clear to the world that He’s the rightful King.
This Palm Sunday, my prayer is that you look afresh to the humble King Who rescued us from our sins through His suffering, and follow in His path.
Question: What expectations of Jesus do you have? How can Palm Sunday remind you of the servant King who will be returning as the rightful, conquering King?
Events of the Passion Week:
Sunday:
- Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-18)
- Greeks seek Jesus (John 12:20-36)
- Jesus weeps over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41)
- Enters temple (Mark 11:11)
- Returns to Bethany (Matthew 21:17; Mark 11:11)
Monday:
- Cleansing the temple (Matthew 21:12-13), cursing the fig tree, challenge in the temple, return to Bethany
Tuesday:
- Questions about the fig tree, debate with leaders in the temple, Olivet Discourse
Wednesday:
- Judas arranges for betrayal
Thursday:
- Preparation for Passover; Passover meal and Last Supper; Farewell discourse; Gethsemane
Friday:
- Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus; Jewish trials, Roman trial, crucifixion, burial, tomb sealed
Saturday:
- Sabbath
Sunday:
- Resurrection