Palm Sunday
March 28, 2010 (Sunday)
The week in which Jesus was crucified and buried is called, “Holy Week.” Today we will write about the first day of that week, which has come to be known as “Palm Sunday.” *
The city of Jerusalem was alive with talk about Jesus. Was he coming for the feast? Everyone, friends and enemies alike, wanted to know.
Meanwhile, Jesus made his way with his disciples through Jericho, where he saved Zaccheus and healed Bartimaeus, to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead, Martha and Mary. Bethany was near Jerusalem, his ultimate destination. Jesus arrived there on Friday, and was to make Bethany his “home base” during that week, commuting to Jerusalem each day with His disciples.
On Sunday morning, He left Bethany and walked nearly to Bethphage (“house of figs”) a village at the Mount of Olives. He sent his disciples ahead to the little place to get a little donkey for Him. When they brought it back to Him, he mounted it and rode it on the road from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem.
On the way, while still in the country, many people thronged his way and shouted His praises. They spread their cloaks on the road and some laid palm branches on his path. “Hosanna!” (“Save us”) they cried. The gospel writers point out that the King riding a donkey into the city was fulfillment of prophecy.**
The chief priests and teachers called to Jesus, “Tell them to stop saying such things!” [They were plotting to kill Jesus and Lazarus (John 11:55-12:11)] Jesus replied, “If they keep their peace, the stones will cry out!”
As Jesus caught a glimpse of the city, He began to weep aloud (Luke 19:41). Surrounded by happy people praising Him, his heart was broken by His knowledge that the Romans would utterly destroy the city because God’s own people rejected Him.
Jesus went into the Temple, looked around, healed the people who came to Him there (Matt 21:14), then, as evening drew near, He returned to Bethany. No doubt he thought that night about the bleating of sheep, noises of falling coins, hawking of wares and the odors of animals in God’s Temple. On Monday he would cleanse that holy place.
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* John 11:55-12:19; Matt 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44
(You may view A.T. Robertson’s “Harmony of the Gospels” in pdf
format by clicking here. Begin at page 120. Zoom 69%)
** Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of
Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having
salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a
donkey.”