Palm Sunday

The celebration of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Palm Sunday begins Holy Week with paradox—a conquering king riding a humble donkey, crowds shouting “Hosanna!” who will soon cry “Crucify!” Palm branches wave in victory march toward apparent defeat that becomes ultimate triumph.

Biblical Account

The Entry (All Four Gospels)

Jesus’s Instructions:

• Approaching Jerusalem from Bethany
• Sends two disciples ahead
• “You will find a donkey tied… untie it and bring it”
• Owner asks no questions
• Fulfillment of prophecy

The Procession:

• Jesus rides donkey into city
• Crowds gather
• Spread cloaks on road
• Cut palm branches
• Wave palms and lay on path

The Shouts: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

Zechariah 9:9 Fulfilled: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey.”

Details and Variations

John’s Gospel:

• “Great crowd” came for Passover
• Heard Jesus coming
• Took palm branches (John specifies palms)
• “King of Israel!”

Luke’s Addition:

• Pharisees: “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
• Jesus: “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!”
• Jesus weeps over Jerusalem

Matthew’s Detail:

• “Who is this?” crowds ask
• “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth”

Symbolism

The Donkey

Not War Horse:

• Kings rode horses to war
• Rode donkeys in peace
• Humble, peaceful entrance
• Messiah of peace, not military conquest

Fulfilling Prophecy:

• Zechariah’s prophecy
• Intentional symbolism
• Jesus choreographing events
• Declaring messianic identity

Palm Branches

Victory Symbol:

• Used for triumphant entries
• Waved for conquering heroes
• Jewish nationalism symbol
• Feast of Tabernacles association

Irony:

• Victory march to death
• Triumph through cross
• Conquest by sacrifice
• Winning by losing

”Hosanna”

Meaning:

• Hebrew: “Save now!” or “Save, please!”
• From Psalm 118:25
• Plea for deliverance
• Became praise exclamation

Context:

• Passover psalm
• Messianic expectation
• Hope for liberation
• Political undertones

Cloaks on Road

Royal Treatment:

• Kings’ paths carpeted
• Honor and homage
• Submission to authority
• Spontaneous coronation

Liturgical Observance

Blessing of Palms

Catholic/Anglican/Orthodox:

• Palms blessed before Mass/service
• Often outside church
• Priest sprinkles holy water
• Special prayers

Distribution:

• Everyone receives palm
• Sometimes fashioned into crosses
• Waved during Gospel reading
• Taken home afterward

Palm Procession

Reenactment:

• Gathering outside church
• Reading entry narrative
• Procession into church
• Singing “Hosanna!”
• All waving palms

Variations:

• Some churches use donkey
• Children lead procession
• Outdoor processions around grounds
• Joyful, festive beginning

Reading of the Passion

Dramatic Shift:

• After joyful procession
• Long Passion narrative read
• Matthew, Mark, or Luke (year-dependent)
• Congregation participates (crowd parts)
• Moves from triumph to suffering

Purpose:

• Entire Holy Week in one service
• For those who won’t attend all week
• Full arc: hosanna to crucifixion
• Telescoped narrative

Format:

• Priest/minister as Jesus
• Reader as narrator
• Congregation as crowd/chief priests
• Sometimes fully dramatized

Traditions and Customs

What Happens to Palms

Kept Year-Round:

• Placed behind crucifixes
• Made into crosses
• Kept in homes
• Spiritual protection (popular belief)

Burned for Next Year’s Ashes:

• Following year, palms burned
• Ashes used for Ash Wednesday
• Cycle of liturgical year
• Nothing wasted

Types of Branches

Regional Variations:

• Palms (where available)
• Olive branches (Mediterranean)
• Pussy willows (Northern Europe)
• Yew or box (where no palms)
• Locally available greenery

“Willow Sunday” in some traditions

Special Customs

Philippines:

• Elaborate processions
• Palms woven into art
• Large celebrations
• National character

Jerusalem:

• Pilgrims walk Jesus’s route
• From Mount of Olives to Old City
• Thousands participate
• Deeply moving

Spain/Latin America:

• Domingo de Ramos
• Processions and pageantry
• Holy Week (Semana Santa) begins

Theological Themes

Humility and Kingship

Paradoxical King:

• Lowly and riding donkey
• King without army
• Crowned with thorns soon
• Throne is cross

Philippians 2:

• Made himself nothing
• Servant form
• Humbled to death
• Therefore exalted

Fulfillment of Prophecy

Jesus Orchestrates:

• Knows prophecies
• Arranges details
• Public messianic claim
• Point of no return

Zechariah 9:9:

• “Lowly and riding on donkey”
• Peaceful king
• Bringer of salvation

Fickleness of Crowds

“Hosanna!” to “Crucify!”:

• Same crowds (perhaps)
• Five days later
• Human inconstancy
• Mob mentality

Warning:

• Easy to praise when popular
• Harder when costly
• Fair-weather disciples
• Need for steadfast faith

Triumphal Yet Tragic

Bittersweet:

• Celebration tinged with sorrow
• Knowing what’s coming
• Victory through defeat
• Joy through suffering

Holy Week Begins:

• Momentum toward cross
• Countdown to Passion
• No turning back
• Divine necessity

The Transition

From Hosanna to Crucifixion:

• Services capture both
• Palms and Passion
• Joy and sorrow
• Life and death

Preparing Hearts:

• Don’t rush to Easter
• Walk through Holy Week
• Feel the weight
• Earn the joy

Modern Observance

High Attendance:

• One of most attended services
• Families with children
• Palms attract people
• Beginning of Holy Week draws

Ecumenical:

• Observed across denominations
• Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant
• Common Christian practice
• Variations in detail, not essence

The Message

Palm Sunday asks: What kind of king are you welcoming?

The crowds wanted military messiah, conquering Rome. Jesus offered suffering servant, conquering sin. They shouted hosanna for wrong reasons. Do we?

The donkey, not horse, signals peace not war, humility not pride, sacrifice not dominance. This king saves through weakness, triumphs through death, wins by losing.

Palm branches wave, but the hand holding them will soon fashion crown of thorns. Cloaks carpet the road, but same voices will demand crucifixion. “Hosanna!” today, “Crucify!” Friday.

The question: Will we wave palms on Sunday but abandon on Friday? Celebrate when convenient, flee when costly?

Palm Sunday’s palm becomes Good Friday’s cross, which becomes Easter’s empty tomb. You can’t have resurrection without crucifixion, triumph without suffering, crown without cross.

The procession moves toward Jerusalem, toward Temple, toward confrontation, toward death. Jesus knows. He rides anyway. The king marches to his throne—a cross.

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” The blessing sounds, the palms wave, the king enters. And the Passion begins.

Will you follow to Calvary, or just wave palms from safe distance?

Hosanna in the highest! Save us, King Jesus. And we’ll wave our palms, then pick up our crosses.

Welcome to Holy Week.