Palm Sunday
Throughout history the church has set aside the week leading up to Easter as Holy Week. This week takes us on a journey through the last week leading to the cross. Between the bookends of Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, we remember the Last Supper, the betrayal, crucifixion, and death of our Savior. On the outset of this journey, I want to encourage you to pay close attention to the sights and sounds of Holy Week.
Palm Sunday marks the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. Notice the sights and sounds from the Gospel according to John. There is the crowd packed in along the road. There are Palm branches raised and waving in excitement. Then there is the sound of the crowd chanting, “Hosanna!” This is taken from Psalm 118 meaning “Save now!” It is a chaotic, exuberant scene. In my children’s storybook Bible, they emphasize the power of this picture. They take a whole spread or two pages just to depict the scene. The page has no words, just a crowd of young and old waving palm branches and shouting. But the irony of the picture is that there is no noble horse with a gallant king in pristine armor arriving back from battle. No, the crowd is celebrating a man riding on a lowly donkey.
The apostle John says in verse 16 that the disciples did not fully understand all that their eyes were seeing and all that their ears were hearing. It was not until Jesus was glorified on the cross that they began to look back on these events for what they really were. Jesus received the welcome he deserved, but what the people did not realize was that they were welcoming a Savior they did not deserve. Only Jesus truly understood that the cost of the celebration would be his crucifixion. His entrance to Jerusalem leads to our deliverance.
As we journey to Easter this week, let me invite you to take in the sights and sounds of Holy Week. Notice the donkey he arrives on. Notice the bread and wine at the last supper. Ponder the darkness of Good Friday. Meditate on the words of Jesus spoken on the cross. Then with shots of acclimation prepare the way for the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
