Christians around the world celebrate Palm Sunday as the start of Holy Week, the most important time on the calendar for them. Despite all the popular excitement about Christmas, this is the week that truly defines what it means to be a believer in Christ. Church goers will witness reenactments of Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem as he enters humbly on a donkey, but is given the special greeting of waved palms and shouts of “hosanna” fit for king.
Palm Sunday begins a solemn week that marks the Passion of Jesus Christ: his Last Supper, his excruciating time in the Garden of Gethsemane, his capture and trial before the Sanhedrin (supreme council and court for the Jews), his transference to Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate, and his eventual crucifixion outside the gates of Jerusalem.
Simply put, if there is no first Palm Sunday there is no Holy Week to celebrate. If Jesus does not make a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, nothing else that follows will happen. There will be no “last” supper, no trial, and no crucifixion. Thus, in essence, there would be no Christianity of which to speak. This is the magnificent importance of Palm Sunday in the bigger picture for Christians: it is the day that changed the world.
Let us examine what happens on the first Palm Sunday. Why is Jesus going to Jerusalem on that day? The simple answer is that he was preparing to celebrate Passover. Some people forget that Jesus was Jewish, but his goal was to join many of his brethren in the holy city for the holiday, which would start with a special Seder with his friends.
This was just the usual ritual for the Jewish people of that time, but what makes this extremely important and unusual was that Jesus understood the significance of his entering Jerusalem in a humble manner. The people were excited by his return to their city. Many of them had heard Jesus before, preaching in the temple or speaking in the streets.
They were expecting the arrival of a king, but he purposely entered as any of them might on a donkey. The significance was not lost on them, and they madly waved their palms in support of his humility.
Before this moment his wave of popularity hit a kind of rock star status, with word of his many miracles and his inspirational talks around Judea reaching people in and beyond the city. Of particular significance was his raising his good friend Lazarus from the dead. Of all his miracles, this was one of the most public and dramatic displays of his powers. His reputation spread and his name reached many Jews and non-Jews alike, including the influential members of the Sanhedrin, King Herod, and the Roman procurator’s palace.
As Jesus entered the city and was overwhelming saluted by citizens waving palms and shouting "Hosanna," those people best described as his enemies were trembling in their sandals. The Sanhedrin saw him as a real threat to their religious hierarchy. Someone hailed as “King of Jews” would be a person who could not only rock the boat but capsize it.
Of course, Herod saw himself as the rightful Jewish monarch and worried about this cousin of John the Baptist, a prophet whom the king had beheaded because he also seemed to be a threat. Pontius Pilate would wonder who was this upstart; could he become the head of the zealots who would lead the Jews in rebellion against Rome?
All of these things set in motion a series of events that lead to the crucifixion. Some priests from the temple first approached the Roman procurator about their fears. They wanted to execute Jesus for heresy, but under Roman occupation they had no authority to exact such punishment. The Romans told them Jesus was a Jew; therefore, he was their concern. Of course, that doesn’t mean the Romans were not watching Jesus and ready to do something if necessary since the holiday was fast approaching.
By the time Jesus sat down for Seder with his Apostles, for what would be his “last” supper, one of his own had struck a deal with the Sanhedrin. Of course, Jesus already knew this, and he told Judas to go do what he must do. Judas was amazed that Jesus encouraged him and quickly left the group. It was then that Jesus revealed to the eleven, who would be the first priests of his church, what became the ceremony of the Mass, the changing of bread and wine into his body and blood.
Later that evening in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus would beg his father to let the cup pass from his lips, but he came to understand what must happen and allowed himself to be arrested, taken for trial before the Sanhedrin, and eventually brought to Pontius Pilate, who would have him crucified. He was placed in a tomb and the story should just end there, but Christians believe that three days later the stone before the tomb was rolled aside, and Jesus was resurrected and the story was only just beginning.
All of these events happened because of what occurred on the first Palm Sunday. A simple man who owned just the cloak on his back rode a borrowed donkey into a big city, the only big city he ever visited in his lifetime, and he was hailed as a king and a savior by the citizens. It was a brief moment in time and happened more than two thousand years ago, but its significance can still be felt today.
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