Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is the day that Jesus came to Jerusalem riding a donkey. This fulfilled the prophecy made hundreds of years earlier in the Old Testament, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
People put their cloaks on the ground before him; they also put palm leaves on the ground and waved them in the air yelling “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21: 9). Hosanna means “Hooray for salvation! It’s coming! It’s here! Salvation! Salvation!” Hosanna to the son of David! means that “the son of David is our salvation! Salvation belongs to the king!”
If you are extremely confused about how Jesus is related to King David, here is a short summery of his line. Jesus is a descendent of David through his father’s side as his father is from the family line of David. As it says in the New Testament, Mary and Joseph have to travel to Judea to the town called Bethlehem which was also called the city of David and that is where Jesus was born. (“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod.” Matthew 2:1). This is important because in the Old Testament it is written that the Messiah (the One who would save God’s people) would come from Bethlehem, the town of King David (Micah 5:2).
Palm Sunday is the first day of what Christians call “Holy Week.” My favourite song-writer Andrew Peterson has a song called “Remember Me” that tells what Jesus did during holy week:
On Sunday You came as a King (Matthew 21:1-11 – this is Palm Sunday!)
On Monday washed the temple clean (Matthew 21:12-13)
On Tuesday You told of what will be (Mark 11:12-13:37)
On Wednesday You waited patiently (Mark 14:1-2)
On Thursday You said it is time (Matthew 26:17-74)
I’ll drink this cup ’cause it is mine
On Friday, Lord, You poured the wine (Matthew 27:1-56)
Like a thief on the cross, as He hung there dying
For crimes, there were no use denying
While the righteous Judge hung right beside him
How could I not recognize You?
How could I not recognize You?
How could I not recognize… my Lord?
On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem knowing that he would be dead by the end of the week. But he did it anyway. “Why?” you say. Because he loves us and knew that there was no other way for us to be saved (John 14:6). But death could not hold him for long. And exactly one week after Palm Sunday, comes Easter Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. (Matthew 28:1-10). Again, Andrew Peterson made a beautiful song called “His Heart Beats” that talks about Jesus’s resurrection:
His heart beats
His blood begins to flow
Waking up what was dead a moment ago
And His heart beats, now everything is changed
‘Cause the blood that brought us peace with God (Romans 5:1, Isaiah 53:5)
Is racing through His veins
And His heart beats
His heart beats
This story is 100% true. Jesus is king. Jesus is the saviour. He loves us and died for us and tore apart the hands of death by rising from the dead. Now we can have peace, hope, joy and love with God by trusting and believing in Jesus.