Palm Sunday is a time to remember Jesus’ journey back to Jerusalem shortly before He’s taken to the cross to die for our sins.
The passage taken from Luke is incredibly powerful. At this point, Jesus already knows that He is going to die. He knows that the people surrounding Him, the people who are calling His name and worshipping Him, will – in a week – turn their backs on the Lord. And yet, despite Jesus’ sorrow He still enters Jerusalem baring peace.
In this passage, we see Jesus instructing His disciples to bring Him a donkey from the city ahead. Here, we need to explore the meaning behind this. Jesus didn’t order His disciples to get Him a donkey because He was tired of walking. Historically, kings who wanted to show peace would enter a city riding a donkey. This is a very poignant statement that Jesus is making. Even though He is entering a city that will soon dissert Him, He still comes peacefully. This is a mark of the great grace that Jesus has for mankind.
In Matthew (21:1-11), a very similar story is written, however, one that offers an additional perspective of the citizens’ response to Jesus. Here, we see the people of Jerusalem laying down and waving palm branches which is where we get the name Palm Sunday from. This was symbolic as palm leaves were associated with goodness symbolising Jesus’ goodness.
Challenge
I encourage you now to take the time to think about the peacefulness and goodness of Jesus: that, even though when faced with sorrow, He still acts humbly.