The Pain and Passion of Palm Sunday

It's time for confession. I've never liked Palm Sunday. It may be more accurate to say I've always had an uneasy relationship with this Christian tradition.

The tradition of observing Palm Sunday goes back to the 4th Century, with lots of Church Fathers signing off on it, so I've kept my mouth shut and just gone along as best I could. Who am I to argue with the Church Fathers? I've watched kids and adults as they parade around the church waving palm branches, I've organized these events, and I've even waved a few palm branches in my time. But I've always been uneasy.

This year, as I dutifully placed palms on our church altar, I allowed myself to wrestle with what felt like a heretical-level flaw in my character.

Palm Sunday is the day when the Church commemorates how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, marking the first day of his last earthly week. The week would end with Jesus going to the cross and dying a brutally cruel death. Yet as Jesus entered the city, he immediately became the center of a procession. As a kid, I was taught to believe that the people were happy to see Jesus, and they were greeting him as their King and Messiah.

This is the nexus of my problem with Palm Sunday.

How can I wave palm branches and shout happy songs in brightly colored Sunday clothes when I know that the result of this week is the brutally cruel cross? Here's something else to know about me. I can't watch the Passion of the Christ or any other movie depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is too deeply sorrowful.

So, there you have it. My Easter secret.

Except, this year I began to see all of this in a different light - in a more hopeful light.

It started with a careful reading of the scriptural account. I started with Matthew's account in Matthew 21, but I also like John's account.

John 12:12-15, NIV

"The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. [13] They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: [15] “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

John wrote his gospel account for one reason: "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31, NIV) John experienced the visions and revelations found in the book of Revelation and developed his living and personal relationship with Jesus before he wrote the gospel that carries his name. John had a personal understanding and belief, and he wanted others to experience Jesus the way he had.

Matthew gives us more details about the Palm Sunday event. Matthew was Jewish and he had been a tax collector, a guy who conspired with the oppressive Roman government to take advantage of his own people. Matthew's account has the kind of detail the Jewish people would understand. Matthew wanted his Jewish audience to understand that Jesus was the long-anticipated Jewish Messiah.

Matthew 21:1-9, NIV

"As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, [2] saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. [3] If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” [4] This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: [5] “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” [6] The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. [7] They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. [8] A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Jesus, God in human flesh, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, rides a young donkey - a symbol of peace - into a crowd that cheered him. Then, on Friday, this same crowd yelled Crucify Him when they had the chance to have Jesus or a man named Barabbas released. They chose Jesus for execution by crucifixion.

This is why I struggle. I have always viewed Palm Sunday as a reenactment, full of happy songs, palm branches, and our Sunday best dress. I could not reconcile this bright happy celebration with the horror of crucifixion and the knowledge that Jesus had to die to keep me from dying.

But this year, I focused on one word: Hosanna!

Hosanna comes from the Hebrew Hoshia Na, which means save please or save now.

The people saw Jesus. They knew about the miracles and all the supernatural things that happened at his command. They had either experienced first-hand his powerful teaching that made the written word come to life, or they had heard others talking about it. They knew Jesus had the presence of God all around Him, and people were whispering that He was the Son of God.

Could Jesus be the Messiah the prophets spoke of, they must have wondered.

So, when the people saw Jesus riding a donkey through the city gate, hope must have risen within them.

Hosanna, they shouted! Save us now!

They were weary of the oppression of the Roman civil government, and they were tired of a religious system that put burdensome laws upon them, all in the name of keeping the commandments God gave them.

Seeing Jesus must have filled their hearts with the hope that Jesus was coming to overthrow all of it.

And yet ... Jesus came riding on a donkey, not a war horse. Jesus rode the traditional animal ridden by kings and princes in times of peace. But the people were waving palm leaves, the traditional symbol of victory.

The crowd wanted Jesus to wage a war that would free them from worldly oppression, while Jesus came to free them from spiritual captivity. It wasn't the war they wanted, but it was the victory they needed. We do, too.

I have been focused for too long on the cruel cross, and I've had to give myself permission to move away from the cross to the empty tomb. We need both. But too often, particular doctrines or denominations focus more on one aspect or the other, such as grace versus judgment, as an example. I'm Baptist, and in our camp there has been much debate over the christus victor versus penal substitution theological frameworks. The first focuses more on Jesus Christ taking victory over Satan and evil, and the latter focuses more on Christ bearing the penalty for our sin.

We need a balance of the two.

The cross redeems us. The blood of Jesus shed on the cross covers those who believe. Our sins are forgiven, we are justified (made right) with God, and we are restored to relationship with God. Jesus takes victory over Satan and darkness, or evil. There is judgment and there is grace.

The empty tomb is our hope. (For more on the evidence for an actual, bodily resurrection, please see our four articles on the resurrection.)

We need both.

And both - but especially the cross - are acts of love.

John 3:16-18, NIV

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."

The question has never been why Jesus went to the cross. It was because of His love for us and His obedience to the Father.

A friend said last week that no matter what happens around us, Jesus is still King. The chaos and uncertainty we live with never catches Him off guard. The world feels unstable right now, but Jesus is still King and all authority belongs to Him.

When I remember this, I can approach the events of Palm Sunday and that entire week - including the crucifixion - with the greater understanding that nothing Jesus does is wasted nor is it accidental.

Jesus didn't ride a war horse, but he did ride a donkey, the symbol of peace. On the cross, Jesus waged the greatest war ever, a war against Satan, sin, death, darkness, and lies. Through the shed blood and the empty cross, Jesus took victory. In this, Jesus made peace between us and God.

Jesus did what He told people He would do from the beginning.

Luke 4:16-19, NIV

"He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, [17] and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: [18] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

He came to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for those in captivity, to restore sight to the blind, and to usher in the year of the Lord's favor. This was demonstrated in a natural, physical manner, as blind eyes were restored to sight, but also in a spiritual manner, as the veil of the enemy's deception was removed.

There is something else about Palm Sunday.

Based on geographical and historical information, most scholars agree that Jesus entered Jerusalem through the Golden Gate. This makes sense when we read that Jesus was at the Mount of Olives when he sent the disciples to get the donkey and her colt. The Golden Gate faced in the direction of the Mount of Olives.

Also, this is the gate Jewish pilgrims used when the entered the city for Jewish festivals. Jesus was a Jewish pilgrim, of sorts, as he was entering Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passover.

The Golden Gate is also called the mercy gate. This gate is in view of the altar of sacrifice. Jesus is called the lamb of God in scripture. Jesus came to Jerusalem at the start of Passover, in view of the altar of sacrifice.

1 Corinthians 15:3, NIV

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures ..."

Jesus makes peace between us and God and fills us with true hope that we would not otherwise have.

This world can steal our peace in so many ways. We worry with financial strains, we live with fractured family relationships, we struggle with division at home, at work, and even in our churches, we struggle under the daily grind, and there are many other challenges. We experience the rising cost of everything from healthcare to gas to get us to our jobs to food to feed our families. There are wars and rumors of war. There are conspiracy theories galore, there are more lies on social media than truth, and it is difficult to discern what is true, what is half-true, and what is an out-right lie on the news.

I invite you to think about the specific things that rob you of peace and keep you awake. Go ahead - take a mental inventory ... next, imagine that you and all these worries are sitting next to Jesus. How safe would you feel? How peaceful would you feel?

Jesus didn't wage the war in Jerusalem the people wanted, so they screamed crucify him. They turned away from Him.

We each live in our own Jerusalem. Just like the people in that crowd, we have a choice. We can wait for a King who fits our expectations, or we can follow King Jesus, the King who loves the outcast, flips the tables of injustice, and offers His life for our lives.

How can we love the outcast? In fact, who is the outcast? How can we flip tables of injustice in our own circles of influence? How can we live our lives in worship and service to the One who gave His life for our lives?

I am finishing Palm Sunday this year with a deeper understanding of what this day means.

Yes, our rejection of God and His ways demand a sacrifice. Yes, God settles this matter through Jesus on the cross. And yes, I have chosen to reject God and go my own way, meaning I need the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. We all have.

Thank God, there is an answer to our problem.

Romans 5:6-11, NIV

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. [7] Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. [8] But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! [10] For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! [11] Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

I can't imagine how Jesus walked through the last week of His life, and how He must have felt. It must have been so difficult.

But I am thankful for the cross and the empty tomb. I'm thankful for the home He has prepared for me with Him in heaven. I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend my life getting to know Him and serve Him.

I now understand that the shouts of Hosanna (save us now) is a plea for Jesus to complete His mission.

Jesus is King. Jesus is the victor. Jesus has all authority.

Jesus saves. Jesus makes peace. Jesus brings us into His victory.

This year, I celebrated true hope on Palm Sunday. Those 4th Century Church Fathers were on to something!

For more on the resurrection, watch this video from the John 10:10 Project.

Praying for Hope for your journey this Holy Week!