Palm Sunday: Welcoming Jesus as Our Rightful King

"See your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey." — Zechariah 9:9

Walking the Mount of Olives on Palm Sunday

One of the greatest joys and privileges in my life and ministry is leading pilgrimage groups to the Holy Land. A highlight of every trip is a group walk down the Mount of Olives, reenacting the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem two thousand years ago on the day we call Palm Sunday. It is a very moving and unforgettable experience.

What the Crowds Were Declaring on Palm Sunday

The crowds that accompanied Jesus on that day and those who welcomed him lay their cloaks on the road and waved palm branches in their hands. This was a clear and powerful spiritual and political act which fulfilled the ancient prophecy of Zechariah and greatly unsettled the authorities in the city. Covering the path with cloaks for Jesus to ride over was the customary way of declaring that this man was your king. The palm branch was a potent symbol of Israel's burning desire to be free from foreign oppression — to once again live under God's rule exercised through his Messiah, his anointed King. Coupled with their shouts of 'Hosanna', an Aramaic word meaning 'Lord save us!', these zealous Jerusalemites were sending a strong message to their Roman overlords: 'The time for our freedom has finally come and our hopes are resting on the shoulders of King Jesus!'

Misunderstanding the Mission of the Palm Sunday King

However, though the crowds were right in identifying Jesus as the promised Messiah, they were wrong in their understanding and expectations of his mission, of what he came to do, of how he would exercise his kingship, of the kind of salvation he offers. At his baptism three years earlier, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit coming upon him in the form of a dove — a gentle symbol of peace — in stark contrast to the Roman military standard of the eagle. And now he deliberately chooses a donkey as his mode of transport into the city — another symbol of peace — rather than a war horse. But he knew that, despite their frenzied acclamations, within a week the crowds would turn against him, rejecting him as king and calling for his execution, because he knew that on entering the city, rather than chasing the Roman soldiers out of their garrison, he would chase Jewish traders out of the temple, which would both disappoint and enrage his Palm Sunday supporters.

Jesus Weeps: The Grief of the Rejected King

So, he paused halfway down the Mount of Olives and wept, overcome with grief as he contemplated what lay ahead and lamenting the failure of the people to embrace his just and gentle rule as their rightful king and the salvation he came to offer, from sin not from Caesar. Ironically, centuries earlier, Jesus' illustrious ancestor, David, walked up the same path as he left Jerusalem having also been rejected as king, and he too paused and wept as he walked. Now, Jesus, heads in the opposite direction, down the hill, and also weeps knowing that he too was about to suffer the same rejection as David. The good news is that David eventually returned to the city in triumph and was embraced again as king, and Jesus will also one day return in triumph to be welcomed by all who know and love him. His kingdom will then reach to the ends of the earth, and he will be our peace as the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

How to Welcome Jesus This Palm Sunday

So, on this Palm Sunday, let us welcome Jesus into our lives as our rightful King. Let us receive him on his own terms, even if he overturns our cherished expectations? Let us be loyal citizens of his kingdom of peace, choosing the dove and the donkey over the eagle and the war horse? And let us faithfully pray for his return as we say: 'Maranatha' (Aramaic for 'Come Lord Jesus')?

Blessings,