Palm Sunday is the first day of the last week of Christ’s mortal ministry. On this Sunday, one week before Christ was resurrected, He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a colt and was hailed as a king and messiah by the inhabitants who were hoping from delivery from Roman oppression. Christ indeed came to liberate the people from oppression, not from the Romans, but from the natural man and sin. The entry of Christ into Jerusalem was prophesied by Zechariah.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. — Zechariah 9:9
Christ entered Jerusalem from the east side which was toward the Mount of Olives.
Luke recounts what occurred as Christ entered the city:
And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. — Luke 19:35-38
It was important that Christ enter Jerusalem in this royal way. It was symbolic of His being the rightful king. His kingship, however, was not of this world, but was of the eternal worlds. It is important to note also that the people waved palm fronds in the air at His arrival. These palm branches are symbolic of peace and that is what the people expected from Christ. He brought them peace through His atonement. It is also important that the people lay their clothes in Christ’s path. This, I believe, was symbolic of their worship of Him as their king and of the humility that we need to have to access the power of the atonement.
I know that as Christ came into Jerusalem as the “Prince of Peace,” He can bring us peace in our lives if we turn to Him. I know that He is the Lord and that only through Him can we return to live with God.
Leave a Reply