What About Palm Sunday?
In the era of the New Testament laying down palms represented triumph and victory. Victors riding a horse were warriors who triumphed in battle. Victors who entered by peace rode a donkey as sign of their peaceful arrival. Ah, what about Palm Sunday? See what Zechariah wrote 500 years before Jesus birth
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.
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River[a] to the ends of the earth.
Think how Jesus fulfilled all of that. May we be peacemakers in a lost and sometimes violent and angry world. We have the victory in Jesus and our role is to extend His peace. God calls us to give up anger and proclaim peace to the nations within and outside our nation. The US is a melting pot, and so the world is coming to us.
What Spirit Did Christ Show at Palm Sunday?
May we proclaim our victory in humility and love even as Jesus did on Palm Sunday.
This reminds me of the picture of Jesus followers given by Jesus in the Beatitudes with my bold pints added.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Can the lost describe us as any of these? Think of how Jesus sent us to reach the lost. Do people smell this from us? May our gentleness and pure heart draw those who are near and far. Furthermore, we must not look down on the young, the old or the different, but see each person as a unique gem made in the image of God.
The people of Israel were looking for a warrior to drive out the Romans. Long before, God inspired Zechariah to give them a different picture that Jesus would use to draw them more to His kingdom and His way to reach a lost world. Fortunately, the Disciples got the picture. May the symbol of Jesus on the foal of a donkey help us see His heart and intent.
Finally, in our families and in our communities, may we be a light just as Jesus lit a light for us at Palm Sunday.
