After three years of ministry that changed lives and astonished many, Jesus returned to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. He was given a hero's welcome by the throngs of people who met him as he rode into town.
{Each of the four Gospels mentions this event, which is significant because it is rare for all four writers to mention the same event in Jesus' life and to describe it the same way.}
{A gospel is any account of Jesus's life on earth. The most widely known Gospels are found in four books of the Christian bible, called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.}
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Three interesting tidbits about Palm Sunday:
1. Jesus rode a donkey as he made his way into town. In that time and place, the donkey was a symbol of peace. Jesus' choice to ride that animal, rather than a horse which was viewed as an animal of war, may tell us something about his mindset and gentle intentions.
2. The people of Jerusalem lined the streets to welcome him, laying their cloaks and palm or rush leaves on the road ahead of Jesus. It was customary in those times to cover the path of a person of great honor, so this may tell us something about the crowd's respect and desire to honor him.
3. In Christian churches today, including mine, it's tradition to pass out real palm leaves to all the worshipers on Palm Sunday, so that we can share in the sense of celebration and praise. Like the people of Jerusalem, we wave our palm leaves and call out, "Hosannah!"
{"Hosannah" means "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." It's from Psalm 118.}
This year, for a variety of complicated reasons, my family and I are celebrating Holy Week at home. On Palm Sunday, my daughter found these daylily leaves to stand in for our palm branches, and they worked out quite nicely.
Hosannah!
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