Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Luke 19:28-40

Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week. It commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The event is mentioned in all four gospels: Mark 11:1-11; Matthew 21:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; and John 12:12-19.

Looking back at the scripture focus of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we know that Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. From there, Jesus sent two of his disciples to a neighboring town to borrow a donkey that had never been ridden. If they were questioned when taking the donkey, they were to say that the Lord needed it and would return it later.

Starting the journey to Jerusalem, Jesus approached the city from the Mount of Olives. The disciples put their cloaks on the donkey to make it more comfortable. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, possibly through the Golden Gate, the people laid out their cloaks and palm branches in front of him for the donkey to walk on. They also sang part of Psalm 118: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord…”

According to Jewish tradition, the palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory. For this reason, the scene of the crowd greeting Jesus waving their palms and carpeting their way with them has given this Christian festival the name “Palm Sunday”.

Since the enemy and military power at that time was the Roman army, many of the Jews saw and expected that Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. In complete contradiction to the idea that Jesus would drive out the Romans, Jesus had come riding a donkey. The symbolism of the donkey, in some oriental traditions, was that of an animal of peace, compared to the horse, which is the animal of war. The fact that Jesus deliberately chose to ride a donkey for his entry into Jerusalem was an “announcement” that he was coming in peace. It also stresses that Jesus was “meek” or “lowly,” certainly not a man of war.

While Jesus was a man of peace, and certainly understood by his disciples, the public’s enthusiasm for “Palm Sunday” may have seemed to authorities more like a declaration of war than a message of peace. It is against this backdrop that Holy Week begins, a week that ends with the crucifixion of Jesus as a common criminal.