Palm Sunday this year is
on March 25, 2018. Palm Sunday always falls
one week before Easter Sunday. On this day Christian worshipers celebrate the triumphal entry
of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, which took place the week before his resurrection.
Palm Sunday, or Passion
Sunday, is the sixth Sunday of Lent and last Sunday before Easter, and marks
the beginning of Holy Week, which ends on Easter Sunday.
Jesus traveled to
Jerusalem knowing that this journey would end in his death on the cross for the
sins of all mankind.
Before he entered the
city, he sent two disciples ahead to the village of Bethphage to look for an
unbroken colt:
As he
approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he
sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of
you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has
ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you
untying it?' say, 'The Lord needs it. ' " (Luke
19:29-31)
The men brought the colt
to Jesus and placed their cloaks on its back. As Jesus sat on the young
donkey he slowly made his humble entrance into Jerusalem.
The people greeted Jesus
enthusiastically, waving palm branches and
covering his path with palm branches:
The
crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to
the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna
in the highest heaven!" (Matthew 21:9)
The shouts of
"Hosanna" meant "save now," and the palm branches
symbolized goodness and victory.
The crowds praised Jesus
enthusiastically because they believed he would overthrow Rome. They recognized
him as the promised Messiah from Zechariah 9:9:
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.
Although the people did
not fully understand Christ's mission yet, their worship honored God.
The biblical account of
Palm Sunday can be found in all four Gospels: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11;
Luke 19:28-44; and John 12:12-19.
Based upon www.thoughtco.com
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