Palm Sunday: The Hidden Meaning of Jesus's Entry into Jerusalem

Introduction

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus's entry into Jerusalem, five days before his death. That day, a crowd waves palm branches and hails him as king. The event is astonishing, almost puzzling: for three years, Jesus had kept a low profile, forbidding his disciples to call him the Messiah. And suddenly, he stages this public demonstration. Why the change? What is the meaning of his kingdom, and what does it have to say to you today?

Message Outline

1. A puzzling event in the life of Jesus

For three years, Jesus adopted a low profile: poverty, discretion, refusing to let people talk about his miracles.
He even forbids his disciples to proclaim him as the Messiah, while accepting Peter's confession: "You are the Messiah."
John the Baptist, in prison, doubts and sends his disciples to him: "Are you the one who is to come?" (Matthew 11).
And on this Palm Sunday, everything changes: Jesus himself organizes his royal entry into Jerusalem, riding on a young donkey, and lets the crowd cry "Hosanna to the Son of David!"

2. The account in Matthew 21 read closely

Jesus sends two disciples to fetch a donkey and its colt at Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives.
The crowd spreads their garments on the road, cuts branches, and acclaims him quoting Psalm 118.
Having entered the temple, Jesus drives out the sellers and heals the blind and the lame who come to him.
To the indignant leaders who hear children shouting "Hosanna!", he replies by quoting Psalm 8: "Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise."

3. Why does Jesus change his attitude?

The text itself says so: "This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet." Zechariah, around 480 BC, had foretold this humble king riding on a young donkey.
We are five days from Good Friday. The misunderstanding about the Messiah can no longer be maintained.
The Israelites were expecting a military leader like David, who would drive out the Romans. Jesus is not that kind of Messiah.
The coming week will show what kind of king he is: a king crowned with thorns, whose throne is the cross.

4. The true nature of the kingdom he inaugurates

"The kingdom of God does not come with observation" (Luke 17). "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18).
This kingdom is "righteousness, joy, and peace by the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).
It begins right at the cross: to the criminal who says to him "remember me when you come into your kingdom," Jesus answers, "Today you will be with me in paradise."
He is the slain lamb who triumphs over evil by bearing it and carrying it away.

5. Four lessons for you today

The fulfillment of prophecies is a solid support for your faith. As Blaise Pascal said, "the greatest of the proofs of Jesus Christ are the prophecies."
The kingdom of God is spiritual in this phase of history. Do not seek to advance it through the levers of political or social power.
Respect God's pedagogy: it takes time to understand. Be patient with yourself and with your brothers and sisters.
Beware of a faith without roots. The crowd that cries "Hosanna" on Sunday cries "Crucify him!" on Friday. Examine yourself to know whether you are in the faith.

Key Takeaways

Jesus's triumphal entry is not a contradiction of his low profile: it is its unveiling, five days before the cross.
Jesus literally fulfills Zechariah 9:9. The precision of the prophecy authenticates the event, and the event authenticates the prophecy.
Jesus's kingdom is not political. His throne is the cross, his crown is thorns, his victory comes through giving his life.
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world: he bears it in order to carry it away. This is the hidden wisdom of God's plan, the wisdom that had not entered into the heart of man.
Your faith must take root. The emotion of a Sunday is not enough. "If we are faithless, he remains faithful. But if we deny him, he also will deny us." (2 Timothy 2:12-13)

Personal Application

What image of the "Messiah" are you constructing for yourself? Are you waiting for a Jesus who solves your problems your way, or do you receive the one who reigns from the cross?
Where are you tempted to advance the kingdom of God through means that are not his: pressure, prestige, worldly influence?
Is there an area of your life where you lack patience with God's pedagogy, whether in yourself or in those around you?
Does your faith have roots? Is it able to hold when the wind rises, or does it depend on the excitement of the moment?
How will you, this week, contemplate anew "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" as the heart of your Christian life?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Jesus hide his identity as Messiah for three years before revealing it on Palm Sunday?

The conception of the Messiah at the time was that of a military leader who would drive out the Romans. Jesus is not that kind of Messiah. As long as the misunderstanding risked misdirecting the crowd, he preferred to remain silent. Five days from Good Friday, the coming week will show for itself what kind of king he is: a king crowned with thorns, whose throne is the cross. He can now allow himself to be proclaimed Messiah because his death will reveal the true nature of his reign.

What does the cry "Hosanna" mean, and why did the crowd use it that day?

"Hosanna" (Hoshia na in Hebrew) is drawn from Psalm 118 and literally means "save, please, save." But by Jesus's time, the expression had become a royal acclamation, an equivalent of "long live the king, grant victory to the king." By crying "Hosanna to the Son of David," the crowd publicly recognizes Jesus as the royal Messiah announced by the prophets.

What should we take away from the fickleness of the crowd that acclaims Jesus and then calls for his death just a few days later?

It reminds us how fragile emotional adherence can be. Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the sower: the seed that fell on rocky ground springs up faster than in good soil, but the wind withers it. A faith with no root does not hold. It is good for us to examine ourselves honestly, as the apostle Paul invites us to: "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith." (2 Corinthians 13:5)

All articles on “Foi”

to take notes and ask questions.