Palm Sunday is here. The image in my mind for this day is one of happy people waving palm branches and laying down their cloaks on the dusty road in front of Jesus as He enters Jerusalem on a colt. For the believers who greeted Jesus, it was a day of joyous celebration–their long-awaited King was about to take over the world!
The story is recounted in all four Gospels. Here is Mark’s version (11:1-1):
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, He sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday, is a day of celebration. In our churches, we symbolically recreate this part of Jesus’ final road trip by processing into the worship service waving palm branches–we may even rope the children into doing it, because what’s cuter than a bunch of confused little rascals marching down the aisle swatting at everything with a leafy branch?
But over 2000 years ago in Jerusalem, amidst all of shouted Hosannas, darker forces were at work. The Pharisees were already trying to figure out a way to get rid of Jesus that wouldn’t upset His followers and cause a riot. And if they couldn’t take care of the Jesus problem themselves, the Romans had threatened to step in and take over, thus taking away the power of the ruling Jewish leaders.
And at some point in all of this plotting and scheming, Judas Iscariot steps in. We know that Judas was in control of the funds that were given to Jesus’ ministry, and John introduces Judas’s thievery by saying, “he had the money box [and] he used to take what was put into it.” (John 12:6)
We also know that Judas would betray Jesus. But why? Matthew (26:14-16) and John (12:6) both write that Judas’ motive was greed, but Luke (22:3-6) echoes John (13:27) and asserts that Satan entered into Judas. But I’m getting ahead of myself–that’s a story for next weekend. Back to Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday is the beginning of Jesus’ final journey–the journey that took Him to the cross. Today, we wave the palm branches and sing “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus” and “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna!” At my church, we meet beside a lake and celebrate Confirmation, Holy Communion, and Baptism, followed by a picnic in the park.
But five days from now, Jesus will hang on that cross. When He is crucified, His disciples will suffer despair and grief. But those of us on this side of the Cross need not mourn because we know what happens next–in one week, Jesus will rise again–to take over the world! Hosanna!
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We pick on Judas, but I read one opinion on him that he really believed that Jesus was the Messiah and that he was willing to start the coming of the (worldly) kingdom by forcing Jesus to take steps towards that goal. Because he knew that Jesus would triumph. And isn’t that exactly what the other apostles thought? That Jesus was going to rule an earthly kingdom? They didn’t really understand until the resurrection. But that is next week’s story. Good article.
John 17:12 “While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”
Luke 22:3 “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”
Mathew 26: 24-25 “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
I do not pick on Judas, I take God’s word as fact.
I don’t think I was picking on Judas.
Apparently, in the Book of Judas in the Apocrypha, Judas was the I my disciple who really understood Jesus.
“The only disciple”
I was a bit perplexed in Church this Sunday, another Gospel, Matthew 21-1, has “an ass tied, AND a colt WITH her, loose THEM ( emphasis mine). Donkeys in the plural, vs a singular one. It’s all good, I just OCD’d on that…
Happy Easter to all!🙏
I guess it all depends on who’s telling the story! I noticed that, too.