Happy Palm Sunday! This is my seventh Palm Sunday Bible study, and since I don’t have any new insights about this important event, I’ve chosen the most notable discussion points from 2020 to 2025.
We begin with my yearly, embarrassing true story about Palm Sunday. Loyal readers have heard this six times, so feel free to skip.
Having been born and raised Jewish, but not from a religious family, I was clueless about Christianity. Jews are not encouraged to learn about Jesus (an understatement). I have met members of my tribe who did not know that Jesus was Jewish. Luckily, I learned this harsh truth at age 10 when Grandma Kahn let it slip at the dinner table. Then, on my own, I figured out Palm Sunday was about “glorifying palm trees” and Good Friday was “a Friday in spring that was good.”
I didn’t truly know the meaning of Palm Sunday and Good Friday until Jesus came for me after I turned 20. But enough about me! Still, I share this story every year because you should never assume that people in your life who don’t go to church understand even the basics about Christian holidays.
Note that if you want to “glorify palm trees,” you can read all my Palm Sunday studies from 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020.
Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week, when Jesus entered Jerusalem and was triumphantly welcomed, knowing He would be crucified five days later as the sacrificial lamb for the sins of humankind.
The events of Palm Sunday are brief and appear in all the New Testament Gospels: Matthew (21:1-11), Mark (11:1-11), Luke (19:28-41), and John (12:12-19). Remember that only the most consequential events in Jesus’s life and ministry are recorded in all four, and Palm Sunday is one of them.
The timing of Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem is critical to the story because He had recently raised Lazarus from the dead. Many people who saw that miraculous event believed Jesus was the Messiah and followed Him to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover week.
The Jewish leaders were unsettled by this series of events. They feared losing influence, authority, and the money collected from temple taxes if the people started to believe in Jesus. Therefore, the leaders held a strategy session to eliminate Lazarus and Jesus:
“So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him” (John 12:9-10).
Therefore, Palm Sunday can be viewed through the lens of a political power struggle. The Gospel of John describes the anger felt by the temple leaders:
“Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” (John 12:17-19).
Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem riding a donkey. Why? My study Bible notes, “An animal symbolic of humility, peace, and Davidic royalty.” The crowds welcoming Jesus as “king” knew that riding a donkey symbolized His fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy written about 518 B.C.:
“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” (Zechariah 9:9).
Today, believers in Jesus understand that “your king comes to you” signifies a personal relationship, not just on Palm Sunday, but every day. Normally, in earthly kingdoms, subjects go to the king. Thus, Zechariah 9:9 is a memorable Messianic prophecy that describes the unique nature of the Son of God, fully human and divine. Moreover, Christianity is the only religion in which God came to Man.
Recognizing who Jesus was, the people greeted Him, waving palm branches and shouting:
“’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).
Interestingly, Jerusalem residents were not familiar with Jesus, unlike those who followed him to Jerusalem, as described in this passage:
“When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds answered, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee’” (Matthew 21:10-11).
That passage hints at why, five days later, a crowd in Jerusalem yelled, “Crucify him.” While the visiting pilgrims are cheering, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” the Jerusalem residents ask, “Who is this?”
Back to the Palm Sunday story seen through the lens of a political struggle between the powerful temple leaders and the powerless people, only Luke’s gospel records the following exchanges:
“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!'” (Luke 19:39). Given that the Pharisees did not tolerate what they considered the crowd’s “blasphemous” chats, they demanded that Jesus curb the crowd’s enthusiasm. Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ request with what I call a “mic-drop” moment when he said:
“I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40).
Jesus’s triumphal entry is short but powerful, touching on four important points,
1. The reason why Jesus entered Jerusalem. (To be crucified.)
2. Fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy. (The king comes to the people.)
3. The politics surrounding His visit. (A power struggle between the Jewish leaders and their people in the context of Roman occupation.)
4. The crowd in Jerusalem that welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday turned against Him five days later. The residents, less familiar with Jesus than the visitors who followed Him to Jerusalem, were more easily influenced by the temple leaders, who feared His power.
And now you understand how Palm Sunday leads Jesus to the Cross and, ultimately, his Glorious Resurrection.
Wishing you all a blessed Holy Week. We will celebrate our Easter Bible study with a special guest.
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer. Her book “Bible Study For Those Who Don’t Read The Bible“ reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. “Part 2,” reprints Vols. 57 –113. Order it here.
Myra is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. You can help support our new six-month exhibit at the Basilica in Orlando, Florida. Let me know if you will be there this weekend. The Basilica is a popular tourist attraction, and I will arrange for you to skip the Shroud exhibit entry line. Contact: Myraadams01@gmail.com
This article was originally posted at Townhall.com.
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