Palm Sunday
For Meditation (Corey Widmer)
This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the day we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem just days before his death. The disciples believed that Jesus was the long-awaited King of the Jews, and they near Jerusalem with great anticipation: this is the moment when Jesus will begin his reign! The Kingdom has finally come!
At first it appears that Jesus is given the royal welcome the disciples hoped for. But something is wrong with the scene: Jesus is not entering on a war horse, dressed for battle. Instead he's in his simple cloak riding on a young donkey. Jesus is not waving to the crowds, pumping His fist. Instead he's crying. And once he enters Jerusalem, he doesn't lead the crowd into battle against the Romans. The story doesn't end with Jesus enthroned in an earthly palace. Instead, the same crowds that shouted "Hosanna!" on Sunday will shout “Crucify!” on Friday.
Surely this is the King, but there's something very different about this King than what anyone expected. Surely the Kingdom has come, but it doesn't look like the Kingdom for which everyone had been waiting. So then who is this King? And what then is this Kingdom?
As we prepare to begin Holy Week this Sunday, Read Matthew 21:1-11 and consider the following:
How does this story reveal that Jesus is the King, but not the kind of King that people were expecting?
What signs and clues do you see in this story that foretell the suffering that Jesus is about to face?
Think about some specific and unique ways you will thoughtfully and prayerfully move through Holy Week this year. If you're with your Parish Group, discuss and pray about your plans with each other.
Matthew 21:1-11
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!”
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.”