Word 33 – Palm

“They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (John 12:13)

Perhaps your early memories of Palm Sunday are that of a sanctuary decorated with greenery, and somehow tropical branches of actul palm trees adorned the altar in front and perhaps other places of the church.

Palm Sunday is suppose to be a happy day, a hosanna day, a respite after a long, hard Lenten period of introspection, confession, and mourning.

It is that indeed, but it’s also a brief jolt of joy before the storm.

The palm branches of that first Palm Sunday would have come from the date palm, which is common in the region around Jerusalem. The tree has a sturdy trunk that rises sixty to ninety feet and then sprouts with leafy fronds that can grow upward another six feet. It produces large cluster of dates, and a fibrous part of the tree can be woven into a strong rope.

The tree was so common in the Middle East that it was often illustrated in carvings and coinage, going back millennia. Columns of ancient buildings were often made to look like palm trees, topped by capitals resembling the leafy fronds.

It’s those branches that play a role in the Jesus account, as He rode into the city on a donkey. “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” (John 12:13)

These were the Jesus followers, some of the multitudes who had traipsed with Him across the region, drinking in the wine of His words and eating up the bread of His promise of a new life. These were Jews and Gentiles who believed Him to be the long-awaited Messiah. They were giving Him the red-carpet treatment.

The practice of laying palm had a history among the Jewish people.

Back in the books of Moses, instructions were given for a weeklong harvest festival. “On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees-from palms, willows and other leafy trees-and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days” (Leviticus 23:40). (They were also instructed to use the branches to create temporary structures, and this became known as the Feast of Booths. It’s also sometimes called the Feast of Tabernacles.)

So the Jews were used to celebrating God’s blessings by waving branches and singing praises while joining in a grand procession.

To the Jesus followers of that first Palm Sunday, this celebration marked the arrival of a redeeming king. In the prophetic words of Zechariah, “See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey…He will proclaim peace to the nations” (9:9-10).

But you may hear a few minor chords in the soundtrack to this movie. For all the throngs lining the path with palms, there were other factions of Jews and Romans who had a different idea about Jesus-a different plan for Him in the week ahead.

Further, for these adoring worshippers, Jesus was not the kind of king they were expecting. They envisioned the Messiah as a political leader, the head of state. This walk into Jerusalem, they believed, was the beginning of a new government.

But Jesus would soon appear to these worshippers as far less than their king-even though He is so much more. Indeed, Jesus defies all our expectations. The irony of the ages is that this conquerer won peace not with a sword but with a cross, not by killing His enemies but by forgiving them, not by avoding death but by giving His life for humankind…for us.

Preparing Your Heart for Easter

Lord God, help me ponder during this Palm Sunday how Jesus defies my own expectations, how He challenges my assumption, and how He might transform my life in new ways.