I’ve attended my fair share of parades over the years from childhood until the present. Standing or sitting on a curbside street with a crowd of people of all ages, everyone eagerly anticipating the appearance of the “first” float is invigorating. Scattered among the floats are often musicians, clowns, folks walking or riding on floats, each one meant to entertain us and enjoying our shouts of joy and applause as they pass by, making their way along the parade route, and as the last entry passes, the crowds quiet, cheers fade to casual conversations, families disperse and soon the street returns to normal traffic.

We have reached the point in the season of lent referred to as “Palm Sunday”.  Palm Sunday remembers and celebrates when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as foretold in a prophecy in the Old Testament in Isaiah and Zechariah. 

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

Prior to entering the city, a week ahead of what was to come–His death and resurrection–Jesus spent time in the Garden of Gethsemane. Under a weight of deep anguish He is before His Father, face planted on the ground actually, prayerfully crying out  “if there be any other way….”

When we visited Israel in 2019 the Mount of Olives and the Garden were part of our tour. Both places were awe inspiring to me as I became aware that I was walking and standing on ground that carried Jesus’ feet 2,000 years ago. The garden is small. Its atmosphere is one of tremendous serenity and its well cared for grounds boast of a beauty I cannot describe. Standing on the mount, looking down at the “old city” and its walls that surround it, gave me yet another sense of awe and feeling God’s supernatural presence. 

Our tour also took us inside the walls of the “old city”. The streets are narrow. They are filled with pedestrians and even small cars making sharp turns to navigate the buildings that house shops, places of study, homes. As I walked along the streets during our time in the city, I tried imagining a time all those years ago when Jesus made His entry on a donkey, people standing on the sidelines cheering for Him and believing that He was coming in order to give them victory to topple Rome.  Jesus did come to defeat an enemy, but not the one they had in mind. Instead, He came to defeat the enemies of sin, death, and the devil that ensnared every man and woman since Adam and Eve.

So why did the people wave palm branches and place them at the feet of Jesus’ colt? No doubt, in Palestine, where Jesus ministered, there were plenty of palm trees scattered throughout the land. But what is the meaning of “palm branches”? According to Easton’s bible dictionary,  the branches and trees actually have a significant meaning. People didn’t just grab whatever leaves they could find for no reason. “Its branches are a symbol of victory (Revelation 7:9) . “Rising with slender stems 40 or 50, at times even 80, feet aloft, its only branches, the feathery, snow-like, pale-green fronds from 6 to 12 feet long, bending from its top, the palm attracts the eye wherever it is seen.” The whole land of Palestine was called by the Greeks and Romans Phoenicia, i.e., “the land of palms.” (source: biblestudytools.com)

I want to take you back to when I gazed at the Eastern Gate. Standing on the Mount of Olives gives the eyes a very clear observation of the gate which is sealed. In 1541 the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman ordered the gate sealed for the final time. Why? It was either to defend the city or because he wanted to prevent the fulfillment of the Jewish prophecy of the Messiah’s return through the Golden Gate. I found myself laughing as I listened to our tour guide explain man’s attempt to actually prohibit Christ’s return through this heavily bricked wall. Afterall, if a huge boulder that sealed a tomb could not contain a resurrected body, how will a stone wall prevent His triumphal return at a future time not indicated on our calendar, but only noted on God’s timeline. (Read Matthew 24)

When the Jewish people lined the streets cheering and giving praises to Jesus their motives were from a place of individual desperation and ignorance understanding God’s plan which would unfold for them in the coming days. We, who now have all of scripture which is recorded history of these events, have a choice to observe Palm Sunday with eyes of deep understanding and appreciation as we reflect on every event from that final week of Jesus’ life among His disciples, followers, and personal enemies.

Many of our churches no longer strew palm branches in our sanctuaries for us to remember this important day in Christian teachings. Yet, even with the absence of a palm branch, as we come together in corporate worship we can lift our voices, raise our hands, and honor the One who came to defeat sin, death, and the devil himself. “This” is a plan worth cheering. “This” is a plan for all to consider and choose whether to be a “spectator” or a “participant”….

The Golden Gate of the Old City wall that has been sealed since 1541, the anticipated entry way for the return of Jesus.