This Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week, we observe Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem riding on a colt (Mark 11:7, Luke 19:35) or colt and donkey (Matthew 21:7) or simply a donkey (John 12:14). He is greeted by crowds of people laying down their garments and leafy branches to welcome him into the city (Mark 11:8). In John’s Gospel it specifically mentions palm branches being brought while the crowd shouted out ‘hosanna’ which means ‘save us’ (John 12:13).

Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a colt/donkey fulfilling the prophetic utterance of the prophet Zachariah who stated:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
    triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Zechariah 9:9 (New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989)

Yet by Good Friday the public reaction to Jesus’ presence in Jerusalem will have dramatically changed. Cries of ‘Hosanna’ will have been replaced by the cry ‘crucify him’. In less than a week Jesus goes from being announced as a king to being denounced as a criminal.

Perhaps the reason for this sudden shift in the crowds around Jesus comes down to the messianic expectations of the people. It would appear that many expected Jesus to behave as an earthly Davidic King who was there to restore Israel and to expel her occupiers through force. The waving of palm branches, a symbol of Jewish nationalism, might have been an indication of this. Jesus’ arrest by the authorities in Jerusalem and his commitment to non-violence towards the Roman oppressors may therefore had severely disappointed those who had very different expectations of the Messiah.
Jesus’ statement to Pilate that “my Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36) made it clear that Jesus was not the king of a temporal earthly empire but rather an eternal one that goes beyond our own world. Jesus had not come to provoke armed insurrection in Jerusalem but as the prince of peace came to restore and redeem humanity through the cross.

Jesus’ journey to the cross, and onto the resurrection, would be the means by which the Kingdom of heaven would be open to all who accept God’s gracious invitation. His death and rising would demonstrate the unbounded love that God had for all humankind. Through Christ, forgiveness and reconciliation with God is fully realised and the whole of creation offered divine redemption.

As we celebrate Palm Sunday, and welcome Jesus into our hearts, it is important for us to remember that Jesus is Lord of our whole lives and not just of the time that that we spend celebrating on a Sunday. Christ asks us to follow him in the way of self-sacrificial love every day. This means putting aside our own selfish wants or agendas and instead embracing God’s will for all humanity; built around his righteousness and love for every human being. This Palm Sunday we remember that welcoming Jesus and his Kingdom involves embracing God’s purposes for us and the world; a world transformed by God’s grace and holy love. So let us welcome Jesus the king into our hearts and minds once again and commit ourselves to serving him in his way of love.