Palm Sunday
On Palm Sunday, Jesus made plans to enter Jerusalem riding on a colt following the Jewish custom for a royal entry. Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Zechariah foretold the coming of the King to Israel. The prophet said, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9). This prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the thousands who gathered to attend the Passover, went forth to welcome Him. They greeted Him with the waving of palm branches and shouts of holy songs. Spectators asked, who is this? What did His entry mean? They had all heard of Jesus and expected Him to go to Jerusalem, but they knew that He had heretofore discouraged all efforts to place Him on the throne. They wondered what could have made this change in Him who had often declared that His kingdom was not of this world.
It was Jesus’ purpose to publicly present Himself as the Redeemer. He desired to call attention to the sacrifice that was to crown His ministry. He wanted to reveal Himself as the anti-typical Lamb. It was necessary that the eyes of all people should be directed to His love just before the crucifixion.
Jesus planned that after His death, many would recall the events of Palm Sunday in their connection with His trial and death when shortly before He was expected to be crowned King. By connecting the dots they would be led to search the prophecies and would be convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
