Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday. What does it mean?

Two years ago I had the privilege of being in the old city of Jerusalem for this Sunday. Hundreds of Christians from all over the world gathered to walk down the Mt. of Olives, waving palm branches- many singing, strumming guitar, banging drums.

I led the children's story this morning and did some research on Palm Sunday that I found interesting and wanted to share with you.

The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in pre-Christian times. The Romans rewarded champions of the games and celebrated military successes with palm branches. Jews followed a similar tradition of carrying palm branches during festive times.

In Biblical times, the regional custom called for kings and nobles arriving in procession to ride on the back of a donkey. The donkey was a symbol of peace and those who rode upon them proclaimed peaceful intentions. The laying of palm branches indicated that the king or dignitary was arriving in victory or triumph. However in later times, when aristocracy used horses, depicting the Messiah as riding a donkey came to have an opposite connotation- as indicating a simple, sober way of life and avoiding luxury.

Donkeys:

-can carry 20-30% of their own weight

-known for their loud vocalizations

-used as farming/dairy animals

-stubborn

-appear to be quite intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful, eager to learn

I think that we are sometimes like donkeys. We are stubborn at times- don't want to budge when it comes to certain situations or interactions with people. But we are friendly, intelligent people- yet sometimes we feel small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But just as Jesus chose to ride in on a donkey...so God has chosen us to be ambassadors and has plans for us. In "Our Daily Bread" it says: Think of it! The Creator of the universe needs us and desires to fit us into His eternal design! Though all-powerful and not dependent on any creature, He has chosen to carry out His plans through lowly human instruments. If this were not so, He would have taken us to heaven as soon as He saved us by His grace.

Something to ponder as we enter into Holy Week and prepare for Jesus' arrest and crucifixion.