Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian celebration that always falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The day commemorates Jesus' Triumphal entry into Jerusalem an event mentioned by all four Gospels (Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11,Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19): the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion (suffering).
In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the congregation.
Traditionally, entering the city on a donkey symbolizes arrival in peace, rather than as a war waging king arriving on a horse.
According to the Gospels Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there lay down their cloaks in front of him, and also lay down small branches of trees and palm fronds. The people sang part of Psalms 118: 25-26 - ... Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord ....
The symbolism of the donkey may refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war. Therefore, a king came riding upon a horse when he was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when he wanted to point out that he was coming in peace. Therefore Jesus' entry to Jerusalem symbolized his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war waging king.
In many lands in the ancient Near East it was the custom to cover in some way the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honor. The Old Testament (2Kings 9:13) writes that Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, was treated this way. Both the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and the Gospel of John report that people gave Jesus this form of honor. However, in the synoptics they are only reported as laying their garments and cut rushes on the street, whereas John more specifically mentions palm fronds. The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in Jewish tradition, and is treated in other parts of the Bible as such (e.g., Leviticus 23:40 andRevelation 7:9). Because of this, the scene of the crowd greeting Jesus by waving palms and carpeting his path with them has become symbolic and important.
We celebrate this day at Seven San Diego and look forward to Easter.
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