Palm Sunday – a rollercoaster of emotions
A day of Jesus between jubilation and tears, surrounded by the most diverse people.
Rosmarie and I were married at our wedding in Remigen church. The celebration then took place at the Seehotel Hallwil in Beinwil am See, at the same time as another wedding party upstairs. It was a joyful celebration for us, while it soon became noisy in the other party. There was a heated argument that even the bride ran away. What contrasts: Joy and laughter here, anger and tears there! Maybe you have also experienced a party that started off beautifully but got more and more annoying. After a good start, your frustration grew more and more and at home the tears started to flow.
Palm Sunday! We don’t really know what this Sunday is supposed to trigger in us. Is it a day of joy? Or is it the rather sad first act of the Passion of Jesus Christ? This much can already be predicted: It was a day of joy and of tears. We remember on this day the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Many who had arrived early for the Passover gave Jesus of Nazareth an enthusiastic welcome. What an event! Everything talks about Jesus! They had heard at home about the wonderful raising of Lazarus and now they could see Jesus. It was a jubilation!
For them, it was like in the past when a victorious king returned from a war. From time immemorial, palm trees have been regarded in the Mediterranean region as a symbol of life and victory; in Israel especially as a symbol of independence. Because of the many palm fronds that were waved or laid on the path, this holiday, Palm Sunday, came into being in the early Middle Ages. The festival, which at the time should have been a religious celebration of joy with Jesus in Jerusalem, quickly took on a political touch. Among the people, a massive aversion to the foreign occupying Romans was felt; and this naturally increased the expectation of the coming Messiah among the people. Not a few now saw in Jesus the eagerly awaited liberator who would drive the Romans out of the country once and for all. The older generation remembered the Davidic line of kings.
«Another model king in the style of David is bound to come now» – that was their hope!
«Hosanna to the Son of David!» they shouted. The Hebrew expression Hosanna can be interpreted twice, on the one hand as a plea «Save us» and on the other hand as homage: «Yes, you will help us». Matthew and Mark report that Jesus is hailed as the Son of David, while Luke and John explicitly hail Jesus as King.
« «Blessed be he, the king who comes in the name of the Lord!» they shouted.»(Luke 19:38 NGÜ). It is striking that in all four Gospels this epilogue is added to the exultation: «who comes in the name of the Lord.»
Jesus consciously resisted the false, political expectations from the very beginning. But he would have had no reason to cancel this triumphal procession! He wanted to go this announced way so that the prophetic words would be fulfilled. It was his mission from God. It was his way. A way that had already been announced centuries in advance, e.g. by the prophet Zechariah: «Rejoice aloud, you people of Zion! Rejoice, you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble and rides on an ass – yes, on the foal of an ass»(Zechariah 9:9 NLB). That is why he organised the whole thing. He sent for the young donkey! The Hosanna cheer was perfectly fitting, for he finally brought the truth to light. He is the Saviour, the Messiah. He is indeed a king! Even if he did not appear on a decorated horse, but on a donkey that did not even belong to him and had to be returned.
Jesus had later clearly testified to his title before Pilate: «You said it, I am a king. That is what I was born to be. I have come to bring the truth to the world»(John 18:37 NLB). And at the end of his journey, before he ascended into heaven, he had made it clear once again to his disciples: «All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me» (Matthew 28:18 LUT). There had never been such a king before and there never will be again! He is the King, even without a crown, without a sceptre, without precious clothes, without a host of servants… But the triumphal entry fits! Even if it was not an entry that heralded the exodus of the Romans! On the contrary, he himself will soon be an outcast. Then the people will cry out, «Away with him… crucify him…» I would like to draw attention to a few more details of the day.
I take two of them from the Gospel of Luke. Both are from chapter 19:
Stay grounded in reality!
«Some of the Pharisees in the crowd urged him: «Master, call your disciples to reason!» But he answered them: «If they were silent, the stones would cry out!»(Luke
19:39–40 NLB). The Pharisees even speak of Jesus as Master on. Not because of a sudden change of heart, but they were mainly concerned with keeping peace and order in the city in cooperation with the Roman occupation. Why does Jesus mention stones that would shout? Because he did not expect them to be silent at all. The loud rejoicing was announced in Zechariah 9:9. I remind you again: «Rejoice aloud, you people of Zion! Rejoice, you inhabitants of Jerusalem!»(Zechariah 9:9 NLB).
Now to the second passage from Luke 19:
Jesus weeps
«However, as they approached Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city lying before him, he began to weep. How I wish you could find the way of peace today. But now it is too late, and peace remains a stranger to you».»(Luke 19:41–42 NLB). Jesus had a wonderful view of the city from the Mount of Olives, anyone who has been there knows it! Jesus is visibly touched by this scenery. When he sees the temple in the evening light and remembers that the people of the city had not understood his message, a deep sadness overwhelms him and he can no longer stop his tears.
Jesus experiences again strongly what John described thus: «He came into the world that is his, and his own people did not receive him»(John 1:11 NLB). This is the only time the Bible mentions Jesus genuinely weeping. Before the tomb of Lazarus, surrounded by the loudly mourning crowd, some tears also show in his eyes. This shows: The Son of God is also fully human; moved by human feelings and emotions. Jesus weeps over the people of this city: «I was so close to you; why would you not listen to me?»
This account in Luke’s Gospel touched me very much. I have never wept over Switzerland, which is mostly godless. I have never wept over the people living in our block who have no personal relationship with Jesus. Or about relatives, or good friends, who don’t seem to need faith in Jesus Christ. And you? Sure, it was different for Jesus. He came to this earth to save us by dying on the cross, so rejection hits him much harder. And yet it should not leave us cold when people close to us reject God. We must care! We do not have to weep for them; but let them feel our love and pray for them again and again. It is advisable to take our pulse again in this regard. How much does my heart beat for people I care about, but who do not yet know God?
Crash
Another special feature of this day I see in Matthew 21, where two verses have become impressively clear to me: «And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, and said, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.»(Matthew 21:10–11 LUT). There is no such thing! Jesus enters Jerusalem and the people ask «Who is this?» And no less shocking is the people’s answer: «This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee…» The acclaimed king and son of David is now suddenly just one of the many prophets. The man who came in the name of the Lord is now suddenly only the one who came from Nazareth in Galilee, and is called Jesus, like many others. The fall into the Jerusalem world could hardly be steeper for Jesus!
Doesn’t this disparity sound familiar? We sing praise songs on Sunday – at the top of our lungs, or even more deeply: from the bottom of our hearts. We love to sing together, praise God and worship him – glorious. And then comes Monday. You also want to glorify Jesus in your everyday life and be a witness for him. But this very different world, the world in which God does not appear and does not want to be mentioned, compresses you. But it is the world into which Jesus sends us. He wants us here – for himself! For Jesus, the way into this world was his mission. For you, it is also your place, where God has placed you. Just as Jesus was not alone on this path, neither are you. Jesus knew: My heavenly Father is with me. And you can know that as a believing child of God, Jesus is by your side everywhere and at all times!
Jesus fulfils his mission and goes the way with us to the goal
Palm Sunday was a huge challenge for Jesus. Why did Jesus not abandon this exercise? He took this path for us. He gave himself into this running of the gauntlet for you and me. And in the same way, he now fulfils his mission with us and walks the path with us to the goal. Jesus prayed for us:
«My prayer is not for the world, but for those whom you have given me because they are yours. Because they are mine, they are also yours; but you have given them to me so that I may be glorified through them!» (John 17:9–10 NLB).
Amen
Possible questions for the small groups
Someone reads the text of Matthew 21:1–11 while the others split up and read and compare the synonymous texts: Mark 11:1–11a; Luke 19:28–42; John 12:12–19.
- What were encouraging moments/frustrating moments for Jesus that day?
- How would you have answered the people in Jerusalem to the question: «Who is he?
- What has turned many hosannas into crucifixion criers so quickly?
- Who has ever wept over close people who do not know Jesus personally? List different alternatives to crying in this regard.
- As a Christian, how do you experience the constant immersion in a world far from God in everyday life?
- Finally, rejoice that Jesus wants to glorify Himself through you in this crazy world!
