Palm Sunday
In the many, many Palm Sunday sermons that will be preached today, there is a theme that will almost certainly be common. It will be represented by statements like this:
How quickly the excitement of the crowd will turn to anger. In a few short days, the cries of “Hosanna!” will be replaced by shouts of “Crucify him!”
Let’s set aside for a moment the very real probability that the two crowds on Palm Sunday are Good Friday are not the same. Even if there was a lot of overlap between them, I think we do Palm Sunday a disservice if we immediately move to accusations of fickleness and hypocrisy. During Lent we often talk about our tendency to jump too quickly from Good Friday to Easter, but before we deal with that temptation there is another one we face: to jump too quickly from Palm Sunday to Good Friday.
This is our last “mini-Easter” before the real thing. And as we’ve learned on our Lenten journey, these are days of celebration. We may not embrace the Easter imagery in all of its fullness, but on these Sundays we remind ourselves that what is taking place is something amazing, wonderful, and worthy of praise. We remind ourselves that the cross we are journeying towards is not the place where the story ends. On these days we let our rejoicing be loud and real.
In that respect, the crowd welcoming Jesus into the city had it right. They may not have understood the real reason the Messiah had come, but they certainly recognized that the Messiah was in their midst. Their shouts confirm this:
“The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
‘Hosanna!’
‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’
‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’”—John 12:12-13 (NIV)
These are purposeful words. The shouts of Hosanna literally mean, “Save!” The imagery of palm branches is often linked to Messianic victory, and Jesus is referred to as “King" (and is even linked to King David in Mark’s account), all of which point to the crowd’s clear understanding that something historical is taking place. The Messiah has come to Jerusalem. The promised deliverance is about to be made real in their midst. Even if they don’t see clearly how it will take place, they at least see it.
And they celebrate.
The coming days are not for the faint of heart. They weren’t 2,000 years ago. They aren’t now. They are filled with anger, grief, injustice, false accusations, torture, and death. And we do well to meditate on them before we proclaim the fullness of the empty tomb.
But as we enter into this week, we also do well to celebrate what God is doing. So let’s welcome Jesus into our midst anew. Let’s throw the doors open wide and let the music play. On this mini-Easter, let songs of hope and joy lift our spirits, even as we know what the coming days hold. Because what they ultimately hold is our deliverance. The darkness is trembling, sin and death are facing their defeat, and the injustices that have defined humanity’s existence since the garden are about to meet their match.
We can celebrate that today.
Open up the doors and let the music play
Let the streets resound with singing
Songs that bring Your hope
Songs that bring Your joy
Dancers who dance upon injustice
Read the rest of the lyrics here.
Invitation to Celebration
For today’s reflection we will be meditating on only one central question: how will you celebrate today? What will you do today to rejoice at the coming of the Messiah? How will you shout “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” on this Palm Sunday?
Below are some passages of Scripture that you can sit with as you think about the invitation to “open up the doors and let the music play.”
“How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.”—Isaiah 52:7-10 (NRSV)
“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”—1 Peter 1:8-9 (ESV)
“When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem,
it was like a dream!
We were filled with laughter,
and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
’What amazing things the Lord has done for them.’
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
as streams renew the desert.
Those who plant in tears
will harvest with shouts of joy.
They weep as they go to plant their seed,
but they sing as they return with the harvest.”—Psalm 126 (NLT)
“These things I have spoken to you,
that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”—John 15:11 (ESV)