Although this day is held in joyful celebration, it may also simultaneously bring a sense of sorrow as it introduces us to the all too familiar events that will follow… The betrayal, suffering and crucifixion that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ experienced; a journey that we will also take part in during this Holy Week.
So as we commemorate
the entry of our Lord into Jerusalem today, and remember His coming suffering and
death, the Church provides us with the comfort and assurance of the
resurrection in the commemoration of Lazarus being the last liturgical day
preceding the Palm Sunday feast.
So we enter into
Palm Sunday aware of the coming suffering our Lord will endure, but having
learned of the assurance of the resurrection that our Lord demonstrated through
raising Lazarus from the dead as a foreshadow of the hope to come.
Christ’s entry
into Jerusalem is described by a variety of names you may be familiar with such as; ‘Palm Sunday’, the ‘Sunday of Hosannas’ (as mentioned above) and ‘the Triumphal
Entry’. There is great significance behind the titles of this event and we
will shed some light on the importance of these particular titles that have
been passed down since the event took place over 2000 years ago.
Why is it called the Triumphal Entry?
We read of the
account of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem in all of the gospels; Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, and John 12:12-19 and in some
translations, these passages have been titled “the Triumphal entry”. So why is
it titled thus?
In the times of
old, when an army went to war against the enemy and returned home victorious,
they were welcomed by a procession of their native citizens holding palm
branches to celebrate their victory and honour the men who had overcome the enemy.
It was also a customary way to receive a King into the city.
By the same
token we witness our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord
of Lords receive the same honorary welcome as He enters into Jerusalem to fulfill God's will in overcoming the enemy of our souls by His sacrificial death, burial and
resurrection and to once and for all gain ultimate victory for all who believe in
Him.
Why is it called the Sunday of Hosanna’s?
Simply, the term
“Hosanna” is a shout of praise that was reserved for the 'Son of David'.
We draw from its use in Psalm 118:25-26 that it means “save”.
It is upon
Christ’s entry into Jerusalem that we see the crowds welcoming the Lord into
the city, holding palm and olive branches. Palms were to signify victory and praise while olive branches traditionally symbolized mercy. Holding these they chanted:
“Hosanna
to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord!”
“Hosanna
in the highest!”
This honorary reception by the crowds demonstrated their desire
for the promised Messiah- King, the “Son of David” to enter into the Holy City to
save them and restore power to Jerusalem as their ruler. But we learn of Christ’s
true salvific mission and the type of victory God wanted to bring to the people
by the way that He chooses to humbly enter the city riding on an untamed colt,
the foul of a donkey…
St. John Chrysostom explains the depth of meaning behind
Christ’s humble actions here:
But let us look also at the prophecy, that by
words, that by acts. What then is the prophecy? “Behold, thy King cometh to
thee, meek, and riding on an ass, and a young colt; ”not driving chariots, like
the rest of the kings, not demanding tributes, not thrusting men off, and
leading about guards, but displaying His great meekness even hereby.
But He did these things, as I said, signifying
beforehand the things to come. For here the church is signified by the colt,
and the new people, which was once unclean, but which, after Jesus sat on them,
became clean. And see the image preserved throughout. I mean that the disciples
loose[ned] the asses. For by the apostles, both they and we were called; by the
apostles were we brought near. But because our acceptance provoked them also to
emulation, therefore the ass appears following the colt. For after Christ hath
sat on the Gentiles, then shall they also come moving us to emulation (follow
their example). 1
Christ’s taming of the colt is
another great typification of how He can tame our rebellious ways when we submit
to Him and allow Him to take the “reigns” in our life in order to be lead to a
victorious eternity.
This Palm Sunday let us welcome
Christ our Lord into our hearts and lives by waving palm branches of praise for
His victory over sin and death, and olive branches with which we beseech Him
for His mercy. As we remember our Lord humbly riding into the Holy City on an
untamed colt, let us emulate Him through the Church’s teachings and continue to
tame our souls as we have been doing during the Great Fast.
For just as our Lord Jesus Christ
experienced sufferings, trials and ultimate victory, so too we who abide in Him
will gain victory over our sins, sufferings and trials and gain redemption by
His mercy.
Lead me to the Cross: Brooke Fraser
1.
St.
Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Grand
Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library
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