This is a post most Christians will not like. You may not like it, not one bit. But I'm concerned about how we celebrate Palm Sunday.
In many churches across America, Palm Sunday is the morning when parents get excited to see their children marching around the congregation with a palm frond in hand. There is usually singing. Sometimes the kids hear the Bible story about Jesus entering Jerusalem. The end.
So what's the problem with that? Everyone loves seeing their kids wave a leafy clipping, right?
Let us take a moment and consider this story from the Bible in its larger context.
The account is recorded in the Gospels of Luke and John. John offers a little foreshadowing in John 1:10-12. It reads,
"He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God" (CSB).
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, it was a beautiful scene. It was like the inauguration of a president, but without the riots and the transfer of political power. At one point, some of the Pharisees called Jesus to rebuke the people. Jesus quoted Habakuk 2:11, a section of Scripture where God is declaring "woe" curses and warnings. If the people were silent, even the rocks would cry out to praise the Lord.
John records that this event was a bit confusing for the disciples until after Jesus' resurrection, when they could look back on it in light of Scripture (John 12:16). According to John, the crowd was there to see another miracle like what they saw at Lazarus' grave (John 12:17-19). Another time when Jesus was in Jerusalem, he would not entrust himself to the people who were seeing the signs because he knew their sinful hearts and needed no person to testify about humanity. He knew what was in humankind. (John 2:23-25).
It was a great day when Jesus rode that donkey into the city. People were going nuts, putting their garments down for the donkey to walk on, like a red carpet in our day. They were waving palm fronds like big foam #1 fingers at the football game. It was a grand celebration. But just like football fans who only support the team when it's winning, things were about to get ugly.
By the end of the week, Jesus had been betrayed by Judas, arrested, beaten, drug around before leaders in trumped-up courts under cover of darkness, and mocked repeatedly. Finally, he was paraded before the people of the city--the same cheering people with their palm fronds. If they chose Jesus, Pilate would have set Jesus free. But no. Instead of shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," as they did before, they had a new song. This time, they chanted, "Take this man away! Release Barabbas to us!" (John 23:18). Barabbas was a murderer and a revolutionary. They didn't want King Jesus any longer. They wanted the murderer!
Pilate wanted to release Jesus. The crowd was once again shouting, only this time they were yelling, "Crucify! Crucify him!" (John 23:21). Even still, Pilate pleaded with them, but John records that they continued "demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices won out" (John 23:22).
Fast forward to another traditional holiday a little more than a month later. Pentecost. The Holy Spirit fills the disciples, and they spill into the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming the gospel. Peter stands and preaches a sermon. In his message, he tells the people who Jesus is (the Son of God and Savior of the World), but then he points his finger at the people of Jerusalem and says, "it was you who crucified Jesus" (Acts 2:36).
Could it be that many of these people were the same people cheering Jesus into Jerusalem, thinking he was going to take over politically, do a bunch of miracles, and fill their bellies? Likely. Were these Jesus' own people who he came to and they rejected? Looks like it.
So as you can see, grabbing a palm frond and marching around the sanctuary of the church because you want to be like the Jerusalem people shouting "Hosanna!" might not be the right way to see this situation. Our hearts should break for those who cheered Jesus into the city but then rejected Jesus a week later, especially if they never returned to seek his forgiveness and salvation. We should weep at the site of those palm fronds.
The point of the story is not, be like those people. The point is that we must see Jesus as the True King. Even when the world rejects Jesus, he is the True King. Even when the world rejects us for standing with Jesus, Jesus is the True King. And Jesus will give all those who believe in him the right to be children of God. That means more than thinking Jesus is going to run the country the way you want or deliver exciting miracles. It means believing Jesus is who he says he is.
So does this mean we shouldn't celebrate Palm Sunday?
No. But let us be sure our celebration sees the failure of those worldly people who traded Jesus for a murder. And even more importantly, let us be sure that we see King Jesus for who he truly is--the King of kings and Lord of lords who has come to free us from our spiritual bondage so we can live for him. That message probably doesn't get communicated well by kids running around with palm fronds. If we're going to have a Palm Sunday celebration, let's be sure King Jesus is the point.
