Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19
What is Palm Sunday?
One week before Easter
Celebrates the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
Palm Sunday Then:
When the Bible records Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem, there is a lot going on behind the scenes. Jesus and his disciples were going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival. This was the festival Jewish people celebrated to remember how God led them out of Egypt.
There was also political unrest in the land. The Romans were oppressing the people of Israel, and they wanted freedom from their reign.
One of the reasons the people celebrated Jesus’s entrance was because they thought he was going to overthrow the Roman Empire. When Jesus entered the city on a colt, he fulfilled a well-known prophecy of the Messiah.
The people celebrated Jesus and waved the palm branches at him because they recognized him as the promised Messiah that would save them.
However, Jesus did not save them the way they thought he would. As we know, Jesus saved them, not by overthrowing the Roman Empire, but by dying on the cross for our sins.
Palm Sunday Now:
We celebrate Palm Sunday much differently than the first Palm Sunday was celebrated. We have hindsight on our side.
We celebrate Palm Sunday as the start of Jesus’s last week before his death on the cross.
Just like the people waved palms at Jesus on the first Palm Sunday, we look forward to waving our palms in Heaven towards Jesus, thanking him for his sacrifice.
Revelation 7:9- After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
Ultimately, we celebrate Palm Sunday knowing that Easter is coming.
Important Note:
The people who were worshiping Jesus on Palm Sunday were the same people that called for him to be crucified only days later. This may seem strange to us, but often we do the same thing. We expect Jesus to save or act in one way, and when he doesn’t, we question him. It wasn’t just their sins that put Jesus on the cross, but our sins put him there too. We learn not to lean on our own understanding but to put all our trust in Jesus, who knows the big picture.
Key Takeaways:
Celebrate Salvation
Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins
Easter is Coming
Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about Palm Sunday, both in-person and online, this Sunday.
Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.
To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit