Why "Palm" Branches?

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John 12:12-15

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!”

 
 

John is the only one of the Gospel writers who specifically mentions “palm” branches, and so it is from John’s Gospel that we get the name Palm Sunday. The crowd goes out to meet Jesus and the implication is clear: He is entering Jerusalem as a conquering hero.

Some background: In 167 B.C., about 200 years before Palm Sunday, a priestly family of Jewish military and religious leaders called the Maccabees started a revolt in Israel. A pagan Greek king had taken over Jerusalem and had defiled the Temple, and in the subsequent revolt (which lasted several years) the Maccabees and the resistance fighters succeeded in driving the Greeks out of Jerusalem. The Jews only had a small amount of oil to use in the temple rededication ceremony, but it miraculously lasted for eight days. (This is where Hannukah comes from.) What’s relevant to Palm Sunday is what happened when the Maccabees entered Jerusalem:

51 On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred and seventy-first year, the Jews entered it with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel [1 Maccabees 13:51].

The palm branch became a symbol of Jewish nationalism and so it is significant that when Jesus entered Jerusalem the crowd greeted Him with palm branches—the crowd sees Jesus as the deliverer of Israel.

QUESTION FOR THE DAY
If the crowd so rapturously greeted Jesus on Palm Sunday, why were they so quick to turn on Him and cry out “Crucify Him, crucify Him” on Friday?

 
 

When It's Time to Fight

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PALM SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES | 8 AM | 9 AM | 11 AM

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, during which we remember the last week of the life of Jesus. Children will wave palm branches during the services.

 

MARK 11:1-33

JESUS COMES TO JERUSALEM AS KING
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

JESUS CURSES A FIG TREE AND CLEARS THE TEMPLE COURTS
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. 15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS QUESTIONED
27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” 29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” 31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ ...” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

[26] Mark 11:26 - Some manuscripts include here words similar to Matthew 6:15.

 
 

The time for confrontation has arrived. Jesus has been avoiding an outright confrontation as long as possible (which is why, if you read through Mark’s Gospel, you’ll see that Jesus keeps telling people to keep quiet about the miracles he’s performing). But, on Palm Sunday Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem for the purpose of confronting the rebellious powers of the world. From his confrontation in the Temple and the overturning of the tables to his prophetic parable about the fig tree and power of prayer to overturn the powers, Jesus is now unapologetically moving toward the final confrontation of the Cross.

In other words, it’s time to fight.

What is it time for you to confront in your life?