John 12:12-16
“The next day the people in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was coming there. These were the crowds of people who had come to the Passover festival. They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Jesus. They shouted,
“‘Praise Him!’
‘Welcome! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
God bless the King of Israel!”
Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, as the Scriptures say,
“Do not be afraid, people of Zion!
Look! Your king is coming.
He is riding on a young donkey.”
The followers of Jesus did not understand at that time what was happening. But after he was raised to glory, they understood that this was written about him. Then they remembered that they had done these things for him.”
Why do we celebrate “Palm Sunday”?
Christians celebrate Palm Sunday as the beginning of Holy Week. It marks the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. It was the week before His crucifixion. When He rode into Jerusalem, some recognized Him as “the One who comes in the name of the Lord”. They treated Him with the respect they would to a king by waving palm branches and laying them on the pathway like a royal carpet. They shouted Hallelujahs to Him and openly acknowledged who they believed Him to be, “The King of Israel”.
We as believers, honor His entrance into Jerusalem that day so many years ago in remembrance of who He is and what He was preparing to do for us-go to the Cross of Calvary! This Sunday, March 25, 2018, let us honor Him and wave our own palm branches-our arms-to show our praise unto Him.
