Hosanna to the Son of David!

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Is 50: 4-7; Phil 2:6-11; Lk 22:14-23:56

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, the gateway event into the Holy Week. 

We remember the Palm Sunday procession as a jubilant occasion where people gathered to greet and cheer Jesus with palm leaves as he entered Jerusalem, riding a donkey. The palm leaves, donkey, and the crowd are very symbolic in that they declared the victory, peace, and kingship that Jesus accomplished on the cross. 

1.The whole land of Palestine was referred to by the Greeks and Romans as ‘the land of palms.’ Though a palm leaf was an ordinary sight in the land, according to Rev 7:9 (also 1 Mac 13:51), palm branches symbolize victory in the Scripture. How is Jesus a victor, and what kind of victory does his arrival symbolize?   

2. Jesus riding a donkey is another rich symbolism. In ancient times, rulers rode horses into battle, but a donkey symbolized peace. What kind of a king was Jesus? What kind of peace was he coming to announce? 

3. We read in the Gospels that as Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds held palm branches and spread their cloaks on the road, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ They welcomed the Lord but misunderstood his purpose. How was that? 

These symbolic elements need a rereading so that we may discover the full import of the meaning and message of Palm Sunday. 

1.Palm Leaves – A Rereading: The people celebrated Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with palm branches because they saw in him a victor who would win over the Romans who had invaded their land. Thus, in the land of palms, something that was more common was turned into an extraordinary symbol of the victory that Jesus was to accomplish. However, they failed to realize that Jesus championed a spiritual victory over sin and death rather than a physical and militaristic victory over the foreign power that enslaved them. 

2. Jesus Riding the Donkey – A Rereading: Jesus riding a donkey signified the fulfilment of an Old Testament prophecy (Zech 9:9) and a declaration of his true mission. Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecy that declared that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem ‘righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey.’ By doing this, Jesus publicly announced that he was the long-awaited Messianic King, but not in the way they expected. The donkey symbolizes the king’s humility and servanthood. Unlike the powerful symbol of a warhorse, the donkey, the most common and everyday animal used by ordinary people, emphasized that Jesus’ Kingdom was not about the earthly power but about love, sacrifice, and redemption.

3. Crowds Cheering and Shouting: A Rereading: The jubilant shout and greeting of the crowd is yet another symbol that announces the symbolic entry of the Messianic King into his own city where he would take his ‘throne’ in majesty and glory. While all these were true of the Messianic King, it was not in the same way they expected. In their cheering and greeting, the crowd totally misunderstood the purpose of the Messiah. They did not realize that Jesus was the suffering Messiah; his kingship was over the hearts of the people; the victory he forged was on the cross. 

In my view, a rereading also has to be done from the perspective of Jesus because of the inadequacy of the symbols. How did Jesus read all these? 

1.For Jesus, who was focused on accomplishing his earthly mission, the symbol of palm leaves was not enough. Palm leaves may have symbolized victory for people who cheered for his entry into Jerusalem. But for Jesus, it was the cross that symbolized victory over death and evil. 

2. For Jesus, the militaristic conquest of the world would only assure a short-lived peace, and therefore, it was not an option. The peace that Jesus would forge on the cross would achieve an everlasting peace, one that would never witness its decline. 

3. Though Jesus was wading through a crowd of supporters, he was not elated by the content of their cheers and shouts. He was well aware of the shifting moods of the crowd, and it would not take long for them to switch from shouting ‘Hosanna’ to ‘Crucify Him.’ Unlike the crowd’s mood swings, Jesus was unwavering in his commitment. His journey to the cross was firm, steady, and resolved. 

Jesus rode the donkey, not engrossed with the palm branches raised in his honor, nor amazed at the cloaks spread on his path, nor relishing the cheers of the people who hailed him as king. 

His heart was engulfed with the thoughts of the culmination of his mission. He set his mind toward Jerusalem, where he would accomplish it. He set his eyes on the cross, the extraordinary symbol of peace, redemption, and reconciliation. 

As we walk the Palm Sunday procession, let us accompany Jesus, inheriting his heart, discerning his mind, and sharing his vision. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar