What Palm Sunday Means

Palm Sunday marks the start of the Christian Holy Week. The day is popularly observed with the reenactment of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. People carry palms to be blessed by the priest in a procession. But what's the meaning of all this?

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem as people were gathering for the Jewish Passover, a festival marking the exodus of the Hebrews from captivity in Egypt. His coming caused great excitement because many believed Jesus might be their long-awaited messiah. As he entered the city, crowds of people hailed him enthusiastically by waving portions of palm branches and spreading palm leaves as a welcome carpet.

The occasion ushered in a whole week of momentous events. The following day, on Monday, Jesus went to the Temple and drove away the traders and moneychangers that operated in the outer court. This action angered both the religious and civil authorities. By long-established custom, trading and other business transactions had been allowed there. But Jesus insisted the Temple was a house of prayer and should be held holy.

On Tuesday, Jesus revealed to His disciples the signs that would indicate His (God's) second coming. He told them, however, "But of that day and hour no one knows. No, not even the angels of heaven; but My Father only." On Wednesday, while Jesus was in Bethany, a woman anointed his head with a costly ointment. Jesus interpreted this act as a symbolic preparation for his burial.

Jesus' popularity grew quickly. Officials became increasingly alarmed by His teachings and His great influence on the people. They saw Him as a threat to their authority. They tried to find a cause to charge Jesus in court by tricking Him to give His political and religious views. When they found nothing subversive or illegal in Jesus' statements, the priests conspired with Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' disciples, and offered him money to betray Jesus.

On Thursday, Jesus ate the Passover supper with his disciples. In blessing the unleavened bread and wine on the table, He called the bread His body and the wine His "blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, for the forgiveness of sins". Then He invited his disciples to partake of the meal. This ritual has since become the central act of worship in the Christian church, repeated during the celebration of the Holy Mass.

After supper Jesus and His disciples went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to retire. There, knowing that the hour of His death was near, Jesus meditated and prayed in sorrow and deep distress. Then a crowd sent by the religious authorities, and led by Judas Iscariot, arrested him.

The traditional observance of the Holy Week commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Special rites are held everyday during the week. These include moments of meditation, scripture readings, solemn prayers and pious recollection on Good Friday of the crucifixion of Christ. On Black Saturday, the burial of Christ is commemorated with vigil services the whole day until midnight, when the Easter of the resurrection is celebrated.

Apostle Matthew writes of a plan by the Jewish authorities to arrest and kill Jesus secretly, "for they feared the people". They were afraid of a popular unrest if Jesus were to be persecuted publicly during the Passover festivities. Likewise, Apostle John states that the conspiracy against Jesus had been hatched even before Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.

Jesus himself knew the threat that awaited him in Jerusalem. For sure, He was scared. But He did not cower. He believed in his mission, so he went. He worked through his fears, and took the risk, for a bigger purpose. He not only allowed destiny to take its course-he actively participated in the process.

Palm Sunday offers both philosophical and practical meanings. Jesus' decision to go into Jerusalem symbolizes the conquest of fear and a dogged sense of mission. It demonstrates the power of believing in something and pursuing it, no matter what obstacles may lie ahead along the way. Jesus didn't balk at the certainty of persecution, public humiliation and even of physical harm.

The same determination distinguishes the great men of our time, past and present. Walt Disney failed miserably in his first business venture, but he didn't give up. Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before he got the incandescent light bulb to work. The difficult beginnings of Microsoft's Bill Gates and Apple Computers' Steve Jobs didn't hinder them from becoming two of the wealthiest men on the planet today.

What Christians hold to be the central essence of Jesus' life is His total commitment to a purpose: the fulfillment of God's promise of salvation for mankind. And, apparently, that jubilant Palm Sunday over 2000 years ago was only a fitting prelude to the greatest act of self-sacrifice of all time-the Passion of the Christ that was to take away the sins of the world.