St John 12:12-19/Zechariah 9:9-12/Philippians 2:5-11
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
It is written, The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God (Is 35:1-2).
In the wilderness, the palm tree signifies an oasis, a watered and lush resting place in the midst of the barren, dry desert. By divine command palm branches were used to decorate the entryways to the Temple. Palm branches were used in the construction of booths for the Feast of Booths. In his vision of the New Temple, the prophet Ezekiel also noted the presence and use of palm branches.
Whether the crowds knew all these things is doubtful. But certainly St John realized the significance of the palm frond when he recorded his revelation of heaven, After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!” (Rev 7:9-10).
Not everyone in Jerusalem understood all these things. Even His disciples are confounded. Nevertheless, they took up palm branches as a sign of victory and went out to meet this King as He entered Jerusalem. They went not to meet the conquering hero or the mighty warrior, but the King who enters through the Sheep Gate, sitting on a donkey, for He comes as the Lamb of God, the Passover Sacrifice offered up for the sins of the world.
We hear and echo their cry, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord, even the King of Israel! That is to say, “Save us, save us now, we pray!,” for that is what ‘Hosanna’ means. “Save us by Your Name; Jesus, the very Name of the Lord, given from before your birth, for You came to save Your people from there sins.”
This is the cry of the crowds less than a week from that Good Friday. It is the cry heard on the First Sunday in Advent, before the birth of the Messiah. It is heard again today, Palmarum, Passion Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. And it is your shout before you receive the Body and Blood of Christ! The Body and Blood born of Mary, and torn and shed upon the Cross for you.
It comes from Psalm 118, which says, Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank You that You have answered me and have become my salvation. The Stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing and is it marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Christ, the Lamb of God, entered the Holy City through the Sheep Gate. You now enter through Him, who is the Gate of the Sheep, the Door, into the heavenly Jerusalem. Christ Jesus, rejected by the people, is the Cornerstone on which the Church is built. By His grace you are made living stones, built up to be His Temple. This is the Lord’s doing. And the Day which He has made, the day on which He has done this, is Easter, the Resurrection!
It continues, Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and He has made His light to shine upon us.
Now the crux of the text, the purpose of the Triumphal Entry, and the meaning of Palm Sunday: Bind the festal Sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!
Whatever the crowds and we may not understand about this procession, we must at the very least grasp this: Jesus came to be the festal Sacrifice, the Atoning Sacrifice for sin. Within mere days of these events His shed blood shall ransom men from slavery and death. This is the real victory; and the reason for their rejoicing, and ours.
For Christ took up our human nature and bore it to the Cross. He took you fallen and corrupt flesh and endured the wrath of God due you. He suffered what was impossible for you. He submitted Himself to death. He poured out His blood and emptied His soul. He was forsaken by God.
All this was on your behalf, in your place, so that you may be His new creation. For on the Cross, in Christ’s death, your fallen nature was put to death. And in Him our human nature was kept pure, undefiled, holy under the Law. He did not sin. He did not transgress the Law. But He fulfilled the Law and bore its wrath for you. He was made the sinner so that you, like Barabbas, may go free and be called “sons of the Father;” and like Lazarus may be called from your graves. In this way He is your Passover Lamb, your Substitute, your Atoning Sacrifice, and your King.
Palm branches signify an oasis, water and food, rest and shelter, in a barren and hostile place. This is what God gives in the temple and in His Word: He gives refreshment, rest, safety. Jesus is the Temple built without hands. He abides in the hearts of the faithful. He enters them through His sacrificed, yet risen Body and Blood. So the saints in heaven decorate themselves like the temple on earth, with palms, for they are the place of the Lamb’s gracious blood, the temples of the Holy Spirit.
This is also why we can take up palms. We are yet in the great tribulation. We are still attacked by the devil, the world, and our fallen nature. Yet we are one with the great cloud of witnesses, our brothers and sisters who have gone before us in faith. We too are the temples of the Holy Spirit, through Baptism into Christ. We too identify with our Lord’s victory in death. So we take up palms.
That doesn’t mean every one of us has understood this perfectly, either now or in years past. We might yet be confused. In that, we are like some of the crowd, even the holy apostles themselves. We may not fully understand the significance of palms or bowing or the chants, or even the Eucharist, or any of these things that teach. But that is okay. The kingdom comes by grace, not by understanding. And you have a lifetime and beyond to enjoy and learn these things.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
It is written, The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God (Is 35:1-2).
In the wilderness, the palm tree signifies an oasis, a watered and lush resting place in the midst of the barren, dry desert. By divine command palm branches were used to decorate the entryways to the Temple. Palm branches were used in the construction of booths for the Feast of Booths. In his vision of the New Temple, the prophet Ezekiel also noted the presence and use of palm branches.
Whether the crowds knew all these things is doubtful. But certainly St John realized the significance of the palm frond when he recorded his revelation of heaven, After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!” (Rev 7:9-10).
Not everyone in Jerusalem understood all these things. Even His disciples are confounded. Nevertheless, they took up palm branches as a sign of victory and went out to meet this King as He entered Jerusalem. They went not to meet the conquering hero or the mighty warrior, but the King who enters through the Sheep Gate, sitting on a donkey, for He comes as the Lamb of God, the Passover Sacrifice offered up for the sins of the world.
We hear and echo their cry, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord, even the King of Israel! That is to say, “Save us, save us now, we pray!,” for that is what ‘Hosanna’ means. “Save us by Your Name; Jesus, the very Name of the Lord, given from before your birth, for You came to save Your people from there sins.”
This is the cry of the crowds less than a week from that Good Friday. It is the cry heard on the First Sunday in Advent, before the birth of the Messiah. It is heard again today, Palmarum, Passion Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. And it is your shout before you receive the Body and Blood of Christ! The Body and Blood born of Mary, and torn and shed upon the Cross for you.
It comes from Psalm 118, which says, Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank You that You have answered me and have become my salvation. The Stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing and is it marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Christ, the Lamb of God, entered the Holy City through the Sheep Gate. You now enter through Him, who is the Gate of the Sheep, the Door, into the heavenly Jerusalem. Christ Jesus, rejected by the people, is the Cornerstone on which the Church is built. By His grace you are made living stones, built up to be His Temple. This is the Lord’s doing. And the Day which He has made, the day on which He has done this, is Easter, the Resurrection!
It continues, Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and He has made His light to shine upon us.
Now the crux of the text, the purpose of the Triumphal Entry, and the meaning of Palm Sunday: Bind the festal Sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!
Whatever the crowds and we may not understand about this procession, we must at the very least grasp this: Jesus came to be the festal Sacrifice, the Atoning Sacrifice for sin. Within mere days of these events His shed blood shall ransom men from slavery and death. This is the real victory; and the reason for their rejoicing, and ours.
For Christ took up our human nature and bore it to the Cross. He took you fallen and corrupt flesh and endured the wrath of God due you. He suffered what was impossible for you. He submitted Himself to death. He poured out His blood and emptied His soul. He was forsaken by God.
All this was on your behalf, in your place, so that you may be His new creation. For on the Cross, in Christ’s death, your fallen nature was put to death. And in Him our human nature was kept pure, undefiled, holy under the Law. He did not sin. He did not transgress the Law. But He fulfilled the Law and bore its wrath for you. He was made the sinner so that you, like Barabbas, may go free and be called “sons of the Father;” and like Lazarus may be called from your graves. In this way He is your Passover Lamb, your Substitute, your Atoning Sacrifice, and your King.
Palm branches signify an oasis, water and food, rest and shelter, in a barren and hostile place. This is what God gives in the temple and in His Word: He gives refreshment, rest, safety. Jesus is the Temple built without hands. He abides in the hearts of the faithful. He enters them through His sacrificed, yet risen Body and Blood. So the saints in heaven decorate themselves like the temple on earth, with palms, for they are the place of the Lamb’s gracious blood, the temples of the Holy Spirit.
This is also why we can take up palms. We are yet in the great tribulation. We are still attacked by the devil, the world, and our fallen nature. Yet we are one with the great cloud of witnesses, our brothers and sisters who have gone before us in faith. We too are the temples of the Holy Spirit, through Baptism into Christ. We too identify with our Lord’s victory in death. So we take up palms.
That doesn’t mean every one of us has understood this perfectly, either now or in years past. We might yet be confused. In that, we are like some of the crowd, even the holy apostles themselves. We may not fully understand the significance of palms or bowing or the chants, or even the Eucharist, or any of these things that teach. But that is okay. The kingdom comes by grace, not by understanding. And you have a lifetime and beyond to enjoy and learn these things.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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