Today is Palm Sunday, a celebration of when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. My reflections are based on Matthew 21:1–11.

Fulfilling prophecy

Jesus knew that this was the last time he was going to enter Jerusalem before his arrest. It must have been quite sobering to know that he was getting ever closer to that moment. He still took the time to attend to details that he knew were necessary in order for him to fulfil Old Testament prophecies. This included, for example, sending two of his disciples to fetch a donkey for him (v2). He says to the disciples to simply let the owner know that the Lord needs them – the mention of his name was all the authority they needed. Matthew is the only gospel that includes both donkey and colt in his retelling, but this directly reflects what the prophet Zechariah said, which we can see in v5.

A statement of who Jesus was

What is amazing about this episode is how the crowds gather as soon as they see Jesus approaching. They spread out their cloaks and branches on the dusty road and praise him as he rides past. It is one of the few places that we see Jesus being publicly honoured and recognised. How sad that it was only a few days later that the same people would desert him. I’m sure many would have been in the crowd that called for his crucifixion too…

By entering Jerusalem in this public way, Jesus was declaring who he is (the messiah, heavenly king). But he was doing so with humility (on a simple colt rather than with great pomp and ceremony). Even so, this episode seemed to wake the city up to his presence. In verse 10 we see that everyone was ‘stirred’ and asked who Jesus was. I wonder how often we celebrate Jesus in such a way that those around us ask about him?

Palm Sunday reflection

The crowds threw down palm branches and cloaks to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem. How can you welcome Jesus into your life today? And how will you ensure that yours is not a fleeting welcome, as theirs was?