Over the course of his ministry, Jesus had been steadily journeying towards Jerusalem. Along the way, he preached, he performed miracles, he sparred with the Pharisees – but most importantly, he prepared for his hour. Now, his hour was nearly come when Jesus made his final approach to Jerusalem, entering the city triumphantly, a lord returning to his kingdom. In five days, however, the scene will have changed entirely. Instead of applause there will be jeering; instead of being borne by a colt, he will bear a cross; and instead of being thronged by his disciples, he will be flanked by thieves. Palm Sunday, then, stands as a transition in the ministry of Jesus. What can we learn from this transition point? I will make three points.
First, Palm Sunday reveals the priestly character of Jesus. Upon approaching Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples “drew near to Beth’phage and Bethany”, at which point Jesus “sent two of the disciples… into the village” and ordered them to untie a colt and bring it to him (Luke 19:29-30). This village, being near Bethany and Beth’phage, belonged to priests. How do we know this? Bethany means the house of obedience and Beth’phage means the house of cheek bones. The house of cheek bones is an allusion to the Jewish law, which gave priests the right to the cheek bones of sacrifices. As such, this village between Beth’phage and Bethany was a place of obedience to the law where priests lived who had the right to possess sacrificial cheek bones. Jesus sends his disciples to this village to fetch him a colt. In other words, Jesus is claiming authority over the priests and their property. Jesus is the true high priest. Therefore, whatever belongs to the priests, belongs first and foremost to Jesus. He has the power to command his disciples to untie the colt because he is the true high priest, to whom all other priests are subject.
Second, Palm Sunday reminds us that we all have the ability to betray Christ. The same crowd that rejoiced as Jesus entered Jerusalem later demanded his death from Pontius Pilate. We too have the capacity to love God in one moment and reject him in the next. This terrible power – the power to betray God – lies in each of our hearts. God has given each of us the freedom of choice. We can choose him, or we can reject him. Therefore, we should continually pray to God for the grace to never betray him.
Third, Palm Sunday reminds us that God does not need our praise. Indeed, Jesus states that “if these [people] were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40). True – God has the right to be praised by his creatures and we act unjustly by failing to praise him. However, God is in no way dependent on us praising him. He is completely self-sufficient. Why then do we praise God? We praise God, first and foremost, to acknowledge him as God; but we also worship him in order to share in his divine life. If we fail to praise God, we become like rocks – lifeless and sullen. Without worship, we become less than human. Thus, while God does not need our worship, we need to worship him.
Palm Sunday, then, is the threshold to Holy Week. Jesus is approaching the summit of his earthly life – and as he approaches this summit, his identity comes into sharper and sharper focus. He is the true high priest who intercedes for us before the Father. He has given us the freedom to either love him or betray him. And while he does not need our worship, our very life lies in worshiping him. As we approach Easter, let us call upon the great high priest, who alone has the power to strengthen our wills to love and inspire our spirits to worship.
Ian Mahood – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
Fot. Jorge Vasconez/Unsplash.com