Palm Sunday: The Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem
Read
Philippians 4:4-9; John 12:1-18
This is the authentic feast of Christ the King. On Palm Sunday, Jerusalem received Jesus Christ as the Messianic King. Even in the temple itself, the children cried out the royal acclamation “Hosanna,” which had not been heard since the end of the Macchabean monarchy over a century before. The “authorities” were terrified; if the Roman governor were to take this as a challenge, which he might have done, blood would flow in the streets.
Just recently, we have seen a parallel of sorts. As the Soviet Union was crumbling, the forbidden Ukrainian blue and gold flag appeared again, here and there, and people began to sing the banned Ukrainian national anthem. Simultaneously people were joyful and apprehensive: happy to see and hear the symbols they longed for, but frightened over the possibility of retribution from the Soviet forces. There must have been similar ambivalence in Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday. It was joyful to hear the royal acclamation “Hosanna” and to see the palms, and the royal entry of Jesus Christ. But what might it portend? What was going to happen?
This royal entry was necessary; Jesus Christ had to fulfill the Messianic prophecies which we read at Vespers on the evening of Palm Sunday. The ruler’s staff belongs to Christ the King, and He came to claim it, riding on the colt of an ass. The King of Israel had come again to Jerusalem, bringing victory, but it was to be a different sort of victory from what the Jewish people were expecting. Christ the King was simultaneously triumphant and victorious, but riding on the colt of an ass. Divine royalty is humble; divine humility is regal.
After the Gospel at Matins, the bishop or the priest blesses the pussy willow branches, and distributes them to all the clergy and faithful. We should hold the branches during the Divine Liturgy, and then take them to our homes, where we keep them with the Cross and the holy icons. What do these branches mean?
By accepting the blessed branch on Palm Sunday, we proclaim anew our primary allegiance to Jesus Christ our King. The blessed branch is like a “flag” for the Kingship of Jesus Christ. We acknowledge that Christ is our King, and that His Law, the Law of the Holy Gospel, comes first in our hearts and in our lives. And we keep the blessed branch in our home all year round, as a reminder of the loyalty we owe to Christ our King, and to the Gospel.
This is a matter of the utmost seriousness. Our prayer, fasting, and repentance during Lent should have brought us to realize that the Lord wants to reign in every aspect of our lives. Accepting the branch means accepting the royal authority of Jesus Christ in everything. We cannot promise to succeed, but we dare not take the blessed branch if we are not at least willing to try. By all means take the branch joyfully; the Kingdom of God is very joyful! But take it seriously too, and as you see it through the year remember what it stands for.
(from Our Paschal Pilgrimage by Bishop Basil Losten)