Luke 19:28-40
Palm Sunday: A Celebration of Jesus’ Kingship
Palm Sunday, or the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem marks the beginning of Easter Week, this an event filled with prophetic significance. Jesus enters the city knowing His fate—He will die, as He foretold in John 12:24, like a grain of wheat that must fall to the ground and be multiplied. Yet, even when the shadow of death looms, this moment is not one of sorrow, but of anticipation—anticipation of His victory over death and of the multiplication of His life in His followers.
Jesus is the long-waited King of the Jews. He is the fulfillment of God’s promises, bringing peace from heaven and filling the hearts of those who recognize Him. Just as the angels proclaimed at His birth, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” He is the One in whom God’s Spirit rests. His resurrection, which we will celebrate next Sunday, will be the ultimate proof of His identity and mission.
Jerusalem, at the time described in this morning’s reading, was crowded with pilgrims from all over the Empire, who came to celebrate Passover. According to historian Flavius Josephus, hundreds of thousands—perhaps even millions—gathered to commemorate their ancestors’ liberation from Egypt. The Jewish law required all males living within twenty miles of the city to come for this sacred festival. In his book, The Jewish War, he mentions that during one Passover in the first century, nearly 256,500 lambs were sacrificed. Since the tradition required at least ten people per lamb, some historians conclude that over 2.5 million people could have been in Jerusalem for the festival. Other historians believe Josephus was exaggerating.
As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He neared the Mount of Olives. At that moment, His disciples spread their garments on the road as signs of honor and submission—and they began to shout in praise: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
This outcry was dangerous in the eyes of religious leaders. If Roman authorities perceived Jesus as a political king—an insurrectionist—it could lead to military intervention. Fearing unrest, they urged Jesus to silence His followers. Yet, His response was bold and unshakable: “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Just days before this event, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. In witnessing this miracle, Martha boldly proclaimed: “I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” Now in Jerusalem, a crowd was doing the same, they were recognizing Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy—the righteous King who brings salvation, just as Zechariah 9:9 had foretold: “See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey.”
Unlike previous moments in His ministry, when He instructed people to keep quiet about His identity, Jesus did not reject these proclamations, He now embraces this public declaration. His time had come—the world needed to know that He was not just Israel’s Messiah, but the King of all nations.
Palm Sunday marks the shift from Jesus’ ministry of teaching, preaching and healing to His suffering. Behind Him were His parables, miracles, and teachings; ahead of Him lay betrayal, agony in Gethsemane, and the cross. No longer would He simply perform wonders—He was now on His way to fulfill prophecy through His ultimate sacrifice.
Palm Sunday invites us into two powerful reflections:
A Challenge: It pushes us to boldly proclaim our faith, refusing to be silent about the hope we have in Him. Because if we do not do it, the stones will.
Throwing garments before Jesus was a sign of devotion—a pledge to follow Him wholeheartedly. Palm Sunday should inspire that same willingness in us: a commitment to serve, to surrender, and to make Christ the center of our lives.
Why should we be willing to serve, to surrender, and to make Christ the center of our lives? Because He gave everything for us; he made us the center of his life, the reason of his suffering and death. He entered Jerusalem prepared to sacrifice Himself completely. Even His cloth was stripped from Him at the cross. His death was for our sake—and in response, our lives should be dedicated to Him.
The crowd, because they had witnessed miracles were shouting “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Maybe many of them were healed, restored, and transformed by Jesus. When we recognize His work in our own lives, gratitude overflows, and our voices cannot remain silent. Just as Mary poured out expensive perfume to express her gratitude to Jesus, we are called to pour out our hearts in worship and commit ourselves to pass on the message to others.
Paul understood well the passing of the message. In 1 Corinthians 9:16, he said: “Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!” (New Living Translation)
Have you felt lately the joy of encountering Christ? The joy of sharing his message? Do you remember the fire in your heart when you first realized He was your Savior? That passion should not fade in any of us—it must be reignited! The excitement of Palm Sunday should lead us to do what Paul encouraged Timothy to do, to “Fan into flame the gift of God. And as the hymn “Pass It On” reminds us:
“It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up to its glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love—once you’ve experienced it, you spread your love to everyone; you want to pass it on. Palm Sunday is a time to reignite our faith. Palm Sunday is not just a remembrance of an event that happened 2,000 years ago; it is an invitation to shout praise to our Lord. It is a time to renew our encounter with Jesus, to rekindle our devotion, and to declare boldly: “Jesus is my King! He has given me joy, happiness, and life!”
Palm Sunday is a reminder, a call for us to continue what the multitude began—laying down our lives before Jesus and joyfully praising Him for the miracles we have seen and experienced. And two: