Palm Sunday is a day full of ironies.
Palm Sunday is not merely a pep rally for crowds welcoming Jesus to the city. They thought he would be a conquering king who would redeem them. They cried out, “Hosanna,” meaning, “save us now!” or “please save us!” They expected him to be inaugurated king and begin the promised messianic age foretold by the prophets.
The irony is found in the fact that he did fulfill their expectations but not in the way they expected. As the people of the city realized he was not acting according to their preconceived notions of what a king and messiah should be, they turned on him. By the end of the week, they were crying, “crucify him!”
The reality is that Jesus did do what was expected. He did conquer. He did redeem. He did save. He did inaugurate the kingdom. He did activate the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies. What they couldn’t fathom is that he would do all these things through the cross. He did them by suffering and dying. Only through death could he take away the curse of death. Only by being lifted up on the tree could he reconcile heaven and earth.
There were clues, of course, on Palm Sunday. He came in on a donkey, not a stallion, a sign of humility that suggested he would be a different kind of king. Against the objections of the Pharisees, he accepted the praise of children. His teaching over the next several days certainly confounded the religious leaders and showed that he was bringing in a different kind of kingdom. It was all there, if they could only connect the dots.
So Palm Sunday is a day to celebrate the humble kingship of Jesus. It’s a day to celebrate the Most High who is also the Most Merciful. It’s a day to rejoice in a kingdom of grace.
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