As Holy Week approaches, it can be a good time to reflect not only on what Christ has done for us but what others have done for us as well. Who has played a part in making the way clear for your life’s journey?
A Comprehensive Coherence in the Four Gospels
Christ’s entry into Jerusalem is described in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The event was significant enough to warrant being told by each and is portrayed, unlike some other stories found in more than one gospel, in remarkably similar ways.
Such coherence points to the event’s weight and its influence on later tradition. It was something that Jesus did to make a point. Hebrew tradition held that anyone capable of calming and then riding a foal or donkey had the standing or rank as Messiah. The feast day of Palm Sunday is an annual reminder and celebration of that.
The Movable Feast That Precedes Easter
This Christian tradition falls annually on the Sunday before Easter, but is not the same Sunday of the same month every year. It is subject to calendar adjustment based on the positioning of Easter. It points — as does everything in the Christian tradition — to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It strategically prepares the way: “Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” It hearkens back to the days of John the Baptist, who prepared the people for the one to come whose sandals John claimed he was unfit to lace.
Cloaks, Branches, and Palms
As Jesus secured the donkey and rode to Jerusalem, people threw their cloaks down on the road, and some dropped branches of the palm tree. They evidently sensed that something marvelous was going to come from this. What about you? What is your sense of the marvelous or the miraculous? And who has been instrumental in your journey — those persons that have thrown down their cloaks for you?
In every life there are probably persons that warrant a palm branch or two. They are the individuals — Jews, Christians, Muslims or whatever — that comprehend the concept of kindness and have chosen to exercise it for the good of others.
The New Life That Jesus Pointed To and Ultimately Embodied
The resurrection is proof that new life is possible. Despite economic and other forms of hardship, the modern world offers much for which to be thankful.
Taking for granted the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus is common and understandable. After all, that was a long time ago. Many Christians firmly believe that if time is merely a human constraint and yesterday is but a speckle within the galaxy, perhaps Jesus is in fact dying for you this minute. And maybe — just maybe — those persons who have so graciously thrown down their cloaks for you are standing near, with palm branches at the ready, waiting to see what marvelous thing you’re going to do next.
Sources:
- Mark 11:9; Holy Bible. New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973.
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