Palm Sunday

Yesterday marked Palm Sunday - the day we remember Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on a donkey... the beginning of the week that leads up this His crucification and ultimately His resurrection.

On this day, Palm Sunday the King of Kings and Lord of Lords chose not to enter the city by way of a golden parade, rather he chose a donkey. Not any donkey according to the Word, but a colt, "which no one had ever ridden" (Mark 11:2). I find this tiny detail intriguing... not only did Christ humble himself by coming to earth as man, not only did he humble himself by choosing against a big expensive parade and decorative entrance into the city as He surely deserved for He was about to beat sin, He chose a donkey as His transportation... not any donkey, a donkey that had never been ridden according to scripture. He could have chosen the strongest, best donkey out there... but instead He chose the least prepared donkey for the task. I find this interesting because isn't this exactly what He had done all throughout the Old Testament, all throughout the later New Testament, and surely today - choosing the least likely to accomplish the task? A horrible speaker, Moses to "TELL" Pharaoh to let His people go, an adulterer David to have a heart like His, a Paul that persecuted those for the cause before He met God on the road to Damascus, and then there is His desire to use unequipped folks like you and me to do mighty things for His glory!

As Jesus made His way through the roads, people laid their coats down before him and set palm leaves down for the path... "Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!
Hosanna in the highest!" (Mark 11:9-10)


Palm Sunday is a week before Jesus' resurrection, which is the cornerstone of our faith. According to Josh McDowell,

the basis of the resurrection and the importance of it is given by the apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians 15, verses 13 to 17, Paul wrote, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is vain. Your faith also is vain. Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact, the dead are not raised, for if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.” What the apostle Paul does here is base everything that Christ taught, lived and died for upon the resurrection.

This week I want to prepare my heart for acknowledging and being thankful for the crucification and most importantly being joyful and focused on the resurrection! This is bigger than Christmas, this is what it's all about - Christ died for ME (and you) and because He raised 3 days later we have victory over sin and death! How cool is that?!

I hope you all can take a moment this week to prepare your hearts and minds for the full celebration to come Easter day, when we all shout together - He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!