Happy Palm Sunday!
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, March 29, 2026 (Donate)
Today is Palm Sunday! What is Palm Sunday and why is so
significant. Let’s take a closer look at this powerful holiday.
The Humble King And The Beginning Of The End
Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter and marks the
beginning of what is often called Passion Week—the final week of Jesus Christ’s
earthly ministry before His crucifixion and resurrection.
Because Easter is tied to the first Sunday after the first
full moon following the vernal equinox, Palm Sunday doesn’t fall on a fixed
date but moves each year on the Gregorian calendar. At its heart, Palm Sunday
is about a King arriving—but not in the way people expected.
The Triumphal Entry: A King Arrives
All four Gospel accounts record this event (Matthew 21:1–11;
Mark 11:1–11; Luke 19:28–44; John 12:12–19). As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He
did something very intentional. He rode into the city on a donkey:
“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold,
your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.’” (John 12:15, NKJV)
This wasn’t random. It was a direct fulfillment of prophecy:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is
just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a
donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9, NKJV)
In ancient times, kings rode horses when going to war, but
donkeys when coming in peace. Jesus was declaring something powerful—He was
indeed the King, but He came in humility and peace, not as a military conqueror
that many of the day expected in a coming Messiah.
Palm Branches And Shouts Of Praise
As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people welcomed Him with
excitement:
“And many spread their clothes on
the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on
the road.” (Mark 11:8, NKJV)
Palm branches were symbols of victory and honor. They had
been used to welcome kings and celebrate triumph (see 2 Kings 9:13; Revelation
7:9). The crowd shouted:
“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
The King of Israel!” (John 12:13, NKJV)
This comes from Psalm 118:25–26. The word “Hosanna” means
“Save now.” The people recognized Jesus as the promised Son of David—the
Messiah. But many of them misunderstood what kind of salvation He came to
bring.
A Crowd That Quickly Changed
One of the most sobering truths about Palm Sunday is how
quickly the crowd turned. At the beginning of the week, they cried “Hosanna!” By
the end of the week, many were shouting:
“Let Him be crucified!” (Matthew
27:22, NKJV)
Why the change? Because Jesus didn’t meet their
expectations. Many wanted a political leader who would overthrow Roman
rule and restore Israel’s national power. But Jesus came for something far
greater—He came to deal with sin. He came to rescue us form something far
greater—the infinite and eternal wrath of God against that sin!
Man had a bigger problem than Roman rule—it was the fact
that we were all enemies of God because we have sinned against Him. What we
deserved for our sin was death—culminating in an eternal death that never ends
where we are punished by our infinitely powerful Creator (e.g., Hell).
When people realized that Christ wasn’t going to lead a
political revolution, their enthusiasm faded and turned into rejection. After His
betrayal and arrest, their hopes were dashed and they rapidly aligned with the
Jewish leaders like the High Priest and Romans to end His life. This reminds us
how easily human loyalty can shift when God’s plan doesn’t match our desires.
Christ had to be sacrificed to cover our punishment. And
just as a High Priest offered sacrifices each year, so he offered up Christ and
both Jews and gentiles partook in offering up Christ, our Passover Lamb (1
Corinthians 5:7) once and for all (Hebrews 10:10).
Palm Sunday begins with shouts of “Hosanna” for a coming
King, yet by week’s end that King is mocked, beaten, and “crowned” in a way no
one expected. The Roman soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and pressed
it onto His head (Matthew 27:29), a cruel parody of royalty.
But this was no accident of history—it was rich with meaning
rooted all the way back in Genesis. After the Fall, God declared to Adam,
“Cursed is the ground for your sake… both thorns and thistles it shall bring
forth for you” (Genesis 3:17–18). Thorns became a visible symbol of the
curse, of sin’s intrusion into God’s once “very good” creation.
When Christ wore that crown of thorns, He was bearing the
curse itself. The King who entered Jerusalem in humility took upon His own head
the very sign of mankind’s rebellion. What began in a garden with thorns as the
consequence of sin culminated in another garden scene where Christ took that
curse upon Himself.
He was crowned, not with gold, but with the evidence of the
Fall, because He came to undo it. In that moment, the mocked King was truly
reigning, conquering sin not by force, but by sacrifice.
The True Nature Of Christ’s Kingdom
Jesus made it clear that His kingdom isn’t like the kingdoms
of this world:
“My kingdom is not of this world.
If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight… but now My kingdom
is not from here.” (John 18:36, NKJV)
Even though His kingdom isn’t earthly in nature, it is real
and everlasting. The prophet Daniel foretold it would occur in the days of the fourth
kingdom (Rome):
“And in the days of these kings the
God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.” (Daniel
2:44, NKJV)
Jesus openly declared His kingship:
“You say rightly that I am a king.
For this cause I was born…” (John 18:37, NKJV)
Yet He refused to be made an earthly king:
“Therefore when Jesus perceived
that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He
departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.” (John 6:15, NKJV)
Scripture consistently affirms that Jesus is far more than a
temporary ruler:
· “…the King of kings and Lord of lords.” (1 Timothy 6:15, NKJV)
· “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:16, NKJV)
· “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18, NKJV)
This isn’t a limited kingdom. It is universal and eternal.
If there is a king, there is a kingdom.
Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem
In the middle of this celebration, something unexpected
happened—Jesus wept.
“If you had known, even you,
especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they
are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:42, NKJV)
He knew what was coming. The same city welcoming Him would
reject Him. He also foretold the destruction of Jerusalem:
“For days will come upon you when
your enemies will build an embankment around you… and level you… because you
did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:43–44, NKJV)
This prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans
destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. That event marked the final end of the Old
Testament sacrificial system, which had already been fulfilled by Christ’s
perfect sacrifice. No longer were sacrifices necessary. Christ fulfilled them
and made peace between God and man.
The Deeper Meaning Of Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday isn’t just about celebration—it is about
contrast.
A King came, but not the kind
people expected.
A crowd praised Him, but soon rejected Him.
A kingdom was inaugurated, but not an earthly one.
Jesus entered Jerusalem knowing full well that He was going
to the cross. He came…not to defeat Rome…but to defeat sin and death. What
looked like weakness—riding on a donkey, submitting to arrest, dying on a
cross—was actually the greatest victory in history. And it was proved one week
later.
Palm Sunday should remind us that God’s ways aren’t our
ways. The King who came in humility is the same King who reigns forever. Our hearts
should have metaphorical palm branches everyday recognizing Christ’s eternal
power and dominion over all things.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing
evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as
a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science
was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one
year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and
scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over
25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
