Palm Sunday Reflection: Jesus' Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem Heralded the Entry of the New Covenant

By -
Palm Sunday is indeed not exclusive to Roman Catholics. Born again Christians themselves have the right to celebrate it outside the superstitions of Rome. What is the significance of Palm Sunday? It is the start of holy week - the celebration and commemoration of Christ's greatest victory in His death, burial and resurrection. No Palm Sunday means no Good Friday. Black Saturday and Easter Sunday. It was important for Jesus to become the Passover lamb. The Passover lamb would make its entry on the 10th of Nisan (which usually takes place around March to April) and to be slain four days after it was inspected. Jesus would enter on the first day of Passover which He was going to become that once and for all Passover lamb.

There was a great significance aside from the fact that the same people that welcomed Him would later shout "Crucify Him!" on Good Friday. The typology would probably fit this way - the Passover lamb made its entry on the first day and was to to be slain after four days of inspection. Jesus would later finish the last four days before His crucifixion proving He Himself is indeed the begotten Son of God the Father. He would answer the questions perfectly because He Himself is the eternal Son of God. He was now getting ready to take the sins of the world.

So what's the significance of the donkey over the horse? Jesus' earthly mother Mary and his stepfather Joseph had a donkey on the way to Jerusalem. Now, He rode a donkey again as a symbol of peace. Genesis 49:11 and Zechariah 9:9 are the prophecies that were getting fulfilled when He entered Jerusalem. Rather than a majestic horse (which is a symbol of war) that He would ride in Revelation - His entry was by a lowly donkey which was a symbol of peace. We can read that King Solomon rode a donkey (1st Kings 1:33) and other leaders rode donkeys (Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14; and 2 Samuel 16:2). Jesus was getting welcomed as a king who would soon disappoint the hardhearted Jews.

Jesus' covenant was both of peace and war. War with the world (while He teaches Christians to love their enemies and not to take revenge) and peace with God. The Christian life is meant to be difficult - some even got disowned for simply believing in Jesus. The donkey may also be viewed as a symbol of hardship and labor. The herald was that while Christians will be divided against the world yet they find unity in Jesus. The very entry of Jesus into Jerusalem represents the timeless fact that the New Covenant was coming in. He had entered not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. The Old Testament had to be fulfilled for the New Testament to kick in. The Old Testament's ceremonial law would die while its moral law would be carried over to the New Testament.

See also: