Palm Sunday

When I led a Virtual Tour of Jerusalem in our house group, part of the session focussed on the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. One of these gates was called the Sheep Gate, which is the very first gate mentioned in Nehemiah. It was called the Sheep Gate because this was the gate which the sheep and lambs used in the sacrifices were bought through. It served as a constant reminder of the need for sacrifice to atone for our sins.  The Sheep Gate had no locks or bars: the door of salvation is open to everyone. This was the only gate that was sanctified, setting it apart as a special gate. It speaks of the very first experience we come into in our Christian life – that is, a realisation that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, once and for all. The Sheep Gate reminds us of the cross and the sacrifice that was made for our sins; it represents salvation. It is the starting point of everything! If you read the entire chapter of Nehemiah 3, the Sheep gate is also mentioned at the very end once we have come full circle. That is because everything starts and ends with Jesus’ death on the cross.   Jesus always went into Jerusalem via the Sheep Gate except for his triumphal entrance which we remember today. It was on this occasion, according to Christian tradition, that Jesus chose to enter through the East Gate called the Mercy Gate which was also known as the Golden Gate, the Gate of Eternal Life, or the Beautiful Gate. According to Jewish tradition, the Messiah will enter Jerusalem through this gate. Muslims believe this is the place where justice will prevail on Judgment Day.  This gate has been sealed for hundreds of years and it is said that it will miraculously open when the Messiah comes, and the dead are resurrected.

So, on this occasion, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt, a messianic symbol he effectively affirmed his messianic royalty as well as his humility. In coming to Jerusalem, Jesus did not fulfil the people’s hopes as the conquering deliverer to drive out the Gentiles, but he nonetheless gave all the signs of a royal person making entrance into the city. Mark emphasised Jesus’ humility and his sovereign control of the situation. The divine Son of God was coming to sacrifice his life. The disciples did indeed find everything just as Jesus said.

Jesus came to the temple court, not as a warring king on a horse or in a chariot, but as a gentle and peaceable king on a donkey’s colt, just as we shall see how Zechariah 9:9 had predicted. Jesus knew that those who would hear him teach at the temple would return to their homes throughout the world and announce the coming of the Messiah. Jesus shunned earthly power (and its symbols) in order to demonstrate a kingdom of love and peace. The Messiah entered Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed donkey. In that picture, there is poverty, humility, and majesty: “Yet for your sakes he became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9). There is no shame in being poor.

As he drew near Jerusalem, crowds of people had already gathered on the stretch of road a mile outside the city, on their way to the city for the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover. When Jesus mounted the colt and headed toward the city, they recognized that he was fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. All pilgrims walked the final ascent to Jerusalem; Jesus’ riding was a clear sign. The crowd’s spontaneous celebration honoured Jesus; it was demonstrated when they spread their cloaks on the road for him to ride over (compare with 2 Kings 9:12–13). In addition, they took leafy branches from the fields. These branches were used as part of the pilgrimage into Jerusalem. Matthew says branches were cut from the trees (Matthew 21:8). Probably they came from both places; some were also spread along Jesus’ path, and others were probably waved in the air (see Psalm 118:27).

This then was Jesus’ announcement that he was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. He chose a time when all of Israel would be gathered at Jerusalem, a place where huge crowds could see him and a way of proclaiming his mission that was unmistakable. The crowds were jubilant and sure their liberation from Rome was at hand. Although the crowd correctly saw Jesus as the fulfilment of these prophecies, they failed to understand where Jesus’ kingship would lead him. The crowd expected him to be a national leader who would restore their nation to its former glory; thus, they were deaf to the words of their prophets and blind to Jesus’ real mission. When it became apparent that Jesus was not going to fulfil their hopes in the way that they wanted, many people turned against him and a few days later when Jesus stood on trial cried out, “Crucify him!”. We must embrace God on his terms, and not seek to define God on our terms. We must welcome Jesus into our hearts and accept him as our Lord, Saviour and Redeemer the bringer of grace and salvation. Amen