Palm Sunday Christian Stories, Songs, And Sermons

Celebrating Palm Sunday – The King’s Triumphal Entry!

13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him. And as they went, they kept shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is He and praise to Him Who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel! [Ps. 118:26.]
14 And Jesus, having found a young donkey, rode upon it, [just] as it is written in the Scriptures,
15 Do not fear, O Daughter of Zion! Look! Your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt! [Zech. 9:9.]
John 12:13-15 AMP

Meaning Of Palm Sunday

500 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9) wrote about the coming Messiah, telling the Jewish people how they would recognize their King by his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. On the Christian holiday known as Palm Sunday, Believers celebrate Jesus fulfilling this prophecy.

Each of the four Gospels records the story of a triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Three of these entries are known by Christians as Palm Sunday. The fourth entry likely happened before Sunday, as Jesus was staying nearby and visiting Jerusalem daily. Never assume that events that sound similar are the same. The smallest detail may be a clue that the Gospel writer has added at the request of the Holy Spirit. In this case, we have several key differences between Matthew’s account and the other three. See the table below for a brief outline.

There are no contradictions or problematic Scriptures when you handle the Word carefully and correctly. Each Gospel writer wrote for a particular audience, and included all the events and details as required by the Holy Spirit. For instance, some have attempted to poke fun of Matthew 21:7, claiming that Jesus rode both the donkey and the colt at the same time. This is foolishness. The disciples retrieved both animals, clothes were set on BOTH, and Jesus sat on them (the clothes) – yet ONLY on the donkey. Obviously, Jesus did not ride on both.

Any suggestion of contradiction evaporates when you realize that there are two entries by Jesus. You can trust God’s Word. There may be an even deeper meaning to the different entries and number of animals. Jesus’ first trip on a donkey with her colt may indicate Israel’s last chance to repent and believe their King had come. Even though Jesus had visited Jerusalem before, done many miracles, including recently raising Lazarus back to life, many folks were asking who he was. Apparently, the praise of the first visit was largely from those who personally knew Jesus – his disciples and followers, or those who had interacted with Him. It is also interesting that there are two days between the two visits, which seems to be the prophetic time between Jesus’ first time on Earth, and the one yet to come. (2 Peter 3:6-9)

Palm Sunday In Prophecy

The mention of two animals connects precisely with the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. Which is the arrival of THE King in Jerusalem. It was Passover week, so Jerusalem was overflowing with Jews, even some from the dispersion, like Greek speaking Jews. Jesus, in front of many witnesses, brought Lazarus back from death in nearby Bethany. He fulfilled the prophetic arrival on a donkey, and cleansed the Temple. Jesus knew what was coming. The religious leaders were already conspiring to kill him. But He would offer His life willingly. He saw the Fig Tree (Israel), beautiful and full of leaves, yet without any fruit. And just like Israel, it would wither away at His Word. (Mark 11:11-33, John 11:1-57, 12:20-21)

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee:
He is just, and having salvation;
Lowly, and riding upon an ass,
And upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Zechariah 9:9 KJV

In just a few days, Jesus would die on a cross. At that same time in the Temple, the giant curtain that separated God’s Earthly presence from the people was torn from the TOP to the bottom. Thousands of animals were sacrificed and their blood applied to the Mercy Seat to cover the sins of the people from the time of Moses until Jesus. Then, the High Priest would take the scapegoat and confess the sins of the people onto the goat. It would then be taken into the wilderness alive, and released there. All those sacrifices and ceremonies pointed to one final sacrifice that came with Jesus – who became sin, and carried away ALL SIN for ALL TIME. He was the END of sacrifice. It ended spiritually with Jesus. And emphatically, when Rome destroyed the Temple and abolished the priesthood. As Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman at the well, it was time for something new. God is a Spirit. Those who worship Him must worship Him in a truly spiritual way. (Leviticus 16:1-22, Matthew 27:50-51, John 4:19-26. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Ephesians 2:1-22, Colossians 2:1-23, 3:1-4)

Hosanna! Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name Of The Lord!

The people were shouting and praising God. The most common words spoken were taken from Psalm 118. The meaning of Hosanna is “save us” or “help us” or “send prosperity now”. For those familiar with the Word, this was a powerful confession. For others, it was just a catchy thing to say at the moment, not knowing exactly who Jesus was, or the Eternal impact of what was happening. The entire Psalm is beautiful in its praise and full of Messianic prophecy. The last few lines are especially relevant to the events of Palm Sunday. (Psalm 118:1-29)

22       The stone which the builders refused
 Is become the head stone of the corner.
23       This is the LORD’s doing;
 It is marvellous in our eyes.
24       This is the day which the LORD hath made;
 We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25       Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD:
 O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
26       Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD:
 We have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.
27       God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light:
 Bind the sacrifice with cords,
 Even unto the horns of the altar.
28       Thou art my God, and I will praise thee:
 Thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
29       O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
 For his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 118:22-29 KJV

Perspectives On Palm Sunday – Jews In Jerusalem

In Matthew, we see the crowd not eager to receive Jesus. They wanted a KING, one that would lead them to victory and free them from Rome. Their King should be riding a mighty stallion, full of power and glory. A King riding humbly on a donkey was not what they expected. In fact, Matthew writes that the crowd was agitated. When some asked who this person was, the answer came back, This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee. To paraphrase, He is just some prophet from the backwater town of Nazareth – nobody important. Notice also that the entry is bracketed by a few events that are worth exploring. (Matthew 21:1-11)

The first, the healing of two blind men on the road to Jerusalem. They heard Jesus was near and shouted, Son of David, have pity on us! Imagine the scene, two blind men desperate to be made whole could “see” better than most of Jerusalem! They used the proper title Son of David, acknowledging Jesus as heir to the throne. And the crowd that was following, mostly disciples and the curious, tried to silence these two. Jesus stopped and asked what they wanted. They said they wanted to see. And of course Jesus restored their sight. And they followed Jesus into Jerusalem. There will come a time in the future when ALL of Israel will see Jesus return, not on a donkey, but in power and victory on a white horse. (Matthew 20:29-34, Revelation 19:11-16)

The second incident involved Jesus visiting the Temple. Jesus chased out the money changers and merchants selling animals, people getting rich off of folks simply wanting to worship God. He scolded them by saying, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers. It was a strong rebuke, but necessary. Inside the Temple, Jesus cured the lame and the blind, and their praise filled the Temple. It should be noted that God inhabits our praise. This infuriated the religious leaders who demanded that the crowds be silenced. They had no idea the importance of that moment. Jesus simply reminded them, God taught the little children to praise Him perfectly. Many of those healed on Friday would lead the praise on Palm Sunday. (Psalm 8:2, 22:3, Matthew 21:12-17)

In the other Gospels, the crowd grows and becomes more invested in the excitement. It must be remembered that Jews from all over Israel were arriving in Jerusalem for Passover, so more people who knew Him, or heard about Jesus were added to the mix. By His arrival on Palm Sunday, more people were eager to see Him for a variety of reasons. Some because they wanted something, some simply out of curiosity, some because they had been healed on Friday. Before it was primarily Jesus’ followers, now many people in Jerusalem joined in, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! (Luke 19:37-38) They covered His path with coats and Palm branches – a symbol of praise and victory.

Perspectives On Palm Sunday – Jesus

In Luke’s account, Jesus pauses His entry when Jerusalem comes into view. Of course He was well aware what was waiting for Him during the next week. Yet it was Jerusalem – and more specifically His people living there, that He was most concerned about. He wept over Jerusalem, and said, Eternal peace was within your reach and you rejected it. And now it is too late. Your enemies will surround and besiege you, and crush you and your children to the ground. There will not be one stone left upon another, for you have rejected God. Imagine the circumstances, Jesus was facing betrayal, torture, a painful death, and separation from the Father, yet He was most concerned about His people, and the coming destruction of Jerusalem. (Luke 19:41-44)

Multiple times Jesus had explained what was about to happen to Him in Jerusalem. Few truly understood what that actually meant. The idea that Jesus would suffer and die simply did not register even with His most intimate followers. And it certainly did not among the more educated class of lawyers and religious leaders. Jesus pulled no punches when it came to their behavior. Around the events on Palm Sunday, Jesus gave object lessons, miracles, and parables that were designed to help the religious leadership and His followers recognize their need of a Savior, and see Him as the fulfillment of prophecy. Raising Lazarus from the dead, just outside of Jerusalem in Bethany, was a significant miracle. Lazarus was a wealthy man, and known by many within the leadership in Jerusalem. People were flocking to Jesus because the event was so significant, nobody could deny it was from God. The miracle itself was an object lesson. Lazarus died, and lay in his tomb four days before Jesus arrived. In type, man fell, and it was 4,000 years before Jesus arrived to give mankind LIFE! Instead of celebrating this wonderful miracle, the leadership sought ways to kill Jesus, and Lazarus too! How depraved can you be if the solution to people turning away from your dead religion to Jesus is to destroy Him, and the man He raised from death? (John 11:1-57, 12:9-11)

The Fig Tree miracle was mentioned briefly above. This was yet another miracle with a dual message. First for His disciples, one of the best object lessons on how faith works. And secondly, a judgement on religion. The tree was full of leaves and beautiful to see. From the looks of it, it was full of fruit. But on closer examination, Jesus did not find ANY fruit. This was the same with the the Temple and religion in general. They were doing lots of things, but yet producing NO FRUIT. And now, their religious priority was to find a way to silence Jesus! (Mark 11:12-26)

And then there was the parable in Luke of the nobleman who went away to receive a kingdom. He gave money to three servants with the intention to receive the increase from their investment. Two were successful and were rewarded. The third did nothing and was judged. But that was not the most significant part of the parable. When the nobleman left, his citizens sent notice that they did not want to live under the nobleman’s rule. They hated him. Their fate was far worse. When the nobleman returned, he ordered the death of those who had rejected his rule. This parable should have been a wake call to those who rejected Jesus. (Luke 19:11-28)

Perspectives on Palm Sunday – Religious Leaders

The majority of the Jewish religious leadership were against Jesus almost from the beginning. Even with the Roman occupation, they had found a way to prosper and remain in authority over the Jewish people. All Rome wanted was peace. As long as there was no rebellion or violence, the Roman authorities did not care what the Jews did. So the religious folks saw Jesus as a dual threat. Not only was he potentially a rival for their religious authority, He also represented a true threat to their economic prosperity, which was tied to keeping the peace. But Jesus was not a threat to Rome. He was announcing the Kingdom from Heaven that was to come. But first He had to deal with the spiritual condition of the people. The religious leaders were appalled by the crowds on Palm Sunday, and sought to end their praise. They first appealed to Jesus to silence His disciples. Jesus replied, If these folks were to remain quiet the very stones would cry out. The crowds continued to grow and praise Jesus. The religious folks were at a loss as to how to stop it. They finally admitted, There is nothing we can do. The whole world is running after him! (Habakkuk 2:11, Luke 19:28-40)

7 They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their coats upon them, and He seated Himself on them [the clothing].
8 And most of the crowd kept spreading their garments on the road, and others kept cutting branches from the trees and scattering them on the road.
9 And the crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed Him kept shouting, Hosanna (O be propitious, graciously inclined) to the Son of David, [the Messiah]! Blessed (praised, glorified) is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna (O be favorably disposed) in the highest [heaven]! [Ps. 118:26.]
Matthew 21:7-9 AMP

Palm Sunday Tidbits

Jesus told his disciples where to find a donkey that had never been ridden. When the owner questioned them, they were to tell him that, The Lord needs it. And sure enough, the owner of the donkey let them take it away. But that was not the end of the story. It is not recorded in Scripture, but certainly the owner benefitted from this transaction. At the very least, he received back a donkey that had been trained and prepared to carry a rider or work. It is a spiritual truth, when you give, it is given back to you, pressed down and running over. The owner likely enjoyed an Overflowing Blessing for giving his donkey to the Lord to use. (Luke 6:38)

Jesus is the Word that became a man and lived with us. He knew every prophecy concerning his life, and would fulfill each and every one of them. The entry on Palm Sunday was just one more proof that Jesus was the Messiah. (John 1, 12:14-16)

The religious leaders were furious with the people for praising Jesus. But the real basis for their angst was a deep fear that they would lose their power and influence over the people. The religious leaders even tried to get Jesus to silence the crowd, but not even Jesus could stop the praise. Its unfortunate that the very people who dedicated their lives to knowing God, did not recognize Him in their midst.

The week would start with much of Jerusalem praising Jesus. At the end of the week, many would demand his death on a cross. Many thought Jesus was coming to be an earthly king that would rid them of the Roman occupation. They did not understand that Jesus was providing The Way to a spiritual kingdom that would never end.

By Easter morning, the victory was complete. Sin and the entire curse, from death to poverty, was beaten. You can now celebrate his victory and enjoy the gift of righteousness forever!

Palm Sunday 2024 is celebrated on March 24. The other important days of Holy Week include:

Palm Sunday – Jesus enters Jerusalem.
Maundy Thursday – The Last Supper and betrayal.
Good Friday – The arrest, trial, crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus.
Easter Sunday – The day Jesus rose from the grave.

Links To Related Content

Animal Parable Bible Stories – Throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, animals play an important role in God’s plan. The purpose of the Animal Parable Bible Stories is to provide a new perspective for your favorite Bible stories. Read this Palm Sunday story and rejoice with the characters as they see God’s promise fulfilled before their eyes. Be sure and check out the Animal Parable Bible Lesson for the story.

Hanna’s Parade – Ever hear the story of Hanna? She was a little sick donkey who wanted to be healthy. Her life was forever changed when she met Jesus. You will love this charming story about Palm Sunday and the healing power of Jesus.

Hanna’s Parade – Animal Parable Bible Lesson – A Parable About Faith & Healing

Check out all the Animal Parables!!

Other Related Stories and Song

Palm Sunday Parade – This Bible story is based on Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Found in all 4 Gospels in your Bible, we celebrate Palm Sunday to remind us that Jesus has come and is now with us for all eternity.

The Palm Sunday Song – An original children’s song sung to the tune “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain”.

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Other Stuff In The Matney Woodard Family

Look, Your King Is Coming – This page explores Palm Sunday and the events surrounding Jesus’ triumphant trip(s) into Jerusalem. (Coming soon)

Happy Palm Sunday!

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