Palm Sunday

The Strings We Attach to Our Worship

Beyond the Triumphal Entry

I want to take a slightly different approach on Palm Sunday. The focus is (and rightly should be) on Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. But I want to talk about the crowd of people. Why did they gather? What were their motivations? What did they expect? Ultimately, the cheers of the crowd were laced with expectation and anticipation. The cheers came with strings attached. What were those strings?

The Loaded Symbolism of Palm Branches

"The next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet him." — John 12:12-13 (CSB)

Let's not miss the symbolism that is connected to the language. The palm branch was both a religious symbol and a symbol of revolt and rebellion. In 1 Maccabees 13:51, there is a historical description of a celebration for Simon of the Maccabees after a victory over the Syrians. Earlier in Jewish history, the palm was even minted on coins during rebellion.

In other words, by the time Jesus is being celebrated, the palms were a symbol of nationalistic hope and the people greet Jesus with nationalistic expectation. The expectation is freedom from Roman oppression. It was a return to the days of the great King David—a restoration of Israel's political power and independence.

These weren't merely decorative branches being waved; they were politically charged symbols with a clear message: "Come and be our conquering king!"

The Revolutionary Language of the Crowd

Now, the language. The word "Hosanna" is Aramaic and is literally a plea, "save us, please." The next phrase, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord" comes from Psalm 118:26. The historical context of the Psalm was probably the greeting celebration for a king leading people into the temple after a military victory.

The strings attached to the cheers were rooted in nationalistic hope and expectation of an earthly King. In all fairness, this is completely understandable—the Jewish people had endured centuries of foreign domination. They longed for liberation, for restoration, for a Messiah who would throw off the Roman yoke. But this was not the intent or aim of Jesus.

Jesus' Counter-Cultural Response

What were the symbols and words of Jesus in response?

First, the symbol—Jesus rides in on a donkey. This was intentional and should have been an alarming sight for the cheering crowd. The symbol of war is a horse/stallion in the ancient world. The symbol of peace was a colt/donkey. Jesus rides on the symbol of shalom (peace), not war.

This deliberate choice fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy (9:9) about the coming king being humble and riding on a donkey. But it also subtly challenged the crowd's expectations. While they were anticipating a warrior on a warhorse, Jesus presented himself as a humble servant-king.

Additionally, Jesus keeps teaching his disciples (then and now) that the ethics of the Kingdom of God are subversive to the kingdoms of the world:

• The world wants war, Jesus brings peace.

• The world wants unity through uniformity, Jesus establishes a unity marked by diversity.

• The world wants to exalt the strong, proud, and powerful, Jesus shows us God uses the weak, powerless, and humble for His purposes.

Jesus wasn't rejecting their adoration—He was reframing it. He wasn't declining kingship—He was redefining it.

The Tears Behind the Triumph

Lastly, the words of Jesus in response to the symbol are actually seen through his tears (Luke 19:41). Jesus wept as he saw the city because the people had no clue what the cost of peace would be for them and to Him.

Even in this moment of public acclamation, Jesus could see beyond the celebration to the coming crisis. He knew these same voices would soon demand His death. He understood that the peace they sought would come not through political revolution but through His sacrifice. This knowledge broke His heart even as the crowd's enthusiasm reached its peak.

From "Hosanna!" to "Crucify Him!"

In just a few days, the same crowd that sees Jesus and cheers with celebration will chant and scream for his crucifixion.

The. Same. Crowd.

How do we know it was the same crowd? It's a matter of a few days during the festival. The same people who attended the festival would still be there on Good Friday. No one is jumping on a flight to leave, as traveling in the ancient world was both costly and difficult. So they would maximize their time and stay and then travel in groups. Usually, the same groups that came would leave together.

Both John 12:12 and Matthew 21:15 use the Greek word ὄχλος to describe the SAME crowd that Luke describes as being disciples. The word ὄχλος/crowd means a massive mob, gang, assembly of people. This is the exact same word that is used of those that gather in Matthew 27:20. The ὄχλος/crowd yelled to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Additionally, in Acts 2:22-24, Peter clearly says, "Though he was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him."

Scholarly Confirmation

Numerous NT scholars agree with this conclusion based on Matthew 27:20. Here is a sampling:

Grant Osborne says: "This is an important comment. Throughout the gospels the crowds are on Jesus' side, and even here they turn against him only because the leaders 'persuade them.' The guilt of the leaders is obvious... They have turned the crowds against the one they called 'the Son of David' who 'comes in the name of the Lord' in 21:9."¹

W.D. Davies notes: "The crowds which cry out against Jesus the Christ have undergone a reversal of sentiment, for once they welcomed him. The conversion is historically credible... But aside from what really happened, on the literary level the crowd's metamorphosis—they are no more consistent than the disciples—serves to emphasize the wickedness of the Jewish leaders, for they are responsible for the new hostility."²

The Mirror of Palm Sunday

Now, why does all of this matter?

Today, as we process the triumphal entry, let's pause to think about this crowd. This ancient crowd is a representation of us today. We each come to Jesus with cheers and celebrations that have strings attached. We may not be waving palm branches, but we carry expectations just as heavy.

We praise Jesus when He meets our expectations, when He fits into our political framework, when He blesses us in ways we recognize. But what happens when Jesus doesn't overthrow the things in our lives that we want him to? What happens when His kingdom looks different than we imagined? What happens when the donkey-riding servant-king asks us to follow Him to a cross?

Cutting the Strings

Yet, Jesus will not be caught up or contained in our strings or our expectations. Jesus invites us to join Him in His Kingdom. To lay down our expectations of Him and embrace the goodness of who He is. Who He is will always prove to be infinitely better than our expectations of Him.

Today we can choose to be honest about the strings that we have attached to Jesus:

• The expectation that following Him means material prosperity

• The belief that His kingdom aligns perfectly with our political views

• The demand that He fix our problems according to our timeline

• The subtle condition that our worship depends on His blessings

Let's make the decision on this Palm Sunday to choose honesty and submission to Christ the King. Remove the strings and accept Jesus on His terms, not our own. Because the Jesus who rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, who weeps over the city, who willingly goes to the cross—this Jesus is far greater than any king we could imagine.

His kingdom doesn't fulfill our expectations—it transcends them.

1. Grant R. Osborne, Matthew, vol. 1, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 1018–1019.

2. W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, vol. 3, International Critical Commentary (London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004), 588.