Don’t you love a parade? This morning’s focus begins with a celebratory palm procession! Jesus approaches Jerusalem and the Passover pilgrims welcome him with palms in their hands. The Mount of Olives rises in the distance. The city stirs. The pilgrims have all returned to the Holy Land for Passover and the people rush to the roadside. Throwing their cloaks on the ground, and waving their palm branches, shouting with joy: “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38)
The air is electric. Hope pulses in the air. The long-awaited Messiah has finally come. Finally, someone to challenge the Roman powers that rule with violence; someone to restore their nation with peace; someone to (finally) make things right. And to this welcome…here comes Jesus—not on a war-horse but on a humble colt. A sign of peace. Still, the people cheer. They welcome him not just into the city, but into their expectations, and into their hearts. They are ready for victory. For, this is THEIR time!
And this is Palm Sunday— joyful, triumphant, full of promise. We re-enact this every year with palms and cheerful singing. It is re-enacted in Canada; in the Holy Land; I even participated in one in Spain! This is the day the world rejoices. But if we look closely, there is a deeper tension lying under the surface. The crowd waves palms as a sign of praise—but also as a sign of what they hope Jesus will do. They want him to oppose Roman power with an equal might! They want him to conquer, to fix, to fulfill their vision of salvation. They want Jesus to be the new Emperor; the new source of power; the new King. It’s a deeply human desire, isn’t it? We long for a Saviour—a Saviour who fits our timeline, who fits our needs, who fits our idea of how God should work.
And, to be sure, Jesus does come to save—but not through swords or power or political victory. He comes to save through the birthing the vision of the Kin-dom of God: through love, through humility, through surrender. And, frankly, that’s harder to accept. All creation knows who he is. But many hearts still don’t know his way. I say this because the same crowd that cries “Hosanna!” today will fall silent by Friday. The palm-waving joy will give way to confusion, and fear, and even betrayal. This parade route we are on does not lead to sunshine; it leads straight toward the cross that reveals the intersection of our humanity with God’s amazing grace.
You have probably noticed the naming of this Sunday not just as “Palm Sunday” but as “Palm-Passion Sunday”. We do this because this week ahead is the most chronicled of all the weeks of Jesus’ life. A generation ago, or so, people would put aside the busyness of life and attend church on all the days in Holy Week. Perhaps you remember doing so? We would move through the detailed story of Jesus’ passion which commences after today. Holy Monday, when Jesus would cleanse the temple and drive out the money changers. Holy Tuesday, when Jesus would debate with the Jewish leaders and teach in the temple about the end times that are coming. Holy Wednesday, when Judas decides to betray Jesus. Holy Thursday, when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and institutes the Last Supper. Good Friday, when the clouds gather and Jesus is crucified. And Holy Saturday, the day of vigil and waiting on the Jewish Sabbath while Jesus’ body lay in the tomb. Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday are not two separate stories. They are one continuous movement—from welcome to wilderness, from celebration to sacrifice, palm waving to cross examination. This is the day when our humanity is fully met by God’s grace.
So we dare to peek ahead—to a garden just outside the city. Where, Jesus kneels in prayer, saying: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) While the crowds had welcomed him with palms, his closest friends now sleep through his agony. And when the mob arrives to arrest him, a sword is drawn. A violent reaction to a Savior of peace. But Jesus says: “No more of this.” And Jesus heals even the one who came to seize him. Our broken humanity met with God’s grace.
And it is here, on Palm-Passion Sunday, that the depth of our human nature is so clearly met by God’s grace. Palm Sunday reveals a lot: we rejoice when it’s easy; we follow when it benefits us. But often, we misunderstand what truly walking the discipleship path looks like. And yet—Palm Sunday also reveals the heart of God. Jesus doesn’t turn away from our confusion or our fleeting praise. He enters Jerusalem anyway. He receives our welcome, even knowing what is to come. He rides forward—not to claim a throne of gold, but to take up a cross of wood. That is the grace of God: steady, patient, unshaken by our highs and lows. Jesus meets us in our joy and walks with us into the hard places we’d rather avoid.
As we wave our own palms on Palm-Passion Sunday, may we do more than merely reenact the past. May we ask: What kind of Savior am I welcoming? Do I want Jesus to solve MY problems… or TRANSFORM my heart? Am I ready to follow him—not just to the city gate, but all the way to the cross? This week, we are invited to walk slowly with Jesus. To stay close, to pay attention, and to remember: The same Savior who is welcomed with palms… is the one who will carry the weight of our brokenness…out of love.
This morning’s service does not have an easy ending. It has a painful ending! This morning we move towards an angry Jesus turning tables in the temple; a betrayed Jesus by his closest friends; a humble Jesus who willingly takes the cross as the sky turns black, and he take his final breath, and we wait…and wait…and wait.
I will now ask Gary to continue the story as we begin the journey towards the passion of Jesus as I re-enact the stripping of the table. All the while remembering the reassurance of Palm-Passion Sunday: Human nature may falter—but God’s grace rides on. Thanks be to God.
Amen.