Palm Sunday - The Triumphal Entry
- Eljoh Hartzer, MTh
- Feb 11
- 11 min read
Updated: Feb 20
The first Sunday of Holy Week has many names: Palm Sunday, Triumphant Entry, Triumphal Entry. This day of traveling for Jesus and His disciples kicks off the chain of events that unfolded leading to the cross, death, and resurrection. Easter is about more than bunnies and eggs, so let's walk through what happened day by day.
Tip: At the end of this post is a free printable worksheet to prayerfully contemplate the impact of Palm Sunday for you, today.
This series of articles will cover the key events of Easter in the order that they're celebrated in in the Christian tradition.
Click the following titles to read about the true meaning of Easter and each day of Holy Week:
What happened on the first Sunday of Easter?
In the broader story of the Easter timeline, this is right where our story begins and before Jesus flips tables in the Temple (that happened on Monday).
On Palm Sunday, Jesus and His disciples were traveling about. As they were traveling, Jesus predicted His death a third time:
"Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” - Matthew 20:17-19 (NIV)
But they still did not understand what He was saying.
This was also shortly after when Mary of Bethany annointed Jesus and He said:
“It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” - John 12:7-8 (NIV)
Which brings us to Sunday.
First, Jesus sent His disciples to fetch a donkey
When they came near a place called Bethpage, Jesus suddenly stopped. He was standing on the Mount of Olives where they would return later in the week and where He'd finally be arrested in just four days' time. Perhaps sitting down under one of the old olive trees, Jesus gave two of His disciples a strange task:
"Go on into the village ahead of us, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
The disciples did as they were asked, walking by faith, and - surely - they found it just as Jesus had said, so they hurried and brought the donkey to Him.
Jesus entered Jerusalem on the colt
As Jesus got onto the donkey, the crowds must have murmured: "He really is the Promised One!", for just by doing that simple act - riding on a donkey - Jesus fulfilled yet another Messianic prophecy. (We will discover which prophecy Jesus fulfilled by this act as well as more about the donkey later in this post)
Then the crowd started praising Him as the Messiah - explicitly and openly for the first time. Up until now, whenever Jesus healed someone, He'd tell them to keep it quiet, so His identity was just a rumour. Not anymore.
They excitedly shouted about the coming Kingdom!
The crowds waved palm branches and placed their outer cloaks with the palm branches on the road. They shouted His identity out loud and praised God for the Messiah!
Disrupting the city of Jerusalem
The crowd made such a ruccus that the whole city paused and asked: "What is happening?"
Luke's version of events tell us that the Pharisees told Jesus to make his disciples and the crowds quiet down. But Jesus said :"If they keep quiet, the rocks will cry out!"
A beautiful, joyful, holy moment fell over the city as the Promised Messiah entered, just as God promised He would. The air was thick with celebration and anticipation, yet nobody imagined what would happen in the coming days.
After this "triumphal" or kingly entrance into the city, Jesus went into the Templecourts and looked around at everything there, but it was already late so they went to Bethany where they were staying. Some say they might have stayed with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha during their trip to Jerusalem.
Journaling Prompts about ___
Imagine it was your donkeys that someone took and said: The Lord needs it. Now, consider if it was your money, time, or another valuable resource. Would you be able to surrender to His plans?
The crowd laid their outer garments on the road for Jesus and the donkey to walk over. What is something in your own life that you need to lay down for King Jesus?
Look up the meaning of the word 'Hosanna' - then write your very own Hosanna Prayer, thanking God for sending Jesus.
Everybody in the city knew something was going on. Do you live out your faith in such a way that it makes others see Jesus? Or are you blending in with culture?
Jesus said that if the crowds should be quiet, the rocks would cry out His praise. Read Psalm 148 and contemplate how all of creation worships God.
Jesus' first action in Jerusalem was going to the Temple. Do you seek out the people of God and spend time in places designed to honor Him - like a church building?
This day in the Gospels
Below is the account of the Triumphal Entry as it is given in each of the four Gospels. Feel free to read them on your own time, or come back to this later and scroll down to read about the prophecy Jesus fulfilled and the significance of a donkey.
Matthew 21:1-11 (NIV)
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you,gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Mark 11:1-11 (NIV)
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Luke 19:28-44 (NIV)
28After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
John 12:12-19 (NIV)
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
Understanding this Easter day in the Old Testament
The Bible tells one beautiful story: God's big story.
In the past, God has spoken through His prophets about a Messiah who would come. At this point (on Palm Sunday morning), Jesus had already fulfilled many of these prophecies and He was about to do perhaps the biggest one yet:
Zechariah 9:9 says: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’
Jesus' actions were very deliberate and He never did anything unless the Father told Him to do so. This was how He proved Himself to truly be the Son of God and the Savior of Humankind.
Psalm 118:26 is what the crowds quoted: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
When the crowds shouted “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”, they were reflecting on God's big story. Starting in Genesis, God made a promise to Abraham (around 14 generations before David, in the same family). In a way, God's promise was the same promise He made to Adam and Eve in the Garden:
He would make a way to bridge the gap between Himself and them. He would bring a King, a strong Kingdom, who would bless all the nations of the world. He would draw near to them forevermore.
Jesus coming is GOOD news, but we need to see the bigger picture to understand why.
Isaiah 9:6-7 speaks of this coming kingdom too: "Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever."
If you've been wanting to dive deeper into the Bible yourself, I want to invite you to consider the following encounter tool:
So, why a Donkey!?
We've already covered the prophecy that was fulfilled by Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, but there's more to this image:
A donkey for a humble leader
In the worldview of those living in Jerusalem at the time, they would expect a mighty king to come on a white stallion. These people were familiar with Alexander the Great and that kind of top-down power. In some ways, the Jewish people expected their Messiah to be like that.
But Jesus came on a donkey.
He was a lowly, servant-leader, washing His disciples' dusty feet, and telling His followers to become like children.
This perspective of Jesus - that the first would be last - is at the core of what upset those who would soon want Him dead. He did not only beat them at Scriptural debates, He threatened their wealth, fame, and way of living. He threatened their religious structures and traditions. He threatened their understanding of God and their social standing in society.
When Jesus trades the donkey for the horse
When God's Kingdom is fully established in the earth, Jesus will ride on a white horse. He will once again walk with His people like in the Garden of Eden. He will be their King, receiving all the praise that becomes Him.
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God." - Revelation 19:11-13 (NIV)
A Prayer on Palm Sunday
Dear God, on this day when we remember how Your Son entered Jerusalem on a colt, help us to fix our eyes on You. In this Holy Week, may the meditation of our hearts and the words of our mouths glorify You alone. Thank You for the gift You sent into the world in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next up: The following day in Holy Week
In our next article in this series, we will follow Jesus and His disciples into Monday of Holy Week. Here, Jesus will experience righteous anger and make the religious leaders hate (fear?) Him even more.
Before we go on, pause for a moment and thank God for Palm Sunday and the beauty it resembles.
Explore other events in the Easter story:
Here's a free printable worksheet for you to go even deeper with this important day on the church calendar:
P.S.
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