History of Palm Sunday

Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday

HISTORY OF PALM SUNDAY

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Holy Week, or Passion Week, starts this weekend with Palm Sunday. Why was this week so important that three of the gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) devote a full third of their contents to reporting this week, and the fourth gospel (John) dedicates its entire last half?

Jerusalem, which had a normal population of about 50,000 at the time of Jesus, had at least tripled in size due to the influx of pilgrims celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover. Early Sunday morning, Jesus made his dramatic public entry into the city. This was the end of any privacy or safety his ministry had previously afforded. It began an inevitable collision course with the religious and political authorities: Jewish and Roman.

How did Palm Sunday start Holy Week, what was the geography of Jerusalem, who were the major players, what was at stake?

Geography of Palm Sunday

Mount of Olives

The procession started at the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley land bridge that ran along the city’s eastern side, and through the eastern gate into the city. There is some debate among scholars about which of the two gates on the eastern wall of the city Jesus would have entered.

Sheep Gate

Jerusalem Gates

Located on the northeast corner of the Old City, which I’ve walked through myself, the Sheep Gate is a natural choice from the land bridge and a common gate Jesus used to enter the city. It was so named as lambs destined for Temple sacrifice entered here. They did not leave alive.

For centuries, Christian pilgrims begin their procession through this gate during Easter Week. The route is called the Via Dolorosa, “the way of suffering (or sorrow),” and marks the Stations of the Cross that Jesus followed on his way to Mount Calvary.

Golden Gate

Others contend that the Golden Gate in the central-eastern part of the city was Jesus’ point of entry. However, it’s currently sealed and has been so for five centuries, since the mid-16th century, under the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent, a sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Jewish tradition states that Messiah will enter through that gate when he comes in the new age to rule.

Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday

Palm fronds

Whichever gate Jesus entered near the Temple, crowds began to gather to see the rabbi from Galilee. The procession began, accompanied by shouting and singing from the throngs as they threw down their garments on the pathway to cushion his ride – an Oriental custom still observed on occasions – and palm fronds, the symbol of triumph.

The Old Testament prophet Zechariah had foretold the arrival of the Messianic king in Jerusalem via the humble conveyance of a colt. Here, the crowd hailed Jesus as “the son of David,” a loaded name used at a loaded time. The Bible had predicted that the Messiah would be the son of David. The priestly establishment was understandably disturbed, as the palm was the national emblem of an independent Israel. These were essentially Jewish flags. What if Jesus should claim to be the heir of King David?

The Palm in Archeology

Tiberius Tribute Denarius

Archaeological excavations have turned up Roman coins featuring the head of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, but on the reverse is a seated woman holding a palm. The inscription reads, “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus.”

The coin, referring to Tiberius as a god, would be considered idolatrous to the Jewish subjects; hence, the presence of money changers at the Temple to convert this Roman denarius, or Tiberius Penny, into Temple money.

By the way, this is the coin that Jesus asked the Pharisees to show him when they asked him:

“Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

Seeing that it was a Tiberius Denarius, Jesus replied to them:

“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Context of Palm Sunday

The “conspiracy” against Jesus by the religious leaders had been building for at least three years. The sources record seven instances of official plotting against him, two efforts at arrest, and three assassination attempts before this time. Indeed, this intrigue was no spur-of-the-moment idea. A formal decision to arrest Jesus had been made several months earlier.

The Jewish religious officials of the Sanhedrin were afraid that if Jesus were to continue performing his signs, he would win over the people, and the Romans would come in and destroy the Temple and the nation. According to legal custom at that time, a court crier had to announce publicly or post an official “wanted” handbill in the larger towns of Judea about forty days before a trial. Small wonder that there was debate over whether Jesus would dare appear in Jerusalem for the following Passover. This discussion ended abruptly on Palm Sunday with his public appearance.

Politics of Palm Sunday

Pompey The Great

There were political reasons for dealing with Jesus. There had been a dozen uprisings in Israel in the previous 100 years, tracing back to the Roman occupation by Pompey in 63 B.C., most of them subdued by Roman force.

Another Messianic rebellion under Jesus would only shatter the precarious balance of authority, break Rome’s patience, and might lead to direct occupation by Roman legions.

Religion on Palm Sunday

Religiously, Jesus was a dangerous item to the current establishment. The people were hailing the Teacher from Galilee as something more than a man, and Jesus was not denying or blunting this “blasphemous” adulation.

The Pharisees had been bested by Jesus in public debate, being called vipers, whitewashed tombs, and devourers of widows’ houses. Humiliated, they would be only too happy to conspire with the scribes, elders, and chief priests.

Economics of Palm Sunday

Finally, there were economic motives for opposing Jesus. Seeing the commercialization of the Temple, Jesus drove the dealers and their animals out and overturned the money changers’ tables, causing significant disruption to business.

There were many reasons for dealing with Jesus of Nazareth.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com

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