Recently, I’ve been writing here about the Mount of Olives and the “Palm Sunday walk” that we make with our groups when we visit Jerusalem. This special and meaningful walk takes us down the hill of the Mount of Olives toward the Garden of Gethsemane and the Old City Wall on the east side of Jerusalem. On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus walked from Bethany, the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, into the city (about three quarters of a mile) by traveling over the central ridge of the Mount of Olives and across the Kidron Valley.
We read in the Bible that the crowds on Palm Sunday hailed Jesus as King David’s successor to the throne of Israel. That particular day was especially significant on the Jewish festival calendar. It was the day that lambs were selected for sacrifice on Passover, which would be observed later that week (Exodus 12:3-6). As I write this post on the day that Passover is celebrated this year, my mind goes back to the times I have made that walk and pondered the significance of Jesus making that journey so intentionally on that particular day.
When we make the Palm Sunday walk as pilgrims, whether in person on a Holy Land trip or in our hearts from wherever we are this time of year, we’re invited to think about the Lamb of God who came voluntarily for sacrifice at Passover. On that day of lamb selection, Jesus was offering himself to the world he loved so much in the city he loved so much. His timing says, “Choose me. Let me be your Lamb of sacrifice for your deliverance.”
But the people wanted a king who was a powerful military general on a white war horse, not a humble sacrifice on a lowly donkey. They rightly chose him as messianic king on that day, but they quickly rejected him when he did not deliver the political victory they sought. Instead, he had chosen first to give the world what it needed most—victory over sin and death, a Savior.
