Palm Sunday: When Jesus Wept
Luke 19:28-44
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the final week of Jesus’s earthly life, culminating in His crucifixion and resurrection.
As a little child, Palm Sunday to me was waking up early, putting on a nice white dress—it had to be white. This tradition was how my mother was brought up in the Roman Orthodox church in Alexandria, Egypt, and it was passed down to me. When we arrived at the church's interior door, we would give a small donation and receive a little palm branch and an olive branch. The liturgy was special on this day, culminating in a march around the church with branches and lit candles, chanting "Hosanna in the highest" or, in Arabic, أوشعنا في الأعالي.
Through preparing this study, I realized that Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem carries much deeper significance than merely marching and joyful chanting. The chants in Jesus’s time held a very different meaning than our modern celebrations. Every detail reveals a deeper understanding of how great and sovereign our God is, and how much sadness our Saviour endured, fully aware He was and would be rejected by His own people. The more I learn from the Bible, the more I realise my ignorance and the unsearchable depth of God's knowledge and wisdom, as stated in Romans 11:33:
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”
So, let's dive deeper into what happened on that glorious yet bittersweet day.
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Jesus prepares to enter the city (Luke 19:28-34)
When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of him.”
On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed by Bethphage and Bethany. The name "Bethphage" is derived from the Hebrew words "beit" (בית), meaning "house" and "pagee" (פג), meaning "unripe fig", combines the name means "the house of unripe figs". The amazing thing is that Matthew 21:18-22 and Mark 11:12-14 tell us that the Lord Jesus, the next morning saw and cursed an unfruitful fig tree, as a metaphor for spiritual fruitfulness. The name "Bethany" comes from the Hebrew words "beit" (בית), meaning "house," and "'anya" (עניה), meaning "poor" or "afflicted", and that is where Jesus healed people and where Lazarus, Mary and Martha lived.
Jesus instructed two disciples to find a colt, specifically a donkey that had never been ridden. In Matthew, it was specifically mentioned that it was a donkey, not a horse.
So, why a donkey, not a horse? Kings in biblical times rode donkeys in times of peace. It was a symbol of peace, humility and gentleness, whereas a king on a horse typically signified war or a conquest. That’s why when Jesus comes back in the second coming, He will be riding on a horse. King Solomon rode a mule when he was anointed king, symbolizing a peaceful and legitimate succession. In 1 Kings 1:33-34:
"The king also said to them, 'Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, "Long live King Solomon!"
More importantly, this fulfils the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
An important condition for the donkey was being "never ridden" before, which parallels the Old Testament requirement that the sacrificial lamb had to be "without blemish," symbolizing purity and perfection. It is very important to note that the first Palm Sunday coincides with the 10th day of Nisan when Jewish families select their Passover lambs, which would then be examined until the 14th day.
Exodus 12:5 “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”
Just as the Passover lamb had to be without blemish, Jesus, our ultimate sacrificial Lamb, had to be without sin, spotless, and pure.
1 Peter 1:19 “but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”John 1:29 "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
Pastor Gary Hamrick in a sermon on Palm Sunday also noted that God loves to employ people for the purposes of the kingdom. Some people to do and others to give. He could have just made a donkey appear out of the bush, but he instructed his disciples to go and get the donkey and the owner gave the donkey willingly because the Lord needed it.
I was wondering about the owner of the donkey. Looking deeper into the customs of the time, I found that demanding the donkey is a custom called Angaria, which refers to a practice in the Roman Empire where authorities could legally compel or requisition individuals and their resources (like animals, carts, or labour) for official purposes or state service. The concept of "angaria" appears again when Jesus speaks of going the extra mile in Matthew 5:41 “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”
But, when the two disciples went to get the donkey as Jesus instructed them, its owner willingly offered it, contrasting sharply with the compelled service of Angaria, highlighting voluntary submission and recognition of Jesus's authority rather than forced obligation.
Jesus, by publicly entering Jerusalem on that day, effectively presented Himself to Israel as
- the Lamb of God—the perfect and spotless lamb to be examined (tested and questioned by religious leaders) over the next several days, fulfilling all scriptural requirements for purity and perfection.
- the King of Israel —fulfilling the Zecharia 9:9
The Triumphal Entry (Luke 19:35-38)
Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds welcomed Him by spreading their clothes on the road and waving palm branches as mentioned in John 12:13, a symbolic gesture equivalent to rolling out the red carpet. They shouted, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”. Also in Mathew 21:9 and John 12:13, the Bible says that the multitudes cried out saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
"Hosanna!" in Hebrew means "Save now!", so they recognised Jesus as their saviour. They were chanting scripture, messianic verses that prophesied the triumphant entry of their Messiah into the city:
Psalm 118:26
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
The Jews recognised him as Messiah but their understanding of the Messiah was (and still is) not correct. They were looking for a physical king, to deliver them from the oppression of Rome, and they are still looking for a political saviour who brings immediate peace. But Jesus first coming was not to bring peace, but reconciliation and salvation. He brings personal peace with God. He indeed said he would bring division, not peace. Because you cannot be neutral, you either believe in him as your saviour and Lord or He is not, and this will divide families.
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.”
Yet, in just a few days, their cheers turned into cries of crucifixion when Jesus didn’t fulfil their expectations.
And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.
Let’s not judge them too harshly. Let’s stop here and reflect.
Do we do the same to Jesus?
When God doesn't do what we expect, what we want, do we still worship Him?
Do we still pray?
Do we wait on God, be still and listen?
Or Do we do things our own way, as if God needs our help to get things done?!
We should keep worshipping him whether we understand or not, whether our prayers are answered or not, because He is our creator and He is worthy of our everlasting praise.
Worship your saviour (Luke 19:39-40)
But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
The Pharisees understood what the chants meant, and they were worried that this would stir issues with the Roman government and destabilise the status quo they had established with the Romans. They were worried about their privilege and power, not understanding the significance and reality of who Jesus really was. He did not meet any of the expectations they had for their Messiah. So, they were angry when the crowd used messianic scripture verses. But how did Jesus reply?
He said even if I silenced the crowd, creation would cry out in worship and praise. Why? Because the creation praises the creator always. Isn’t it a powerful reply? How would you feel if you were that Pharisee standing in front of Jesus? I hope that if it was me, I would fall to my knees and worship him, but they were blinded by their self-interest and self-centeredness.
Jesus Weeps (Luke 19:41-44)
Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Jesus is recorded twice to weep, once at the grave of Lazarus and the other time on the first Palm Sunday when he saw the city of Jerusalem. In the latter case, the word used is the word for sobbing.
He wept over the city, the people of the city. They denied Him and thus they denied themselves peace, divine peace, because they were looking for political peace. The greatest oppression man can suffer is the separation from God and Jesus came to bring us back to God and give us personal peace which the Jews denied. Jesus weeps over lost souls and so should we. Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Winners of souls must first be weepers for souls.”
He predicted the siege and fall of the city because they did not accept God’s gracious offer of mercy, the coming of Jesus brought. The time of visitation (verse 44) refers to Daniel’s prophesy (Daniel 9) where he gave a timeline for the exact timing when their Messiah will come. He foretold that it would be 483 years from the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the day the Messiah, the Prince would be cut off/killed. Scholars looked into it and concluded that 445 BC was when the decree to rebuild the walls of the city and 483 years later was the 10th Nisan, the first Palm Sunday.
In bible commentary by Adam Clarke, he mentioned that it was likely that in verse 41, Jesus was alluding to the meaning of the name of the city Jerusalem, which is very interesting.
The word "Jerusalem" in Hebrew is יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim). "Yeru" (יְרוּ) from "Yarah," meaning "to lay foundations" or "to establish", and "Shalayim" (שָׁלַיִם) related to "Shalom," meaning "peace" or "completeness". Yerushalayim is commonly understood to mean "City of Peace" or "Foundation of Peace."
Thus, the city's name symbolizes a foundational place where God establishes true and lasting peace—spiritually fulfilled through Jesus Christ, who entered Jerusalem to bring reconciliation and peace between God and humanity.
Let’s end our study today, with hope and a picture from the perfect Palm Sunday that is yet to come.
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Useful links:
[2] Life Lessons from a Donkey Ride - John 12:12-19 - Skip Heitzig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbw5VwLFrB8
[3] Palm Sunday 2023 - FULL SERMON - Dr. Michael Youssef https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CzbRt5f-SE
[4] The Sermon Nobody's Preaching on Palm Sunday | Matthew Maher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z5g03v5hiM
[5] Palm Sunday Past, Present, and Future | Luke 19:28-44 | Gary Hamrick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouwjW9GUGPg
Thanks for sharing that study with us, Julie. Well-researched and so very timely. "Hosanna" indeed to our Saviour and King!
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