Palm Sunday. That is the traditional name the church uses to designate the first day of the week—Sunday—in the week leading up to our Lord’s crucifixion and triumphant resurrection. On that day, Jerusalem was packed with pilgrims who had come to observe the Jewish Passover. As Jesus entered the city seated on a donkey, the exuberant crowds laid palm leaves before him and shouted his praises: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” A few days later, in Jerusalem, another cry would rise from the crowds: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” This sermon recounts the event of Jesus’ triumphal entry on the Sunday prior to his death and resurrection and points out some key items of significance: 1) Jesus’ established authority as Messiah and King; 2) that his authority evokes two very different responses: either joy from believers or opposition from unbelievers; 3) that Jesus’ triumphal entry heralded the truth that his kingdom is universal.
