Palm Sunday
The beginning of Holy Week and the Triumphal Entry of the Messiah.
Today is the day in the Western Christian World where we remember an event that helped change history and shape modern events. If you call yourself a believer, I pray it’s deeper than a historical event. For some people this is purely mythical. For others it is a children’s story, perhaps you remember someone handing you part of a plant they murdered, they probably didn’t even have you place it on the ground or in any way convey to you it’s significance despite their best intentions. There are several brothers and sisters with tremendous faith and dedication who hate that I am even writing about this because they believe God has called them to be distinct from many Orthodox traditions, particularly if they resemble anything that comes from the Western Rite or Roman Catholicism. I’m hoping that you ignore the divisive spirit that only comes from the accuser and focus on Jesus the Christ and this amazing story passed down to us from those He walked with 2000 years ago.
Why is this story so important? I would put forth the argument that our trivialization of the event is evidence of its importance.
According to all 4 Gospel accounts in the Canon of Scripture, Jesus rides into Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover. There is so much imagery and ties to prophecy that escapes us as modern westerners. It's important to note that Jesus arrives on a colt. He arrived on a young donkey, which was often symbolic of a King returning from war and representing a time of peace. It's a stark contrast to the physical reality he would soon endure, but a wonderful representation of the Kingdom of God that he had spent the past few years teaching about.
The photo above is of the Eastern Gate or Golden Gate that is believed to be how Jesus entered Jerusalem. Over the last 2,000 years it has become a physical location of great importance to many religious people. Many Christians believe this event is a fulfillment of Messianic prophecy that was often discussed in Second Temple Jerusalem. Many Jews, who do not recognize Jesus as Messiah, still hold that it "will be" the place where the messiah enters and these things are tied to Ezekiel 44:3.
The more interesting story, in my opinion, is that many Muslim leaders have taken steps over the years related to this gate. You can see above that it has been sealed. That has happened a couple of different times and further efforts were made around 500 years ago. Muslims do believe that Jesus (Isa) is the Messiah, the annointed one. The Jewish anticipation of a coming Messiah has caused leaders with Islamic beliefs to close this gate so that Jews cannot claim a false messiah has arrived. They went as far as putting a cemetery (an unclean place) behind the walled off gate.
As with many things in the complicated relationships between the Abrahamic religions, it would appear that Muslims and Christians agreed this was a good idea. However, there is more prophecy tied to the gate related to the second coming of Christ. Many Christians believe that He will return again and enter through this gate since it is the nearest point to the Mount of Olives, which is a traditional location for his return. However, Islamic interpretations of His return will be in a different location altogether (Damascus).
The Crusaders were in Jerusalem around 1100 AD and they would ceremonially open this gate twice a year on certain Holidays including Palm Sunday. I'm not convinced that the God of the universe is as concerned with the physical gate or location as we are. (I'm also not convinced he is apathetic too, it.) It does not really matter if our understanding of the world around us is theologically correct in this instance. Even if you are someone who lacks faith or a belief in these things, it is an important part of history and even current events.
For those of you who believe in Christ and call yourselves disciples, it is important to fully understand how these events are not just stories you learn in Sunday School with a cute song or ritual. These are real places and people that still affect lives and policies after many generations have passed. I encourage you to seek a better understanding of those things and more importantly, the "Good News of The Kingdom of God" that Jesus spent his time preaching about as he "went about doing good."
Yours, BD.
