Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

(Gospel of John 12:12 - 12:26)
 
On the following day, the masses that had come to Jerusalem for the festival of Passover heard that Jesus would be coming there.  Many went out to meet him bearing palm branches and shouting "Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of Jehovah.  Blessed be the King of Israel!"

Jesus found a young donkey and rode it, fulfilling the prophecy that said, "Fear not, daughter of Zion.  Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey colt."

At that time, the disciples did not understand the significance of these things, but later, after Jesus' resurrection, they realized that what had happened to Jesus had been written of in the Scriptures.

The people who had been with Jesus when he called Lazarus from his tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word of what he had done.  Many who heard about this miracle thus came out to meet him.  The Pharisees said to each other, "All we've done has been in vain.  Look, the whole world is flocking to him!"

Notes
1. Despite, or rather because of the threat to his life, Jesus ends up going to the Passover celebration in Jerusalem, ending speculation about whether or not he would do so.  Word of his latest miracle, raising Lazarus from the dead, has increased the buzz surrounding him.  Crowds come out to meet him, this time bearing palm branches instead of stones.  This is alarming to the Pharisees; they are forced to acknowledge that their efforts to discredit him have, if anything, been counterproductive.

2.  Commemoration of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem is celebrated by Christian churches as Palm Sunday, observed a week before Easter Sunday.  Palm branches or fronds are naturally used in the celebrations, but in regions where palm trees are hard to come by, yew branches or pussy willows have been used as substitutes. 

3.  Jesus is aware of acting so as to seem to fulfill biblical prophecy.  This is necessary so that those who believe literally in Old Testament Scripture will accept him as the Messiah he claims to be.  Also, one may credit the gospel writers with interpreting the events in Jesus' life so as to conform to every obscure biblical passage that might suggest the coming of a Messiah.

4.  By riding on a donkey Jesus shows that he is of humble origins and a man of peace.  The donkey, though lacking any kind of heroic mystique, does not have the martial and aristocratic connotations of the horse.  Still, the fact that Jesus would ride a donkey is unremarkable and not unexpected and the prophecy (from Zechariah), a rather easy one to fulfill.  If, in conformance with Scripture, he had come into Jerusalem riding on an ostrich or an elephant, one might have been more impressed.

5.  Palm fronds or branches were used to welcome dignitaries, rather like rolling out the red carpet.   The palm here would be the Judean date palm, an iconic symbol of Judea, if not the whole region.  Its branches are quite narrow (unlike the luxuriant fronds of the familiar coconut palm) and they would be easy to carry.  The palm was also symbolic of victory and gracefulness.

6.  "Hosanna" literally means "save," and while it was an interjection expressing an appeal for deliverance, it was also used to convey praise or adoration.