"So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!'" - John 12:13
Imagine New York during New Year's. New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Jerusalem during Passover week. All of these are places where large crowds gather for a specific event. In Jesus’s time, Jerusalem had a population of about 40,000. But during Passover week, that number swelled to nearly a quarter of a million people. Pilgrims from all over Galilee would travel to the city to worship, and this influx of people, combined with Jesus’s followers, set the stage for what we now call Palm Sunday.
As Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, the people grabbed palm branches and laid them on the ground before Him as an act of honor and praise. They believed He was coming to establish His earthly kingdom. But in their excitement, they misunderstood the purpose and timing of His mission. Jesus wasn’t here to claim an earthly throne but to fulfill a much greater purpose.
He illuminates our path to new life– He is the light.
"And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, 'It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers.'" - Matthew 21:12-13
When we think of Passion Week, Jesus cleansing the temple and cursing the fig tree are not usually the first stories that come to mind. Yet, in His march toward Calvary, these two events—though separate—are deeply connected. They reveal the spiritual condition of Israel and point to the judgment that was coming.
It was Monday, March 30th, AD 33. Jesus and His disciples were on their way from Bethany back to Jerusalem. Along the way, Jesus stopped at a fig tree. Finding it barren, He cursed the tree for failing to bear fruit. At first, this might seem like an odd moment. But as the story continues, we see that this act is tied to Jesus cleansing the temple—a clear message condemning Israel’s unfruitful worship of God.
In both instances, Jesus calls for a deeper transformation, urging His people to move beyond mere outward rituals and to bear the fruit of true devotion. The judgment He spoke of was not just for Israel, but for all who failed to recognize the light that was entering the world.
Don’t forget that He is the reason we gather– He is the light.
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." - Isaiah 53:7
There is a story in the Old Testament where the Israelites lived as slaves to the Egyptians for hundreds of years. In order to rescue His people, God raised up a man named Moses, who would deliver them from the Egyptians. God told Moses that He would send His Spirit to take the lives of every firstborn child. His wrath was coming for everyone. The Israelites could be safe, but only if they sacrificed a spotless lamb and sprinkled its blood over their doorposts. This would signify that they are God's people, and His Spirit would Passover their houses.
So a holiday was born. Fast forward, and you see Jesus claiming to be the Messiah, the one who would come to save us from our brokenness. So, during the week when the Israelites were preparing for Passover and the priests were selecting the lambs to be sacrificed, Jesus presented himself as the final lamb to be slain. When the day of Passover came, Jesus would be condemned to die on a cross. And right around the time when the priests would sacrifice the lambs, Jesus would give up his spirit as the final sacrifice to appease God's wrath against mankind.
That's what Passover week is all about. This is His story: a promised Messiah laying down His life for us on a cross. God made Him, who had no sin, to be sin for us so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.
He is the light.
"When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” - Matthew 26:20-25
It’s Wednesday. Quiet. The calm before the storm. While the word calm often means peace, in this case, it does not. Behind closed doors, Judas is planning the demise of Jesus with the religious leaders. They’ve decided they are done with Him, and it will only take thirty pieces of silver to make it happen. Thirty pieces of silver to violate a friendship and commit the ultimate, maybe the most historic betrayal. The hosannas are quiet, there are no crowds. There are no miracles this day. It is quiet, and yet, in the shadows a plan is being crafted that would be loud enough to impact the world for eternity. Jesus is spending the day with the people He loves, fully aware of what is to come.
Sometimes, the loudest moments take place in the quiet.
And yet, He is still the light.
"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:4-5
Fifty-eight percent of the Gospel of Mark takes place during Passover Week, as Jesus willingly moves toward the cross. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of that week were filled with tension and turmoil.
The dark clouds of Golgotha are beginning to gather over Jerusalem, and the waters of aggression within the Sanhedrin are rising.
From the early days of Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees plotted to destroy Him. But their hostility escalates by the time we reach Mark 11-13. They are threatened by His authority and view Him as a troublemaker. Desperate to stop Him, they devise a plan to capture Him in secret. In a twist of betrayal, they turn to Judas Iscariot, one of His own disciples, to carry out their plot.
Friday is drawing near for Jesus.
Yet, even as darkness begins to close in, Jesus remains the light, walking toward His purpose, knowing the cost– He is the light.
