Palm Sunday is a significant day. It was not merely a parade or just happened to be on the same week that Jesus was crucified. There is more to it. It was a day filled with celebration, but also malice. But that was how God had intended it to be. Ultimately, Palm Sunday led to Good Friday, which resulted in Easter.
Jesus’s arrival in the city of Jerusalem was seen as a daring challenge to Roman imperial authority and local religious power, hence, the malice. But He did not enter like a conquering king on a warhorse.
Instead, when Jesus and his disciples were approaching the city of Jerusalem, He had sent two disciples into the village, saying 'At once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
Not only did this happen just as he said it would, but it was also prophesied centuries before (and referred to in the Gospel of Matthew, written by one of the disciples after these events), in Zechariah 9:9 See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus’s choice of a donkey symbolized humility and peace, highlighting his rule as a spiritual king rather than a military leader. He was not there to start a revolution against the Roman Empire, but rather to offer salvation from sin and death as the Lamb of God.
There was a crowd that had gathered when they heard Jesus was coming. They stopped what they were doing and placed their cloaks or cut branches from the trees onto the road, shouting 'Hosanna in the highest heaven!' and 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” The people watched in wonder as Jesus rode past them.
During this, the Pharisees, religious people who Jesus had called out on “appearing beautiful on the outside but being filled with dead men’s bones and uncleanness inside were trying to stop this celebration.” They believed Jesus’s growing popularity to be a threat to their power as the religious leaders. They feared that He would take away their power and possibly attract unwanted Roman attention (the Roman Empire had occupied their land for many decades, imposing harsh taxes and more, making the people believe that the Messiah would come to overthrow their invaders). Because of this, the plot for his arrest and crucifixion was set in motion.
Though to many this may have seemed like a victory, and the thought of Jesus even being arrested seemed far away, Jesus knew that what he was doing would ultimately lead to his crucifixion. But he chose to do it, because he was willing to pay the ultimate price to give everyone a hope for an eternal life.
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29