This Sunday is Palm Sunday a day of celebration and of rememberance. It is also the time of the Jewish celebration of Passover.
It was the week of Passover for the Jews in Jerusalem and Judiah and the people were gathering from all of the nearby towns and villages to celebrate this High Holy Hebrew feast. This would be one Passover feast like none other, one the people would never forget.
Suddenly along comes this man Jesus whom some revered as a prophet, others revered as the Messiah, yet others especially Caiaphas the High priest, and King Herod, feared because of his popularity with the various peoples including many Jews and finally there was Pilate the governor of the area who represented Rome and all of its authority.
In fulfillment of one of the prophecies of the Hebrew prophets, Jesus is witnessed as entering the gates of Jerusalem riding a donkey. Suddenly the people recognize the prophecy and begin strewing upon the ground their robes while others gather palm branches a strew them to along the path Jesus take as he enters through the city gates into the city and up to the temple.
All the while, Jews and Gentiles and even Greeks, begin crying out “Hossana to the son of David: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.” “Hosanna blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
The people are acknowledging Jesus as a “Son of David” which fulfills the prophecy that the Messiah shall come out of the house of David and they are also declaring Jesus as the King over Israel, King of the Jews.
This triumphant entrance of Jesus was enough to convince Caiaphas, the pharisees, and scribes that not only was Jesus a threat to their peace with Rome, but also that Jesus was committing blasphemy declaring himself to be God, or at the least the son of God. In the eyes of the high priest Caiaphas, it was only a little time before Pilate turned the forces of Rome against Jerusalem to either prevent or quell an uprising by the Jewish peoples.
Jesus crucifixion served a dual purpose Caiaphas had a scapegoat to save the people of Jerusalem from Pilate, but most importantly Jesus fulfills the scriptural prophecies and proves himself the Messiah the Son of God, and man’s redeemer for their sins.