What’s the significance of Palm Sunday in the story of Jesus and what will someone encounter if they attend church on this kickoff to Holy Week? Ken Hennings, President Emeritus of the Texas District of the LCMS, will answer these questions and more.

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Welcome to engaging truth. I'm your host, Matt Popovits. And with me on the program today is Ken henings. He's the president emeritus of the Texas district of the Lutheran church, Missouri Senate. He's a retired pastor and he's my friend. And I'm so glad that he's on the show today. Ken, welcome to engaging truth.

Thank you. Good to be here.

It's great to have you with us. And today we're talking about Palm Sunday now, a as you and I have this conversation, we're sitting in the season of lent, which is kind of the run way leading up to the events of holy week, Friday, and course Easter morning. And as we near the end of the season of lent, we come to this thing on the Christian Church calendar called Palm Sunday. Now let's pretend for a moment that those who are listening have no idea what those two words mean. Palm Sunday, maybe you heard about it. Maybe they went to church growing up, but they really don't know the significance of it. So if you had just a, a few moments to explain to someone, what is Palm Sunday, how, how would you do it?

I would say it was Jesus entering into Jerusalem. And, uh, that comes after the raising of Lazarus. And so there are people that want to see him. People want to think that he's going to be their king, whatever, but they go out with Palm branches and other tree, uh, branches. And they, they wave him and they say, blessed is the guy coming into the Jerusalem. He is the son of God. He's I think that's kind of what I would say. It's but Jesus is going there for one other reason. And that is for his crucifixion for dying for the sins of the world. But I don't think on Palm Sunday, the original Palm Sunday, there were too many people that really understood that, but this was a big celebration of a prophet, a great prophet as they saw him coming in to Jerusalem, that's kind of the basic of it. Uh, Jesus, Jesus gives us signs that he's not that person. Um, but we can talk about that a little later. Those signs that say he's not the earthly king that people thought he might be.

So, so there was some, some cultural expect in first century, Jerusalem that someday a, a prophet, uh, a great leader would come to help rescue the Jewish people. And their way of welcoming him into the, into the city was the way of like placing some of that expectation. Oh, that you're, you're gonna be the one to help us and to save us the one long predicted you're gonna be the, the, the king and leader who will, who will free us. It was a way of them placing that, that expectation on Jesus as he headed towards Jerusalem at a, at an important time called Passover. Is that, is that

Correct? That is correct. And they thought that, uh, this prophet like keen was gonna come in and he was gonna destroy the rule of the Roman empire at that point, that was over, uh, Jerusalem. And, and they were looking forward to that type of a new earthly kingdom that was gonna be set up, was going to be better than Solomon's kingdom back in the old Testament. And so they had high expectations. There were other splinter groups. If we want to talk about what's going on nationally that were against the Roman empire and some of them even rebelled against the Roman empire. So, um, Jesus is seen now because of the fact that if we look at his ministry, he's the one that fed the 5,000. He's the one that's healed people. He's the one that, that raised Lazarus from the dead and John's gospel right before he comes into Jerusalem. And, uh, so there was high.

So, so they, they, they, they gather on the side of the road, um, as, as Jesus is entering in their waving Palm branches, as a way of saying, oh, we think you're the long awaited Messiah. The, the, the saving king now, now people who are from ABIs familiar with this may also know that there's a or phrase that is shouted in, in this very first Palm Sunday, but also is, is repeated in Christian churches when they remember Palm Sunday and, and, and that word Isana, what does, what does that word mean? Yep.

That means praise or, you know, Hosana glory be to this person and praise be this person, actually they say blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Ah, and so they all this guy coming in the power of God, and that was true. He does come into power of God. They don't see that power that way until after his resurrection.

So, so they had a particular expectation of the kind of king, the it that the kind of saving king that, that Jesus would be. Um, but their, their expectation was very different obviously than, than the reality. You, you touched on this, uh, um, uh, a moment ago, but, but tell us more about what it is, uh, what the kind of king, the kind of savior that they expected Jesus to be.

Yeah. Um, you know, when you go back and look in the old Testament, there are some passages in the old Testament that kind of give us a little hint of this king coming in. Zacharia there, we have a, a passage that talks about beholder king comes and there, it even says he, he comes writing on a donkey, which is what Jesus did. So Jesus was in a sense, uh, you know, completing and that Zach Oriah prophecy, but what they didn't take from the Zacharia prophecy is that this king was coming for all the world. And that's mentioned in Zacharia, but they only talked about the king coming, the king coming. And, um, they expected him to set up the Jewish people as God's people again. And they were the only people of God. They didn't see themselves as, um, what God intended him to be a nation that would shine the light out that would, would, um, you know, invite other people to come nations around the world.

They were more, uh, into their own situation and wanting their own culture to, you know, continue as they sought it to be. And so they were looking for this king, there's some interesting things about pals, about palms. Okay. Uh, you know, when we look at the, the tabernacle, the 10 meeting in the old Testament, we, we see that there's, um, meeting places there's palms used there and the temple all along the wall, there are CRA, there are carved in Palm trees because Palm tree was a stately tree. It was a kingly tree. And so when people, and, and you think about the old Testament, when a, when a king went out to fight a battle and he won people would greet him as he came back into the city and they would maybe Wade Palm trees, we don't Palm branches. We don't know that, but it was a stately tree, a kingly tree.

So it very much could have done that. We know that king saw got upset because when David came back in from fighting, they said, king SA killed his thousands, but David killed his 10,000. So there's a, a lot of, um, great stuff going on when there was a victory. And so I think we see that type of a background. People understanding that there was this king David, there was this king saw they made victorious stuff. And so they were looking for that to get 'em out of the oppression that they felt like they were under the Roman government. So Palm trees are interesting things used in the temple used in, in, uh, the instruments of the temple. You have carvings of Palm trees there. What's interesting with John's gospel. And I'm gonna take off here on you. What's interesting in gospel, John John's gospel, doesn't talk about, um, the part in, in Zacharia that says beholder king comes riding on a donkey and humble, okay.

John removes the humble stuff. Matthew mark, and Luke has that, that complete quote. But there's a reason for, for John. Um, probably removing that because his focus was all through his gospel. Jesus is the one coming for the world. And you get this in, in that gospel in nutshell, and in to Nicodemus where Jesus says, God love the world. That's who it. And when Jesus says the Nicodemus and other people, and even after he comes into Jerusalem, there are Greeks that seek him. So the whole world's coming to Jesus, interesting that the Pharisees and the leaders at that time, see Jesus coming into Jerusalem and say, look, the whole world's running after him. John wants us to see Jesus as that world king, that's coming to give his life for the whole world. So Jesus says to those people, the Greeks, when the son of man is lifted up, he will draw the world to himself and is talking about that, that oath Testament stick in the, in the, in the, uh, wilderness where the snake was put.

And, but Jesus was gonna draw the whole world. John's focus is on Jesus coming as the savior of the world. I think, I think Matthew, mark, Luke focused on Jesus coming as a humble king to be a servant to people. And they, they would say all people too, but John really focuses on that and his gospel throughout. So palms are interesting, you know, the waving of the Palm or the, the use of Palm branches is only used in John's gospel. It's not used in Matthew, mark, and Luke. Those are using, they cut down tree branches, which it could have been palms, but they don't use the word palms in the last next, the last chapter of the Bible in revelation 21, you have this massive group of people, thousands of people, and who are they? They're the ones that have come through the persecution. They've washed their, their robes in the blood of the land.

What are they doing out there? They're waving Palm branches before the Lord. And that's the last time you in scripture, you'll see Palm branches. So he is a king. There is no doubt about it. Jesus is a king. He lives forever. He is the Lord. And in revelation, he has this great group of people from all nations in every language, giving praise to him. And, and they're, they're saying something similar to what was said when Jesus comes into Jerusalem, when he talks about blessed, uh, bless it is the Lord, the all God almighty in the one who's on the throne. Um, so interesting how, how this Tom Sunday is pictured in revelation when we see this great crowd of people. Mm-hmm, , I'm sorry about, I'm sorry about that. That's not the last, next, the last chapter it's in revelation seven.

Well, it, you know, revel seven it's, it's a FA it's a fascinating connection because, you know, you mentioned that, that in John's gospels and, and, and maybe for those who are listening, who aren't familiar there, there's four gospels that tell the story, the true story of Jesus' life and his ministry, his death, and his resurrection. They all kind of come at it from different angles, cuz they had different perspectives about it. Um, John's the only one who mentions the Palm branches, but then John is also the one who gets the revelation from God about the end of all, things that is written down as revelation. And in revelation, John mentioned the Palm branches and the palms are a, are a symbol of the whole world, the saved world, welcoming Jesus. Yes. And, and so that's yeah, so, and that marks the distinction between, you know, the expectation in that first palms, that first Palm Sunday, which was as you put it, uh, it sounds like they wanted an earthly king in every sense of the word for most, for the most part, for them as an individual group of people, but then Jesus comes and he's a heavenly king for the whole world

And that is correct.

And, and, and, and those, those, those, that expectation of that reality are, are, are worlds apart, right?

Yes. They they're very far apart, uh, you know, in, in the king ships of that, of that time, when a king would be victorious, he come in riding on a horse. Okay. Not on a donkey. Yeah. A, he was be stately and, and victorious and powerful. The donkey was a servant animal. And uh, so I think Matthew, mark, Luke, and, and John also, you know, use the donkey. There's no doubt about it. And Jesus is trying to portray to the people I am not who you think I am. I'm not this earthly king. I am a servant coming. And the promised one that's going to die in Jerusalem, just like all the prophets in the old Testament said, mm-hmm, , uh, interesting also is that, um, Jesus, um, says to pilot, when he says, are you king? Yes, he's a king. Well is your king, but my kingdom's not of this world. If it were I'd call on all these legions of angels, it'd come down and I wouldn't be in this situation, but my kingdom, not of this world, my kingdom is a kingdom of grace and mercy and peace. My kingdom is one that gives life and eternal law. And I think you see that then in revelation that people all over the world of every race, nation and creed come and see Jesus as, and, and proclaim him as their savior.

He's not the king that they expected, but he is the king that they, and, and all of us needed. Um, for those who, who might not be familiar with the rest of the events of holy week, uh, tell us how the fact that Jesus entered in humble means on, on a, on a donkey , um, is an indication of, of what would happen next, how he would save and how he would establish his reign and rule over this world. Is there a connection between those two things, the fact that he enters humbly, and then what happens at the end of the week and, and the kind of king that he is?

Uh, I think it, it is, you know, one of the things that even maybe people today consider is that, um, they somehow have to produce something or do something to get God's attention. Um, and you know, Jesus comes in as a servant saying, God loves you very much that he is sending his son and his son is gonna be that perfect sacrifice. Now we can get all back into the sacrificial system and the old Testament, which is very interesting, but even in Leviticus, it says, it says that there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood. And we see that in sacrifice, but that's pointing toward Jesus. Jesus is going to shed his blood for the world for people. And he comes now and says, I am your king. I'm coming to defeat the sin, the power of sin and death and Satan, uh, for you because of my great love for you.

So, uh, as humbleness is, um, kind of different than what we maybe are seeing in our, our politics today and our leaders of nations today. Uh, there's, there's very little humility that we see it's, it's, um, it's kind of what people are looking for. We, we might say if Jesus came to Dallas or to Houston riding in on a donkey, people might be out there thinking totally different things. Maybe the same thing that people thought back in Jerusalem, he doesn't come that way. He comes to give his life for a ransom for the world. And this is the beginning of that. And the rest of that week, Jesus is still the servant throughout.

And, and, you know, I, I think the disconnect between the, the kind of saving king that the people wanted in the first century and the kind that they got is something that I think if we're honest, that that most of us can still relate to when it comes to our relationship with God, there's, there's an that we heap upon God. We, we want him to, to, uh, to bless us in certain ways, answer our prayers in certain ways. And the things we often want from God are things that align more with earthly definitions of power, success, and glory, right? We, we want, we want God to, uh, to bless us in the ways in which the world say says are, are to be blessed, right? And then we get angry at him when he doesn't, when he doesn't accommodate that. But then the God that we get is one who, who may not give us earthly success, but who will give us what we need, which is forgiveness for our sins and, uh, a right relationship with him. And, uh, a God in Jesus Christ, who's willing to die for us, willing to die for us. Yeah. Yeah.

Yes. And Paul tells us in, in Romans that the kingdom of God is, is righteousness, peace, and joy in the spirit. Uh, you think about that. He tells us we're not fighting against flesh and blood. You know, a kingdom is not about food or drink. A kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the spirit. That's the kingdom that Jesus brings to the whole world. And when a person is righteous and especially when right before God, then, uh, what a great gift that is to be able to stand before God and a righteous manner. But then we have this peace that's part of Jesus kingdom. He does bring us this peace because of his death. We don't have to worry about whether God's gonna beat us up or whether he is gonna slap us across the face. You know, we have this peace that comes from Jesus, sacrificial death.

And then we have this joy and the spirit to think about the fact that God has sent his son gives us great joy and you know, our righteousness, our, our peace, all of these things fill us with great joy in the spirit. That's the kingdom of God. And as I pray it sometimes, and the kingdom come and the Lord's prayer, I say, you know, this kingdom, righteousness, peace, and joy, the spirit will never, never be defeated. And it won't be defeated in me if the kingdom of God that lives in me, don't matter what happens to me in this world, no matter whether I go through persecution because of my faith, Jesus, whatever, nobody can take that righteousness, peace and joy, and the spirit away from me. That's the kingdom that Jesus establishes through his death.

So, so Ken, why should someone go to church on Palm Sunday? Uh, what what's, what's, what's the, what's the blessing and the benefit of that. And, and, and what, what are some of the things they might see your experience if they do?

Yeah. You know, I was thinking about when I was growing up, uh, you know, we had Palm branches, but they were front around the altar. Nobody ever touched them. Uh, today you might go to church and you'll have children come in with Palm branches waving, and you'll be seeing a, a, a song that talks about Hosanna to the highest and the highest. Um, but I think it's a great way of coming and worshiping on Palm Sunday to come and say, I want to greet Jesus, just like those people did, but a different way. I want to greet Jesus and say with my Palm branches, figuratively, or literally you are the one, you're the blessed one you came for me. And I want to celebrate that today with other Christians, recognizing that you entered into Jerusalem, humble as a servant, going through it across from me. I wanna praise you and thank you for that. So I think it's a great way to celebrate, not necessarily to be sad, but to celebrate that God kept his word. And he did bring that one that was promised way back in Genesis to cross Satan's head. And Jesus is the one that does that.

I mean, it's, I mean, if, if you're in a place right now where you, you, you feel deeply your weakness, you, you feel deeply the pains of this world. You're well aware of your mortality or just some of the dysfunction in you and around you. And I think a lot, a lot of us, when we, when we're honest with ourselves, we feel those things deeply, especially in a year where, where it's been a year of pandemic and just, and political divisiveness like we are, we are, I think if we're being honest, we're, we are, we are deeply aware of the dysfunction and the difficulty of human life, which puts you in a, in perhaps for lack of a better way to say it in a perfect place to go to church on a Palm Sunday. And with of an honest heart, say, Lord help and save me, rescue me, and then to watch the rest of that week as Jesus does that in an unexpected way.

As he, as he gathers his friends and institutes, a meal of forgiveness and mercy, as he is arrested and dies on a cross and gets put in humanity he's grave. And then three days later, as he rises victorious and shows himself more powerful than all the things that brought you to church on Palm Sunday, feeling powerless. Ken, if someone wants to read about the events of Palm Sunday, the history of Palm Sunday, um, uh, where, where in the gospels could they go? You mentioned the gospel of John where, where exactly in, in John's gospel is this, do, do you know if somebody wants to grab a Bible or look it up? Where, where can they go? Sure.

Yeah. So John, you know, Bible have chapters and verses. Yeah. So you want to go to John chapter 12, that's gonna have a whole event. You'll get all of the Greek C seeking Jesus and, and Jesus saying, he's gonna be lifted up. And you have the Palm branches all in chapter 12 and Matthew, mark, and Luke it's toward the end of their, their book, cuz this is coming to the end of Jesus ministry. I do not have that right now with me about mark or Matthew and Luke, but it's toward the end of their if and before the crucifixion. So if you get and find the crucifixion, go back toward the beginning of that book.

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