The Passion narratives can be frustrating and tempting with the possibilities of jumping to Easter without experiencing all of the Palm Sunday and Holy Week. The liturgy today holds before us the reality of our world and our lives in relations to the tension of victory and defeat, joy and sorrow, life and death. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem 2000 years ago resonates with our troubled world of today, a world of division, famine, wall building, struggle, conflict, abduction, wars and confrontation. The home, church, and world of today in relation to the ancient Jerusalem and the passion narrative are within every human heart.  The gospel reading from Mark 11 began with with a parade and shouts, a declaration of praise and a cry for salvation, “Hosanna.” It is strange when the waving of palms, the ancient symbol of victory and triumph end with a death march, a cry of forsakenness, act of betrayal, and a last breath.

The reflection for Palm Sunday beyond institutional liturgy is about our heart renewal. The essence of Palm Sunday beyond Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem 2000 years ago points to our personal spiritual renewal, allowing Jesus to enter into the depths of our life and being, our home and churches, our nations and workplaces. The tension and message of this Easter season, no birth without pain summons us to choose life and death, palms and passion, and not just acting-play. The triumph of Palm Sunday and this Holy Week beyond routine parades and shouts calls for Jesus’ entrance to our hearts for cleansing as he cleansed the temple, overturning the tables and chairs of the money changers and merchants. Palm Sunday and Holy Week calls for Jesus’ entrance to our hearts with new teachings about the Big God Who sent his Only Son Jesus Christ to redeem us from perdition and classroom of our wilderness. These new Bible based teachings are not just external rules of behaviour and information but sacred knowledge that transforms hearts and leads to God, developing in us the same mind that is in Jesus Christ.

Palm Sunday and Holy Week calls for Jesus’ entrance to our hearts to eat with us. Jesus’ entry on Palm Sunday and into Holy Week beyond acting play must also be for you and I. Palm Sunday and Holy Week happens when Jesus’ enter into the depth of our own heart as EMMANUEL, the life of God within us. Palm Sunday and Holy Week are not about repeat or routine of liturgy or buying into the religious status quo. Jesus’ entering our hearts is about the cleansing of our thoughts, words and actions. Palm Sunday and Holy Week summons us to stop our series of maintenance transactions, gatekeepers of life and faith, and develop a new relationship of obedience, intimacy, and love with Jesus.

Is there any different between the crowds of the first Palm Sunday and the crowd of today? The first crowds who acknowledged and confessed Jesus five short days later abandoned him and yelled “Crucify Him.” Jerusalem of our heart is about the salvation of our soul and not just political and economic salvation the government of the world promise to give. Jerusalem of our our heart is about receiving a spiritual king, Jesus Christ for our eternal glory. This very Palm Sunday morning Jesus fulfilled the ancient prophecy of the prophet Zechariah:

“Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King comes to you!
He is righteous, and having salvation;
lowly, and riding on a donkey,
even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

Zechariah’s prophecy of the coming of the Messiah goes beyond acting play on the back of the donkey or annual parade on the road. Zechariah’s prophecy summons Jesus followers to spread and open our hearts on the road for God’s mission, to untie our hearts from every sin of unbelief, to roll out the carpet of repentance for Jesus to ride into our hearts, families, churches and nations. Zechariah’s prophecy summons us to arise and wave palm of Good News and shout to everyone,

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David
that is coming in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9-10)

We are in a generation that testify of having faith but are neglecting the foundation of Christian faith built upon the Scripture that tells us faith comes by hearing, and that God’s Word gives us “spiritual ears,” enabling us to hear (Rom 10:17). We are in a generation filled with false expectations of what kind of Messiah we want. We are very unaware of the dangers surrounding us especially, the danger of sin of unbelief. Just as Jesus wept and cried over the crowds that were oblivious to the real opportunity to receive him into their hearts, must he cry over you and I today again? Palm Sunday into the Holy Week presents to us a Saviour from sin and not just a saviour from earthly inconveniences. Palm Sunday into the Holy Week presents to us not a slave to our every whim but a Saviour who rules our hearts so that we can live for him. Our evil nature always imposes sinful, self interest, pride, and selfish expectations on Jesus and this humbly invites us to repent and pray and shout “Hosanna,” save me and forgive me my sins.