Six days before Passover, the Lord Jesus enters the final week on His way to the Cross. Passover was the most important Jewish feast, pointing back to the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt. At that time, lambs were sacrificed for the salvation of the Jewish people from captivity, as the angel of God kept their firstborn safe by “passing over” them and ultimately delivering them from the Egyptians. Since then, once a year, they celebrate the feast of Passover, which in Hebrew is called “Pesach,” from which the word Pascha is derived. On Saturday before Passover, the Lord goes to Bethany, to the home of Mary, Mar tha, and Lazaros. This family loved the Lord, and they were close friends with Him. The Lord had dined with the sisters before (Luke 10:38-42), and He had raised their brother Lazaros from the dead (John 11:1-44) as an indication of His own Resurrection. Mary and Martha were deeply grateful to the Lord for raising their brother from the dead. Now, they are making Him supper, and this meal with friends anticipates the Mystical Supper, which we commemorate on Holy Thursday. Lazaros is sitting at the table with Jesus Christ. In this respect, Saint Cyril of Alex andria remarks that “in amazement the Evangelist says that he who had been four days dead [Lazaros] was eating with the Christ, to remind us of His God-befitting power. And he adds that Martha, out of her love towards Christ, served, and ministered at the labors of the table.” Mary anoints the feet of the Lord in an act of worship, using costly ointment, and wipes them with her hair as an act of love. Jesus’s disciples were present, and Judas, who will betray the Lord, objects to the use of costly spices – not because he cared about frugality, but because he was stealing from the treasury and desired the money for him self. Judas is an individual, yet he represents the entire human race in this respect. Judas stands for each one of us when we allow our passions to rule over us. We become blind, our hearts harden, and we betray the Lord because we love the things of this world more than we love Him. The next day, on Palm Sunday, a great crowd who came to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was on the way there from Bethany, less than two miles away. 2 So, they take branches of palm trees and meet Him, pronouncing out loud, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Saint John Chrysostom says that “The words show us the divinity of Christ. Hosanna is, Save us; and salvation in Scripture is attributed to God alone. And comes, it is said, not is brought: the former befits a lord, the latter a servant…. He does not come in the name of a servant, but in the name of the Lord.” Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, fulfilling the prophecy made five hundred years earlier by the Prophet Zechariah: “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” The great King had come, and instead of riding on a horse and a chariot to defeat worldly enemies, He came in humility and service. He hid His divine glory to defeat not earthly powers but a much greater adversary, indeed the most significant enemy: He came to trample down upon death by His death. The Messiah is ready to enter Jerusalem, the city of the King. Spreading people’s outer garments and branches on the pathway was customary to greet a royal figure en tering the city. But this was no ordinary King, but the King of Israel and the King of the Universe, the creator and ruler of all, the Angel of Great Counsel who brings His peace unto the world. The branches of the palm trees symbolize Christ’s victory over the devil and death. However, the people of Israel, primarily represented by the religious establish ment, did not want a Messiah of peace. According to their own Messianic ideas, they wanted a Messiah who would liberate them from the Romans. Because of this, many of the people who now exclaim “Hosanna!” would be calling for Him to be crucified six days later. This reminds us to try to ground our faith in a proper understanding of Christ’s love and character. The Lord’s work is not meant to fulfill our selfish expectations because then we would be worshiping a god of our imagination. In turn, this may easily become a temptation for us, to blame God for not doing what we want Him to do. If we do not understand who Christ is and how He loves us, we might find ourselves looking for Him to act how we want when difficult situations arise. And we might even be tempted to turn away from Christ – as Judas did. The Lord loves us so much more than our limited comprehension allows. His pur poses are beyond our understanding, and they are always intended for our salvation. Let us always remember that when good or bad things happen to us, God allows them. On Palm Sunday, the Blessed Lord comes as a humble King, and the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem is a symbol of His entrance into our hearts. Christ is our King Who reigns even now in the middle of our sufferings and in the middle of our failures. Salvation has come to us if we trust our King as our only hope. The Lord Jesus is always with us. He has entered the Temple, He established the 3 Church, and ministers at the altar of our hearts. Let us remember Mary and Martha’s joy and gratefulness to the Lord, who brought the Resurrection to their own home, as He does with us. Let us also remember Judas’ betrayal, for we, too, can allow our passions to overcome us if we do not trust in the Lord completely. This is why we fast on Wednes days throughout the year: because we remember the betrayal of Judas, and we soberly contemplate our own faithfulness to the Lord. Trusting in Him and accepting His grace, we follow Him and His example on how to struggle, how to love, and how to forgive. We learn humility from the great King who rode on a donkey and participated in the crowd’s joy, knowing they would crucify Him six days later. Christ is full of compassion and love. His love does not falter. His love does not waver. His love is steadfast no matter what is done to Him. He is always with us as we continue our journey through the events that follow during Holy Week on our way to Great and Holy Pascha. As He enters Jerusalem, let Him enter our hearts. Let us receive Him with joy. Let us walk with Him on the path of agony towards the Crucifixion. The glory of Palm Sunday preceded the humiliation of the Cross. The Cross, however, preceded the ultimate glory of the Resurrection of Christ. Let us nail on His Cross our own struggles, temptations, and sins. Let us resurrect ourselves with Him in a new life—a life of faith, peace, and love.
