Triumphant Again

Triumphant Again


We call this coming Sunday “Palm Sunday,” which, by the way, has been around a lot longer than the handheld PDA with a similar name. Some youngsters may not know that a palm is not just an electronic device for keeping contacts and calendars. It’s a tree, the branches of which were used to celebrate the arrival of the Messiah in Jerusalem as the throngs waived its fronds. Palms in that day were used to welcome kings and not as personal organizers. However, there is a connection between those palms and the calendar.

Over 500 years earlier, Daniel (of “lion’s den” fame) was given a glimpse into the future. In Daniel chapter 9, God’s messenger, the angel Gabriel, urged him to “consider the matter, and understand the vision” (Daniel 9:23). What matter? What vision? The matter had to do with the timing of the unveiling of the Messiah in Jerusalem and the vision provided a calendar of sorts.
Gabriel laid out a 490-year timeline that included the rebuilding of Jerusalem (in ruins during Daniel’s time), the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), His crucifixion, the introduction of the antichrist and the final period of seven years before Christ’s return.
According to Daniel’s vision, the waiving of palms welcomed Jesus at exactly the day predicted by Daniel. That completed 483 of the 490 years predicted. So, seven years of that prophecy still remain to wrap up history. When do they start?

What is the significance of Jesus’ first Triumphal Entry as compared to His second. What happened 2,000 years ago was a precursor to His ultimate re-entry. How will the two differ? What does the Bible say?

The story behind Palm Sunday is a study in the fickleness of people. Some of the very same folks who had welcomed Jesus with Palm fronds on Sunday were calling for His crucifixion by Friday. Sunday’s Savior had become Friday’s felon. For many, in both cases their response was nothing more that a reflection of the group dynamic taking place on those days. They seemed to conform to the tenor of the moment. Do we ever do that?

We may marvel at how the crowd could have changed so much, but in a way it happens every week. Thousands of people, singing the praises of God on Sunday, often demonstrate less-than-worshipful attitudes during the week. Then, the next Sunday, they’re back to praising Jesus. The Holy Week was simply a preview of the vacillating nature of people’s attitudes toward Jesus. Without crying out “crucify Him,” they nonetheless turn their backs on Him as a weekly pattern.

We don’t have to wait for Christ’s return in order for there to be another Triumphal Entry for Jesus. If all believers would simply live out during the week what they profess to believe on Sunday, our culture would have to stand up and take notice. It would make what happened in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday look small by comparison. Just imagine if “hypocrite” was the last word people would use to describe churchgoers?

There would always be detractors, but millions would likely come to Christ just because they finally understood what real life-change looked like!

“‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’Hosanna in the highest!”
—Matthew 21:9 NKJV