He Is Risen · Stop 1
What kind of king rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday?
A crowd waves branches and throws their coats on the road. They're shouting for a king. But this king comes riding on a donkey. Today you'll find out why Holy Week starts with a parade, and why the parade isn't the end of the story.
Start this stopHosanna
Holy Week is the last week of Lent, the week before Easter. It begins on Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Passover remembers how God freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. Jewish families still celebrate it today.
The crowd waved branches and shouted “Hosanna!” It's a Hebrew word that means “save us, please.” They hoped Jesus would be a king who would throw out the Roman army.
Jesus came on a donkey, not a war horse. The prophet Zechariah had said Israel's king would come humble, riding a donkey. Jesus was showing what kind of king he is: one who comes in peace, to serve.
Many ELCA churches start Palm Sunday with a parade of palms and end it by reading the story of Jesus' death. The same week holds cheering and grief. Holy Week walks through both.
Read it in your Bible
- Mark 11:7–10. Jesus' friends bring a colt, a young donkey, and put their cloaks on it. Jesus rides it into Jerusalem. People spread cloaks and branches on the road and shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”
- Zechariah 9:9. The prophet tells Jerusalem to shout for joy. Your king is coming to you, humble and riding on a donkey.
The Apostles' Creed, second part
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Words to know
- Hosanna. What the crowd shouted on Palm Sunday. It means “save us, please.” It was a cry for help and a cheer at the same time. We still sing it in worship.
- Palm. The kind of branch many churches wave on the Sunday before Easter. Waving branches was how people welcomed a king.
- Donkey. What Jesus rode into Jerusalem, as Zechariah said the king would. A war horse says “I'm here to fight.” A donkey says “I come in peace.”
- Jerusalem. The city Jesus entered on Palm Sunday, for the Passover festival. It's where the last week of Jesus' life happened.