Hosanna: God Save Us

For us today, Palm Sunday is simply the Sunday before Resurrection Sunday. However, the importance of what took place on this day nearly two thousand years ago in Jerusalem is anything but simple. What took place on this day is paradoxical. It's both comforting and tragic, beautiful and awful, holy and profane—all at the same time. This day was prophesied from the OT. God promised that this day would come some 500 years before Jesus of Nazareth was born.

Palm Sunday is the day we celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem one week before His death and resurrection. That's why one week from today, we'll celebrate Resurrection Sunday. Half of Mark and John's Gospels are dedicated to what happened between Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday. Nearly 1/3 of both Matthew and Luke write about this week. Palm Sunday introduces what's known as Holy Week. Meaning that this entire week is to be celebrated because it's holy—its set apart—it's different. This week has been celebrated throughout all of Christendom regardless of denomination. Holy Week focuses on the Passion of Jesus Christ. Holy Week or Passion Week is named because of the passion/determination with which Jesus Christ willingly went to the cross to pay for the sins of people who believe in the Gospel. For the next two weeks, we take both an awesome and awful look at the last week of Jesus' life.