Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. It is a time when we celebrate the Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem leading to his arrest, crucifixion and ultimately his resurrection. It is the beginning of Holy Week we need to take care to not overlook this day on the way to Easter.

On what has come to be known as Palm Sunday, people lined the streets waiting for Jesus, they used the palm branches as a way of welcoming a king. They placed the branches on the ground where the donkey carrying Jesus would walk. Some Biblical scholars say the palm branches were a sign of victory and were the equivalent of rolling out the red carpet.

The Bible says “And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matthew 21:8-9) (KJV)

Hosanna is a beautiful word that we may hear around Easter but we don’t use much anymore. The Bible dictionary defines it as an exclamation of praise. It translates into “praise God and his Messiah, we are saved.” In order to use the word “Hosanna” and mean it the people had to know who Jesus was and so, do we. We can only truly praise him and give him glory when we get to know him as the Messiah.

“And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, who is this? And the multitude said, this is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:10-11) (KJV)