How Christ entered the city on a donkey. Clarifying the situation
The Holy Church reads the Gospel of John. Chapter 12, Art. 1-18.
12.1. Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was dead, whom He raised from the dead.
12.2. There they prepared a supper for Him, and Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those who reclined with Him.
12.3. Mary, taking a pound of pure precious ointment of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the world.
12.4. Then one of His disciples, Judas Simon Iscariot, who wanted to betray Him, said:
12.5. Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor?
12.6. He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He had a cash box with him and wore what was put in there.
12.7. Jesus said: Leave her alone; She saved it for the day of My burial.
12.8. For you always have the poor with you, but not always Me.
12.9. Many of the Jews knew that He was there and came not only for Jesus, but to see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead.
12.10. The high priests decided to kill Lazarus too,
12.11. because for his sake many of the Jews came and believed in Jesus.
12.12. The next day the multitude that came to the feast, hearing that Jesus was going to Jerusalem,
12.13. They took palm branches, came out to meet Him and exclaimed: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!
12.14. Jesus found a colt and sat on it, as it is written:
12.15. Fear not, daughter of Zion! Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a colt.
12.16. His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus became glorified, then they remembered that it was written about Him, and they did it to Him.
12.17. The people who were with Him before testified that He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead.
12.18. That is why the people met Him, because they heard that He had performed this miracle.
(John 12:1-18)
Today, on the day of the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the Gospel of John is read during the service.
The next day after the supper in the house of Lazarus, whom He had resurrected, the Lord went to Jerusalem in order to fulfill everything written by the prophets about Him as the Messiah.
And then the people who knew about the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus Hearing that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches, went out to meet Him and exclaimed: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!(John 12, 12-13).
The Old Testament mentions palm branches as a symbol of joy. They welcomed kings, winners and heroes. The Hebrew word “hosanna” means “save now.” This word is not always understood correctly, often translated as “praise.”
In the Second and Fourth Books of Kings (2 Kings 14:4; 2 Kings 6:26) this word was used by people who sought help and protection from the king. Thus, we see that those shouting “Hosanna” were not praising Christ, as is often presented, but were calling on God to intervene in the course of history and grant salvation to His people.
We see that people greeted Jesus Christ as a conqueror, but, expecting Him to deliver them from the dominion of Rome, they did not understand that He wanted to free them from sin.
There were two routes from Bethany to Jerusalem: one went around the Mount of Olives from the south, and the other went through the very top of the mountain and was shorter, but more difficult and tiring. There were few horses in Palestine, because the eastern rulers rode horses exclusively to war. In times of peace, they usually traveled on donkeys. Thus, the entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem on a donkey was a symbol of peace.
The Evangelist John indicates that this was the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy, which in full reads like this:
Rejoice with joy, daughter of Zion, rejoice, daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving, meek, sitting on a donkey and the colt of a donkey.(Zech. 9, 9)
The Lord enters Jerusalem on a young donkey, attracting special attention from both His followers and enemies.
Saint John Chrysostom writes: “Since all their kings were for the most part unjust and selfish, betrayed them to their enemies, corrupted the people and subjected them to their enemies, he says: do not be afraid; this (King) is not like that, but meek and gentle. He did not enter surrounded by an army, but having with Him one donkey.”
Jesus reveals Himself to be the Messiah, the Savior of mankind. But the Jews expected from Him not spiritual wealth, but earthly wealth.
How often do we, dear brothers and sisters, place our hopes in God only for earthly well-being, forgetting that His Kingdom is not of this world. Let us remember that the Lord is ready to generously endow us with spiritual wealth. All that is required of us is the desire to accept the grace of God into our hearts, purifying it through constant labor.
Help us in this, Lord!
Hieromonk Pimen (Shevchenko)
The triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-40)
The distance from Jericho to Jerusalem was only about twenty-seven kilometers and Jesus had almost reached His goal. Jerusalem, the end of His journey, lay before Him. The prophets had a habit that we often see in the Old Testament. When words no longer worked, when people refused to receive and understand the oral message, the prophets resorted to dramatic action that made a lasting impression on everyone. He decided to enter Jerusalem so that everyone could see that He was the Messiah, the King Anointed by God. Let us note several points in connection with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.
This entry was carefully planned and foretold by prophets hundreds of years ago, it was not some impulsive act. Jesus sent the disciples to bring a donkey that no one had ever ridden. Usually an unbroken animal is unpredictable and uncontrollable, but in this situation the donkey behaved humbly and obediently. God prepared both the donkey and the owner of the colt, for which the words “The Lord needs him” were enough to give him to the disciples.
This entry was also a challenge and a testament to unparalleled courage, for by this time a price had already been established on the head of Jesus. “The chief priests and Pharisees gave orders that if anyone knew where He would be, they would announce it in order to take Him.”(John 11:57).
Under such circumstances, it was natural that Jesus, since He was to go to Jerusalem at all, would slip there unnoticed and hide somewhere in the remote, remote streets. But He entered Jerusalem as the owner, today He should be the center of attention, this is His city, His people. Jesus' courage and fearlessness are unparalleled.
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem should be seen as an open presentation of His rights to be called the King of the Jews, and also as the final fulfillment of the prophecy in (Zech. 9:9) “Rejoice with joy, daughter of Zion, rejoice, daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving, meek, riding on a donkey, and on the colt of a donkey who has been yoked.”
But even in this act, Jesus emphasized which kingdom He was claiming to be the King of. In the East, the donkey was not such a despised animal as it is with us. On the contrary, he was considered noble there. Only in war did kings appear on horseback; When the kings appeared in peace, they rode on a donkey. And Jesus entered Jerusalem as the King of love and peace, and not as a victorious hero, whom, in fact, the crowd was expecting.
This entry was the last appeal to the people. Jesus appeared as if with outstretched hands pleadingly, saying: “Do you not even now recognize Me as your king?” While human hatred had not yet crucified Him, He once again addressed people with a call of love.
QUESTIONS:
- Why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey?
- Who does the donkey carrying Jesus symbolize?
- Why are the Pharisees irritated by loud praise?
- How do we respond to praise in the temple?
The Tribulation and Wrath of Jesus (Luke 19:41-48)
Jesus' lament for Jerusalem. From the slopes of the Mount of Olives there was a beautiful view of Jerusalem: the entire city lay before our eyes. Jesus stopped at a bend in the road and wept over the fate that awaited Jerusalem in the future. He knew what awaited him. The Jews were already involved in political intrigues at that time, which ended in 70 AD. destruction of Jerusalem. The city was so destroyed and devastated that a furrow was plowed through the center of it. The tragedy of the Jews was that this could have been avoided if they had recognized Jesus as their Messiah and accepted Him as the Lord and Savior of their lives.
The tears of Jesus are the tears of God, shed by Him at the sight of the senseless suffering and pain that people themselves bring upon themselves by their insane rebellion against His will. Next we talk about the second cleansing of the temple. Luke only gives short description this event; Matthew's description (Matthew 21:12.13) is more complete. Why Jesus former incarnation love, acted so harshly and violently towards the money changers and merchants in the temple and in His courts and vestibules?
Let's look first at the money changers. Each male Jew paid an annual temple tax of half a shekel. In those days, this amount was two days' salary for an employee. A month before Easter, kiosks were installed in all cities where it was possible to pay it; but, perhaps, most of the tax was paid by Jewish pilgrims in Jerusalem itself, where they came for the Passover holiday. A wide variety of coins were in circulation in Jerusalem: Greek, Roman, Phoenician, Syrian, Egyptian. But they were not suitable for paying the temple tax: it had to be paid in half a shekel. This is where money changers came in handy. When exchanging coins of equal value for half a shekel, the money changers took in their favor one collibos - a very small Greek coin. Such a money changer received a large income per year. In fact, such monetary transactions were pure robbery and deception of people.
Let's look at animal dealers. Almost every visit to the temple was associated with animal sacrifice. They could be bought outside the temple at a reasonable price, but the temple administration appointed special inspectors; because the animal had to be without blemishes or spots. Therefore, it was safer to buy an animal for sacrifice in tents specially installed in the temple. However, animals in the temple were many times more expensive than outside. And again this was a pure deception of the poor pilgrims. That is why Jesus cleansed the temple so frantically. The point is not only that buying and selling violated the dignity and solemnity of worship: but also that worship itself in the house of the Lord turned into trade.
The action of Jesus teaching in the temple courts shows incredible courage and courage. It was an open challenge. At that time, the authorities could not arrest Him because all the people were listening to His every word. But every time He spoke in the temple, He risked His life, And he knew well that it was only a matter of time: His end was sealed. The courage of every Christian should be like the courage of our Lord. He set an example, and we should never be ashamed, to show the people who we are and who we serve.
QUESTIONS:
- What happens to those people who deliberately reject the Savior?
- Why did Jesus behave so strictly in the temple?
- Why did He weep for Jerusalem?
- Have you ever cried for people who reject Christ?
Pastor Sergei. (Some excerpts taken from Barkley's commentary).
In anticipation of Verbny in Sunday school, among adults, the following conversations are held:
- Well, why was Jesus condemned and crucified?
- Why? Let's read the Gospel. Because He did not live up to the aspirations of the Jewish people: they thought that the Messiah would ride in on a horse, at the head of an army, and lead everyone to war against Rome, but He rode in on some kind of donkey, like a fool... About this, by the way, all the priests preach and write in books. The Jews wanted a holy war, but He brought peace.
Priest Sergius Kruglov, photo by Anna Galperina
Well, actually, this image in the East in those days was traditional and recognizable: riding a horse - a symbol of war, riding a donkey - a symbol of peace. Look, in the Gospel no one is particularly surprised that He is on a donkey, and is not indignant, this is not mentioned, which means that the Jews read the image correctly, they meet the Messiah as expected... “All this happened, that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, who says: “Say to the daughter of Zion: “Behold, your king is coming to you, meek, sitting on a donkey and the colt of a donkey.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them: they brought a donkey and a colt and put their clothes on them, and He sat on top of them. Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road; The people who walked ahead and accompanied Him exclaimed: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! (Matt. 21:1-9). So, you say, He was crucified for peace?
Certainly.
- But I’m thinking: of course, in every nation there are always people who want war, heroic deeds and other things like that, in those days there were enough patriotic Sicarii-zealots in Israel too...
But the average, let’s say, person, an ordinary person in the street, always prefers peace. Like you or me. At all times and in all social formations.
Well-fedness, contentment, a strong, wise government, higher salaries and pensions, and lower taxes, absence of diseases and disasters, predictability of tomorrow and stability, so that children are not sent “cargo-200” from the war, so that there are no revolutions and riots, so that you can live long and die happily, preferably, without suffering and in a dream, and so that before death, when summing up the results of life, my conscience has nothing to reproach me for, in any respect... Not life, in a word, but a song. Is it bad? So the people will accept the Messiah, the bringer of peace, riding not on a war horse, but on a colt, much more willingly, I think.
What age was always considered golden among the Jews? Great, of course, and glorious is King David, a prophet and experienced field commander, seasoned in countless battles! But the golden age is still considered the period of the reign of his son Solomon, King Shlomo, whose name precisely means “non-war” and is the same root as the word “shalom”, a period when they did not fight, but traded, built the great temple of Jerusalem, even peace was made with Egypt, civil grace was everywhere, everyone was well-fed, and “the gold that came to Solomon every year weighed six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold” (1 Kings 10:14)…
So, you still think so: the people wanted to fight and beat the enemy, and here is Jesus riding on a donkey, all dressed in white, smiling at everyone, both ours and yours, and saying: “What are you talking about! Peace, love, no to war! Not the Messiah, but some hippie from Woodstock...
Oh... What do I think?.. I don’t know what to think, you’ve really messed with my head... Well, what do you think, was He fighting a war?
- Of course not. War is evil. He brought peace... But a peace that is worse than war for the world. To the fallen world - the original world, God's... Which invades this world and everything that was hidden in it, established, all the numerous foundations, bonds and cornerstones, overturns. After entering Jerusalem, where did He go?
- Yes... I went to the temple, overturn tables, drive away merchants, create a scandal...
Paul Gustave Dore. Christ drives the merchants out of the temple
- That's it. Together with the King, His Kingdom also entered, and for Israel’s established ideas about peace and goodness it turned out to be not peace, but a sword... A sword that violated the way of life and worldview of religious, decent people who had grown together over the centuries, living, as they believed, mainly righteously, according to the statute of the One God...
And instead of “more and more fully satisfying the needs of believers,” instead of another blessing of love for paternal tombs and all sorts of paternal traditions, there was a revolution and temptation in the minds. Because of Christ, because of His word and appearance, everything that Israel had acquired over centuries of back-breaking labor came into question, all values and bonds came into question... In short, the situation was tense to the maximum. There was no way this could end except with a cross.
“And the stones cried out... You know, I feel it very somehow now, I’m experiencing these words, about the stones... The stones, they are still crying out.”
- Like this?
- And so... This is how I see it: a person lives, over a long life, all sorts of waste, absorbed by him, are deposited in him. They are deposited, turn into sand, then into stones - in the spine, in the kidneys, in the gallbladder there, in the urinary tract.
The doctor begins to treat, stirs up these deposits - and the stones begin to scream: “Don’t touch! Hurt! The body has gotten used to us, why are you touching us? Unbearable!...” And the doctor says: “It is necessary, otherwise, if we don’t get rid of you, the body will die.”
So all our habits, big and small sins, passions, sweets, truths, beliefs, private and public, are deposited in us like stones, in the mind, in the conscience, in the heart... It seems that we have gotten used to it, we live somehow, it seems - world. And Christ comes - and these stone deposits inside begin tossing and screaming. Like, we know who you are, the Holy One of God, who came here to torment, crush and lead us out!.. That’s why pain, despondency, and fear attack, that’s why I so often want to hide from God back under Adam’s bush, that’s why fasting and prayer , and a revision of attitudes towards people, towards life, towards oneself, that is, everything that is not formal, but in truth, according to the Gospel, happens in life, everything is so difficult.
- Yes. But you also understand: without this, it’s death. There will be no love, no joy, no life if Christ does not begin to turn over and drive out our stones from us...
- So - they cried out, and let them cry out!..
- Let it be!.. By the way, are you going to bless the willows?
- But of course!
... These are the conversations, or something like this.
Blessed are you, an ordinary provincial Sunday school, which no one forces you to go to, attending which does not give you any worldly bonuses, but which attracts people, albeit not very many - the quantitative indicator is not in the first place here, it attracts both parishioners and so far and parishioners, to be together and talk, to listen and read, and think, exchange discoveries about faith, Christ, the Church and one’s own life, and again eagerly talk and think about such things...
This means that you, a small school, are not far from the Kingdom of God.
From the Tsar, whom you meet, crowding today in the church at the All-Night Vigil, with willows in your hands, and together with everyone you laugh and childishly shout when sprinkling: “Father, and on us!... And on us!...”
The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is one of the 12 twelve (main) holidays in Orthodoxy. This temporary holiday occurs exactly a week before Christ's Resurrection.
What do we celebrate on Palm Sunday?
The entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is described by all four evangelists. Matthew (in chapter 21 of his Gospel), and Mark (in chapter 11), and Luke (in chapter 19), and John (in chapter 12) talk about him.
Thus, the Gospel of Matthew (21:1-7) says that the apostles, at the direction of Jesus, took a colt and a donkey in Bethany. John the Theologian in his Gospel simply mentions that Christ, having found a young donkey, sat on it.
The Gospels of Mark and Luke say that Jesus, approaching Jerusalem and being near the Mount of Olives near Bethphage and Bethany, sent two disciples for a colt, indicating where it was tied and what to answer if asked. And so it happened. The students found the animal, untied it, and when asked “Why are you untying it?” They answered that the Lord needed the donkey, and they brought him to Jesus.
So, on a donkey, Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem. The Jews had an ancient custom, according to which rulers, having won a victory over their enemies, rode into the city on horses or donkeys. And in the East, entering a city on a donkey was a symbol of peace, and riding a horse was a symbol of war.
At that time, Judea was captured by the Romans, and the Jews were awaiting the liberator promised by the Holy Scriptures and the prophets from foreign domination. They believed that the Messiah - the Savior of Israel - would appear on Easter. Jesus Christ was greeted as the Messiah, as they knew about the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus, performed the day before.
The Jews greeted Him as a King, according to the same ancient tradition, with palm branches, flowers, and spreading their clothes along His path.
They shouted to Christ: “Hosanna* to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (i.e., worthy of praise, sent from God) the King of Israel! Hosanna in the highest!
Fulfilling Prophecies Old Testament, Christ entered Jerusalem in just such a solemn manner, but not as the King of the earth or the winner in a war. But as a King, whose kingdom is not of this world, as the conqueror of sin and death. The gate through which Jesus is said to have entered still exists today. Only they have been tightly walled up for many centuries and, according to legend, their walling up will take place at the second coming of Christ to earth.
At that time this gate was called the Sheep Gate , sometimes called the Gate of the Blessed Virgin Mary (today it is the Lion Gate). In the Christian tradition - the gate of St. Stefan. Even in ancient times, sheep were driven through the Sheep Gate for washing before sacrifice.
Right next to the gate is the house where the Virgin Mary was born. On the same path is the place at the Sheep Gate where the pool of Bethesda was located. Here then lay a great many sick, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the movement of the water - the release of its healing components from the depths. Christ once, traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem, healed a man here who had been sick for 38 years. He immediately recovered. Today, after excavations have been carried out, in this place you can see the remains of this structure - the legendary bath.
There are other gates in Jerusalem, for example Vessel.
Here the city line ended and the city wall passed.
The praetor's servant, accompanying the condemned man, reached this gate. Here they hung a sentence on him, which was no longer subject to appeal. Then the condemned man was led to the place of execution - Golgotha. From the gate, as excavations have shown, there are 70 steps to Golgotha. Above these gates there is now a temple of the Russian church - St. Alexander Nevsky. The sacred threshold of the gate is covered with a glass lid, and a crucifix rises above it.
What is another name for the holiday “The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem”?
The last Sunday before Easter is also called "Vaii Week" - "vaii" means "palm branches" in Greek.
The Latin name of the holiday is Dominica in palmis (Palm Sunday, literally: “Lord's day in the palm trees”). In modern European languages today the name “Palm” is used, for example in English - Palm Sunday.
In Russian liturgical books it is also called Flower-Bearing Week (because Christ was greeted with flowers in Jerusalem), and in common parlance - Palm Sunday. This is due to the fact that palm branches in Slavic countries are replaced with willow branches (as well as willow and willow). These plants are among the first to bloom in Russia.
How do Orthodox Christians celebrate Palm Sunday?
The willow is consecrated in churches the day before, on Saturday evening (April 12, 2014) at the All-Night Vigil: after reading the Gospel, the 50th Psalm is read, then the branches are sprinkled with holy water. After this, they are distributed to the worshipers, and parishioners stand until the end of the service with willow and lighted candles. Usually the sprinkling is repeated in the same Palm Sunday at the Liturgy (the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served).
Holiday traditions
In the pre-Petrine era, on Palm Sunday, the solemn ride of the patriarch “on a donkey” (a white horse equipped like a donkey; it symbolized the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem) took place. The Patriarch distributed willows and fern leaves (instead of palm branches) from the Execution Ground to the Tsar, bishops, boyars, okolnichy, Duma clerks and the people.
Orthodox Christians have a custom of keeping blessed willows throughout the year and decorating icons in the house with them. In some areas, there is a pious custom of placing consecrated willows in the hands of the dead as a sign that, through faith in Christ, they will conquer death, be resurrected and meet the Savior with the consecrated branches.
Holiday lessons
Christ did not come to solve people's problems for them , even if these are matters of life and death for a nation captured by the occupiers, as was the case with the Israeli people. The economic crisis, the corruption of the state apparatus, the underdevelopment of public initiatives, the unfair distribution of benefits, the decline of morality and culture, high mortality and low birth rates - these are all human affairs, this is what people are responsible for before God. To build heaven on earth, even in a country with great Christian history, God never will.
Christians must remember that Christ offers His Kingdom and insists that only there He is the Ruler and King, His kingdom is “not of this world,” it is nothing less than the Kingdom of God. A kingdom where man’s connection with God is restored, where evil and division are overcome, where there is fullness of life and happiness. Christ taught his followers that entry into His Kingdom is possible only through faith. He showed the place and price of power, statehood and everything human. The kingdoms of the world are destined to exist, and it is impossible to live only in heaven, but all this is just soil on which a living plant can grow. The soil may be bad or good, states may be different, but a living plant is not soil, the Kingdom of God is not a society, and certainly not a state. The salvation of people from sin was able to take place on the edge of the Roman Empire among the occupied people, which means that, if necessary, it can also take place in Russia in the 21st century. If only there was faith, faith as personal trust in Christ and faith as a responsible attitude towards the property entrusted to people.
The main thing that this holiday tells Christians - the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem - is that it is impossible to gain true faith in Christ and pass it on to others, immersed in the construction of only the earthly kingdom, trying to realize their own interests, be they the interests of the state, nation, society or family.
We magnify You, / Life-giving Christ, / Hosanna in the highest, / and we cry to You: // Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
(Moving Twelfth Feast. Always on the Sunday preceding Easter)
All four evangelists tell about the Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem a few days before His Passion on the Cross - Matthew(Matt. 21:7-11), Mark(Mark 11:7-10), Luke(Luke 19:36-38) and John(John 12:12-15). When, after the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus Christ, six days before Easter, prepared to go to Jerusalem to celebrate it, many of the people followed Jesus with a joyful feeling, ready to accompany Him with the solemnity with which kings were accompanied in the East in ancient times. The Jewish high priests, indignant at Jesus because He aroused extraordinary veneration among the people, planned to kill Him, as well as Lazarus, “because for his sake many of the Jews came and believed in Jesus.”
But something unexpected happened to them: the multitude of people who came to the festival, hearing that Jesus was going to Jerusalem, took palm branches, came out to meet Him and exclaimed: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” Many spread their clothes, cut branches from palm trees and threw them along the road, the children welcomed the Messiah. Having believed in the powerful and good Teacher, the simple-hearted people were ready to recognize Him as the King who had come to free them.
Further, the evangelists narrate: “Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion! Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a colt.". And Jesus entered the temple of God, and drove out all those selling and buying in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. And he said to them: it is written: “My house will be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of thieves.” All the people listened to the teaching of the Lord with admiration. After which the blind and lame came to Jesus, whom He healed. Then, leaving Jerusalem, He returned to Bethany.
The Feast of the Entry into Jerusalem from the use of fronds (palm branches and willows) on this day is also called Weekly. We call this holiday "Palm Sunday" , because fronds are replaced by willow, since it shows signs of life awakening after a long winter earlier than other trees.
Today is a solemn and bright day, temporarily overcoming the concentrated and mournful mood of Great Lent and anticipating the joy of Holy Easter. In the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the glory of Christ shines brightly as Almighty God, and as the King, the son of David, the Lord, welcomed by the chosen people of God. On this day the Church remembers that The Jews who came to the Passover holiday greeted Jesus as the Messiah, as a prophet, as a great wonderworker, for they knew that He had recently raised the four-day-old Lazarus. Adults and children sang and rejoiced, placed their clothes under the feet of the donkey on which He rode, and greeted Him with green branches and flowers.
Standing at a church service with willow branches and lit candles is a memory of the solemn Entry of the King of Glory into free suffering. Those who pray seem to meet the invisibly coming Lord and greet Him as the conqueror of hell and death.
On Sunday evening, liturgical texts indicate the onset of Passionate, or Great, Week. Beginning with Vespers of the week of Vai, all the songs of the Lenten Triodion lead us in the footsteps of the Lord coming to his free death.
History of the holiday
The Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem came to Rus' in the 10th century, and Christian Church was noted already in the 3rd century. Another name for the holiday is Palm Sunday, or the holiday of Vai, reminds us of the palm branches with which the inhabitants of Jerusalem greeted Jesus when they met Him. The use of fronds with lamps, or in our tradition, willows, dates back to ancient times. This is mentioned by St. Ambrose of Milan, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria back in the 4th century. Believers stand at the service with willow branches consecrated in the temple and lit candles in their hands, meeting the invisibly coming Christ.
On the eve of Holy Week, last days earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of Christ on earth was revealed to us - a kingdom not of power and strength, but of all-conquering love.
Iconography of the holiday
Jesus Christ rides into Jerusalem on a young donkey. He turned to His disciples who were following the donkey. In Christ’s left hand there is a scroll symbolizing the sacred text of the covenant; in his right hand He blesses those who meet him.
Men and women came out of the city gates to meet Him. Behind them is Jerusalem. This is a large and grand city, tall buildings are depicted closely. Their architecture indicates that the icon painter lived surrounded by Russian churches.
Children place their clothes under the hooves of the donkey. Others are palm branches. Sometimes two more children's figures are written at the bottom of the icon. One child sits with his leg tucked and slightly raised, over which another child is leaning, helping to remove a splinter from his foot. This touching everyday scene, which came from Byzantium, gives the image vitality, but, nevertheless, does not in any way reduce the pathos of what is happening. Children's clothes are most often white, which symbolizes their spiritual purity and gentleness.
As usual for Russian icons, the clothes of all adult characters are depicted with skill and strict grace. Behind the figure of Christ, a mountain rises into the sky, depicted using traditional symbolic means.
The entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem is an act of his good will, it will be followed by the atonement of human sins with a great sacrifice, which will open the entrance to a new life for people - the entrance to the New Jerusalem.
Source: Temple Life-Giving Trinity on Vorobyovy Gory
Sermon on the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Brothers and sisters! The Holy Pentecost consists of two fasts adjacent to each other and merged together, which reflect various events in the earthly life of Christ the Savior.
Lent itself was established by the Church in memory of the forty-day fast of Jesus Christ in the Judean desert - a wild, terrible place, near the so-called Mount of Temptations.
Holy Week is dedicated to the memories of the last days of earthly life, suffering on the cross and death according to the humanity of Jesus Christ. Holy Week begins with a holiday - the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
Why is this event - the entry of the Lord into the Holy City - counted by the Church among the great twelve holidays? Because it contains a deep spiritual meaning, it prophetically marks the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Earth, the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment.
Shortly before the sufferings on the cross, the Lord performed a great miracle - the resurrection of Lazarus, a resident of the Jerusalem suburb of Bethany, from the dead (John 11:1-44). This miracle was performed in the presence of numerous relatives and friends of the deceased, in the presence of all Jerusalem. This miracle shocked the hearts of people. Jewish ideas about the Messiah as only an earthly king, a great leader - these earthly ideas seemed to recede into the shadows; a ray of hope shone in the hearts of people that the Preacher of love and mercy Jesus Christ is the true Messiah and their spiritual Lord.
What did Lazarus raise from the dead? General resurrection, day of the Last Judgment. In Palestine, the deceased was usually buried on the very day of his death, since due to the intense heat the corpse quickly began to decompose. On the fourth day, Lazarus’s corpse had already lost its human features, the body was swollen, blackened, and oozing ichor.
The resurrection of Lazarus was not just his return to life, but, as it were, his re-creation again, that is, an image of how the Lord would recreate the bodies of the dead from the dust. But, brothers and sisters! Lazarus was returned to earthly life, lived for several decades, became a bishop and, according to legend, suffered martyrdom for his faith in Jesus Christ. And the general resurrection of the dead will be not only a resurrection, but also a transformation, the spiritualization of human bodies. The resurrection of the dead will be the beginning eternal life, which has no end, and will be a victory over death.
Jesus Christ tells His disciples to prepare two animals for His entry into Jerusalem - a donkey and a colt. What does it mean? At that time, kings in times of peace used these animals for their trips around the country. The horse meant military training. They went hiking on horseback. Jesus Christ sat on a young donkey as a sign that He brings peace with Him, that He is the King of Peace. The Holy Fathers also say that the donkey symbolically represents the Jewish people, and the young colt represents the pagan peoples who bowed their heads under the good yoke of Christ the Savior, accepted His teaching, and imprinted it in their hearts.
The entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem symbolizes and prefigures His Second Coming to earth. The first took place in secrecy and obscurity; only the darkness and silence of the night greeted the born Infant of God in Bethlehem. And the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be in glory. The Lord will come surrounded by Angels, shining with Divine light. This event marks the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the Lord surrounded by the apostles and people exclaiming: “Hosanna to the Son of David, glory to the Son of David!”
Brothers and sisters, when the Lord looked from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, tears appeared in His eyes. What did the Savior cry about? About His city. Sacred Tradition says that when the flood began, Noah took the head of Adam with him into the ark, as a great shrine. Then he gave it to his eldest son, Sim. Shem built the city of Jopia, then built an altar, under which he placed the head of our forefather, and not far from this altar he founded the city of Jerusalem, which means the World of God. Then Canaanite tribes conquered Palestine, and the place where Adam’s head lay fell into desolation, although from memory the people called this place “Golgotha” (in Hebrew - skull, forehead). There, on Golgotha, the work of redemption of the world was to be accomplished.
The Lord looked from the mountain at Jerusalem, saw the Jerusalem Temple, the gilded domes of which shone and burned with fire. But the Lord was thinking about what terrible punishment would befall this holy and criminal city. With His own eyes He saw how another flame, the flame of retribution, would rise above the Temple, transform the wondrous Temple, which, like a heavenly flower, grew in a cleft of the rock, into a pile of ruins, into a pile of charred logs and ashes. Then unburied corpses will lie on the streets of Jerusalem, and the earth itself will be filled with blood like rain; then this city will turn into ruins, and, dead, it will look like a wheat field beaten by hail.
Here, in Jerusalem, the greatest feat was to be accomplished: free suffering, the crucifixion of Christ and His redemption of humanity. And here, in Jerusalem, the most terrible atrocity in the history of mankind was to be committed - the Deicide. Therefore, the Lord wept for His city.
Jesus Christ entered the Jerusalem Temple. Here He was met by noise, screams of people, bleating of animals that were being sold right in the Temple. The sacrificial animals were supposed to be sold near the walls, but for the sake of the success of the trade, the high priests allowed them to be brought into the sanctuary itself. There were also money changers' shops there, because, according to Jewish custom, it was impossible to donate to the temple and buy animals with the money of pagan sovereigns; they had to be exchanged for Jewish coins.
So, there was a terrible noise in the church of God, and the Lord took the scourge in His hands and drove out the cattle sellers and money changers from the house of His Heavenly Father. Brothers and sisters, in the Gospel we see the Lord angry when He denounces the Pharisees, these religious hypocrites, and when He sees the desecration of His temple.
Let this serve as a lesson for us: with what reverence we must behave in the Church of Christ! How often do we violate the holiness and silence of this place. And some of us, there are very few of them, but there are some, even behave disgracefully in church and seem to be proud of their impunity, vainglorious about their spiritual rudeness. Let this Gospel event remind us that the temple is an image of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The entry of Jesus Christ into the Temple symbolically means the Last Judgment, which will begin with the Church of God. And the Lord will judge Christians most severely. The life of St. Macarius the Great describes his conversation with the soul of a deceased Egyptian priest. The priest said that he was in hell, but there were places of even more terrible torment than those that he was experiencing. They are prepared for Christians who accepted the grace of the Holy Spirit in baptism and then trampled it with their sins.
The high priests, turning to Christ, demanded that He forbid His disciples to glorify Him. Christ said: if they remain silent, the stones will cry out (Luke 19:40). The Holy Fathers understood stones as pagans who were destined to glorify God after the preaching of the apostles throughout the world. The Gospel says that little children shouted to Christ: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! (Mark 11:9). Children mean people who are simple and pure in heart. The Lord accepts the praise offered only from a pure soul.
According to custom, today we stand in church with willows in our hands. The people greeted Jesus Christ with palm leaves as the Victor. The willow also means the resurrection from the dead: it blooms after winter before all other plants.
Holding a willow twig in our hands, we confess that Jesus Christ is the true Conqueror of death, demons and hell. Holding it in our hands, we ask the Lord to allow us to meet Him not with shame and horror, but with joy and rejoicing on the day of the resurrection of the dead.
"Hosanna!"- this means: “The Lord is coming!”, “Salvation is from the Lord,” “Lord, save us!” Brothers and sisters, on the day of this holiday the Lord invisibly approaches us, to our hearts.
Brothers and sisters! And in our hearts, as in the Temple of Jerusalem, animals scream - these are our base passions that drown out the voice of prayer; and in our soul sit money changers - these are those thoughts that, even in sacred moments, make us think about worldly benefits, about worldly and vain affairs.
The Lord with His scourge drove out those who desecrated His temple. May He cleanse our hearts with the scourge of His grace, for they are a temple not made by hands, created by Him and created only for Him.
Amen.
Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin)
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday
(from the Cartoon Calendar series)
God's Law. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday
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