Palm Sunday
A king rides in on a donkey
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. He is coming to Jerusalem for the last time.
- The disciples: Jesus's closest followers. Two of them go to get a donkey.
- The crowds: Many people traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover feast, and people from the city.
- The chief priests and scribes: The leaders in charge of the temple, and teachers of Moses's law.
- The children: Children in the temple courts who shout praise to Jesus.
Setting
- The road over the Mount of Olives, a hill east of Jerusalem. Then the city itself, and the temple, with its large open courts.
When
- A few days before Passover, about 2,000 years ago. It was the last week before Jesus died.
Before the Story
Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. Thousands of Jewish pilgrims were going too. They came every year to keep the Passover feast. A pilgrim is someone who travels to a holy place to worship.
Jesus had told his disciples what would happen there. He said he would be handed over, killed, and "on the third day He will be raised to life" (20:19). Luke's Gospel says the disciples did not understand what he meant (Luke 18:34).
Two blind men had called him "Son of David." Near Jericho, they cried out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" (20:30). Jesus healed them, and they followed him (20:34).
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: Within a week, Jesus would die on a cross. On the third day, God would raise him.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A donkey in the village | 21:1-3 | Jesus sends two disciples to get a donkey and her colt |
| 2. A humble king | 21:4-7 | Matthew connects the donkey to the prophet Zechariah |
| 3. Cloaks and branches | 21:8 | The crowd covers the road |
| 4. "Hosanna" | 21:9 | The crowds shout praise |
| 5. "Who is this?" | 21:10-11 | The whole city is stirred |
| 6. Tables turned over | 21:12-14 | Jesus drives out the buyers and sellers. Then he heals blind and lame people |
| 7. The children shout | 21:15-17 | Children praise Jesus. The leaders object |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 7A Donkey in the Village
A small village called Bethphage sat on the Mount of Olives. From there, the road went down toward Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples came near.
Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead. He told them what they would find in the village. A donkey would be tied up there, with her colt beside her. A colt is a young donkey.
"Untie them and bring them to me," Jesus said. If anyone asked why, they should say that the Lord needed them. Then the owner would send them right away.
Scene 2 of 7A Humble King
Matthew stops the story here to explain. He says this happened to fulfill words spoken through a prophet. A prophet is someone who speaks God's message.
More than 500 years earlier, the prophet Zechariah had spoken to Jerusalem (Easton's Bible Dictionary). He said, "See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9).
Kings often rode war horses. Zechariah's king was different. In the next verse, God says he will take away the war horses and break the bow of war. The king "will proclaim peace to the nations" (Zechariah 9:10). Israel heard this as a promise of a humble king who brings peace.
Matthew sees that promise coming true in Jesus. He quotes it this way: "See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey" (21:5).
The two disciples went and did what Jesus told them. They brought the donkey and the colt. They laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A cloak is an outer robe, like a coat.
Scene 3 of 7Cloaks and Branches
A huge crowd was on the road. Many people took off their cloaks and spread them on the road in front of Jesus.
Others cut branches from the trees. They spread them on the road too.
Long before, people in Israel had spread their cloaks under a new king (2 Kings 9:13). The crowd was treating Jesus like a king.
Matthew says only "branches from the trees." John's Gospel says they were palm branches (John 12:13). That is why churches call this day Palm Sunday. The Bible does not use that name. Christians named the day later.
Halfway thereThis is a good place for a break. Your spot is saved on this device.
Scene 4 of 7"Hosanna"
Crowds walked ahead of Jesus. More crowds followed behind. They all shouted.
"Hosanna to the Son of David!" (21:9).
"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (21:9).
"Hosanna in the highest!" (21:9). "In the highest" means in heaven, where God is.
Hosanna is a Hebrew word. It first meant "Save us, please." It comes from a psalm that pilgrims sang: "O LORD, save us, we pray" (Psalm 118:25). LORD in capital letters stands for God's personal name. Jewish readers traditionally don't say it aloud, out of respect.
By Jesus's time, people also shouted "Hosanna" as praise. It was a prayer for help and a shout of joy at the same time.
"Son of David" means the king God promised from David's family. The crowd was calling Jesus that king.
Scene 5 of 7"Who Is This?"
Jesus entered Jerusalem. The whole city was stirred.
Stirred means shaken up and excited. People all over the city asked, "Who is this?" (21:10).
The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee" (21:11).
What the crowds said was true. Jesus was a prophet. But Matthew wants us to see more. At the very start of his book, Matthew calls Jesus "Jesus Christ, the son of David" (1:1).
The two blind men near Jericho had already called Jesus "Son of David." Now a whole crowd was shouting it.
Scene 6 of 7Tables Turned Over
Then Jesus went into the temple courts. The temple was the center of Jewish worship. It was God's house, where people came to pray and bring offerings.
People were buying and selling there. Pilgrims came from far away. They needed animals for their offerings, and they needed a special coin to pay the temple tax. So there were tables for changing money and seats for people selling doves.
Jesus drove out all who were buying and selling. He turned over the tables of the money changers. He turned over the seats of the people selling doves.
Then he said, "It is written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer.' But you are making it 'a den of robbers'" (21:13).
Jesus was quoting Israel's own prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11). A den is a hiding place. This is a comparison. The temple was meant for prayer. Jesus said it was being treated like a robbers' hideout.
Then something new happened in the same courts.
Blind people came to Jesus there. Lame people came too. Lame means not able to walk well. Jesus healed them.
The tables had been turned over. Now blind and lame people found help in God's house.
Scene 7 of 7The Children Shout
Children in the temple courts were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (21:15). They were saying what the crowds on the road had said.
The chief priests and scribes saw the wonders Jesus did. They heard the children. They were indignant. Indignant means upset because you think something is wrong.
They asked Jesus, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" (21:16).
"Yes," Jesus answered. Then he asked if they had ever read this line from a psalm: "From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise" (21:16). Ordained means set up or planned.
Then Jesus left them. He went out of the city to the village of Bethany, and he spent the night there.
The whole city had asked, "Who is this?" The children in the temple already knew what to shout.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Gentle and riding on a donkey" (21:5) | Jesus came as a humble king of peace, not a warrior on a war horse. He once said, "I am gentle and humble in heart" (11:29). |
| "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (21:9) | "Save us, please" became a shout of praise. The crowd was calling Jesus the king God promised to David's family (2 Samuel 7:16). |
| "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (21:9) | These words come from Psalm 118:26. Jewish worshipers sang this psalm at the great feasts. The crowd sang it to Jesus. |
| "Who is this?" (21:10) | This question is the big question of the story. Matthew's answer: Jesus is the Christ, "the Son of the living God" (16:16). |
| "My house will be called a house of prayer" (21:13) | God said this through Isaiah. In Isaiah, the next words are "for all the nations" (Isaiah 56:7). God's house was meant to welcome everyone who came to pray. |
| "A den of robbers" (21:13) | This is a comparison from Jeremiah. Robbers hide in a den after they rob. Jeremiah warned people who did wrong all week and then felt safe in the temple (Jeremiah 7:9-10). |
| "From the mouths of children and infants" (21:16) | Jesus quotes Psalm 8:2. God gets praise from the smallest, weakest people. The children saw what the leaders missed. |
Back Then
Bethphage and Bethany were villages on the Mount of Olives. Bethany was "a little less than two miles" from Jerusalem (John 11:18). (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Hosanna means "Save now" or "Save, we pray." It comes from Psalm 118:25. It was a common shout of welcome and praise at the Feast of Tabernacles, a yearly Jewish feast. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Pilgrims needed temple coins and approved animals. Jewish men paid a half shekel to the temple each year (Exodus 30:13, Matthew 17:24). The tax had to be paid with one exact kind of coin. Pilgrims came from many countries, so they changed their money at tables. Travelers from far away could not easily bring animals, so they bought them there. Doves were the offering for people who could not afford a lamb (Leviticus 12:8). (Easton's Bible Dictionary, Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah)
The selling probably happened in the outer court. This large court was open to everyone, including people who were not Jewish. Many scholars think this is the part of the temple Jesus cleared. (Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah)
Palm branches were a sign of joy and victory. Revelation shows a huge crowd from every nation "holding palm branches in their hands" (Revelation 7:9).
Literal Reader Alert
Was Jesus against Jewish worship? No. Jesus was Jewish. He came to Jerusalem for a Jewish feast. He called the temple God's house, and he used the words of Israel's own prophets. Prophets like Jeremiah had spoken this way to their own people long before. Many Christians have used this story to look down on Jewish people and their faith. That was wrong. The ELCA has said so. In 1994 the ELCA wrote a Declaration to the Jewish Community. In it, the ELCA says it wants to live out its faith "with love and respect for the Jewish people."
Was it okay for Jesus to get angry? Matthew does not use the word angry here. But Jesus acted strongly. One likely reason: God's house was meant for prayer. Jesus said it was being treated like a den of robbers (21:13). Right after, Jesus welcomed blind and lame people and healed them. Anger by itself is a feeling. The Bible says, "Be angry, yet do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). Anger can be about something that really is wrong. What we do with it matters.
Does this story mean violence is okay when you're angry? No. Matthew says Jesus turned over tables and seats. He does not say Jesus hurt anyone. Jesus taught, "love your enemies" (5:44). When a friend used a sword, Jesus said, "Put your sword back in its place" (26:52). If you are angry at someone, talk to a trusted adult before you act. If anyone is in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number.
Did Jesus ride two animals at once? Matthew says the disciples put cloaks on "them," and Jesus sat on "them" (21:7). Many readers think "them" means the cloaks, and Jesus rode the colt with its mother beside it. Zechariah's words mention a donkey and a colt, and Matthew includes both. It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries.
Why do the other Gospels tell it differently? Mark says Jesus looked around the temple and cleared it the next day (Mark 11:11-15). John tells about a temple clearing near the start of Jesus's work (John 2:13-16). The Gospel writers told the events in their own order. The main message is the same.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The crowds | Joyful | They believed the promised king had come (21:9) |
| The city | Stirred up | They did not know who Jesus was (21:10) |
| The sellers | The Bible doesn't say | Matthew tells what happened to them, not what they felt (21:12) |
| The blind and the lame | The Bible doesn't say | Matthew only says they came to Jesus and were healed (21:14) |
| The chief priests and scribes | Indignant | They saw the wonders and heard the children shout (21:15) |
| The children | Full of praise | They shouted "Hosanna" to the Son of David (21:15) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
How are you coming to Jesus today? Tap one.
Shouting Hosanna
Good. "Hosanna" is praise. It is also a prayer: "Save us, please." Jesus came to do that.
Angry about something
Jesus cared about God's house being a house of prayer. You can tell him what makes you angry. Then talk with someone you trust before you act.
Not sure who he is
The whole city asked, "Who is this?" You are not the first to ask. Keep reading and keep asking.
Needing help
The blind and the lame came to Jesus in the temple. He did not send them away. He healed them (21:14).
It's really bad right now
"Hosanna" means "Save us, please." You can pray it. Please also tell a trusted adult today. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 any time. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"The crowd praised Jesus on Sunday and shouted 'Crucify him' on Friday."
What's true: People can change quickly. Within days, a crowd in Jerusalem did call for Jesus to be crucified (27:22-23).
What the story is mainly about: Matthew does not say it was the same people. The main point is not that the crowd changed its mind. The main point is what Jesus did. He came on purpose, as a humble king, knowing what was ahead (20:18-19). He came to save the people who shouted "Hosanna" and the people who did not.
Where Jesus is: On the donkey, coming toward the city. He came to give "His life as a ransom for many" (20:28).
Good News
The crowd prayed "Hosanna," which means "Save us, please." Within a week, Jesus answered that prayer in a way no one expected. He did not come with war horses. He came to a cross. Then God raised him from the dead.
In the temple, Jesus overturned the tables. Then he healed the blind and lame people who came to him (21:12-14). He still welcomes people who feel shut out.
Jesus is the humble King who comes to you, to save you.
From the Wider Church
Many churches sing "All Glory, Laud, and Honor" on Palm Sunday. Theodulf of Orléans wrote it in Latin about 1,200 years ago. John Mason Neale translated it into English in the 1850s. The first line was reworded a little in 1861, in Hymns Ancient and Modern. It begins, "All glory, laud, and honor to thee, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring." Laud means praise. Redeemer means the one who sets us free. Lutherans sing it from Evangelical Lutheran Worship as hymn 344, with "you" in place of "thee."
Big Idea
God sends Jesus, the humble King of peace, to save us and to welcome everyone who needs him.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In Luther's time, churches read Matthew 21:1-9 on the First Sunday in Advent. Luther preached on it in his Church Postil, written in 1521 and printed in 1522. He called the words "your King comes to you" the chief part of this Gospel reading. He said, "You do not seek him, but he seeks you." This King comes gently, not to frighten us but to help us and carry our burden. Luther said these words ask for faith. Faith lets you be sure that Jesus is this kind of King for you.
In Church
Christians remember this day on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. It begins Holy Week. Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. A lectionary is a shared list of Bible readings for each Sunday. In Year A, this lectionary reads Matthew 21:1-11 at the start of worship. Often people also walk into church carrying palm branches. The same Sunday is also called the Sunday of the Passion, because the main reading tells of Jesus's death.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey
How did that feel?