I have an aversion to palm trees.

Not the trees themselves: Truly, palm trees swaying in the warm breezes on a sunny beach are some of the prettiest things you will ever see. But I don’t like seeing palm trees in the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Florida, yes, Puerto Rico, okay, but Colington Harbour? Nope. God did not design the palm tree to live in the harsh weather conditions of our barrier islands, and so people who plant them in hopes of making our chilly island more “tropical” end up having to create burlap blankets for them to wear all winter long and some don’t survive because they really don’t belong here.

You had no idea that I am so narrow minded, did you??

Palm Sunday is this Sunday, and it is one of my favorite days. While palm trees don’t belong in the Outer Banks, palm branches surely belong in the hands of young children as they parade up and down the aisles of our churches. The sweet smiles, awkward waving, and innocent cries of “ho-thanna” make the celebration complete. Our hearts join in on the declaration that Jesus is our king and deserving of a king’s entrance. We almost have to turn a blind eye to the fact that in less than a week, it will all turn dark. But on Palm Sunday, we rejoice.

Mark 11:1-11 (New International Version)

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

An unbroken colt fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

By choosing an unbroken animal, the Creator God in Jesus established his dominance over all the beasts of the field in one striking visual. Rather than come on a prancing stallion, as an army general might, Jesus sets the scene for the humility and servanthood that his leadership will bring.

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, ⁵ some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

¹⁰ “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

The darkness that is quickly coming is prefigured in this last sentence. Jesus couldn’t stay around to enjoy his parade because “it was already late.” His appointed time was coming, shortening his moment of looking around at everything.

How will we respond to this? I suggest you take a look at your hands. Lay them open in your lap, palms up. In this position, may we ask God to give us every good gift he has planned for us as we seek the coming kingdom of our father David. And remember that in order to open your palms, you have to let go of everything else you are holding on to.

What do you need to let go in order to receive God’s blessing?

Hosanna in the Highest by Becky Strickland