First Sunday of Advent: A New Age - CUA Office of Public Affairs

Palm Sunday: Jerusalem, City of Destiny

By The Rev. Francis T. Gignac, S.J.

April 8, 2001

The Palm Sunday story of the entry of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem is proclaimed each year from one of the three synoptic Gospels. This year it is from the Gospel of Luke (19:28-40), for whom Jerusalem is the city of destiny. Everything in the life of Jesus in this Gospel leads to Jerusalem, and everything in the lives of his followers in the Acts of the Apostles (the second part of his work) leads from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Jerusalem symbolizes the essential continuity of God's saving work.

The pivotal role of Jerusalem determines this author's overall geographical perspective. He centers his infancy narratives there so that, unlike the other Gospels, this one begins as well as ends in Jerusalem. He pictures Jesus, after a short Galilean ministry, making one nine-chapter-long definitive journey to Jerusalem. The author says of Jesus, "He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem" (9:51), where his own exodus (9:31) is to take place through his passion, death, resurrection and glorification.

Luke takes over the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem from Mark, but he reworks the episode for his own purposes. He pictures Jesus riding on a colt on which no one has ever sat, fit for a king. Though he omits any mention of palms or other branches used by the crowds in the other Gospels, he does depict Jesus' disciples throwing their cloaks over the colt and other people spreading theirs on the road as a sign of royalty.

As Jesus approaches the Mount of Olives, the author describes his disciples praising God for all the mighty deeds they had seen and proclaiming, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the LORD (Yahweh)." This is a quotation from Psalm 118 that pilgrims sang on their final ascent to the temple. But the author substitutes "king" for "he" (the pilgrim) of the psalm text. Only in this Gospel is Jesus hailed as king at this point.

Then the author puts on the lips of Jesus' disciples the acclamation, "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest." The acclamation echoes the announcement of the angels at the birth of Jesus in this Gospel, but with a difference. In the latter passage, it was glory in heaven and peace on earth; in today's Gospel it is peace in heaven as well as glory. This reflects the author's belief that Jesus' mission was to bring God's own peace to all people by his accomplishments in Jerusalem.

To conclude the episode, this author replaces the "Hosanna" anthem of the other Gospels with a protest of Pharisees in order to have Jesus make a final acclamation, "I tell you, if they keep silent, then will the stones cry out!" This is added to emphasize in poetic fashion that the very stones of Jerusalem are prepared to acclaim the salvation that has come to them in the person of Jesus.

In this most solemn week of the liturgical year, we celebrate our Christian Passover, the saving death and resurrection of Jesus. In the perspective of today's Gospel, to be disciples of Christ we have to follow him along the way to his destiny in Jerusalem, his exodus, his transit to the Father that leads to the age of the Spirit in which we live. This means not only acceptance of his teaching but also a personal identification with him and his mission. This author's view of God's revelation in Jesus is the revelation of a way of salvation. Our role is to witness to Jesus in the way we live our daily lives, doing good to those most in need, supported by one another in a community of faith and prayer.

The Rev. Francis T. Gignac, S.J., is a professor and chairperson of the Department of Biblical Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Any questions or comments? cu a-public-affairs@cua.edu

Revised: March 1, 2001