"Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion"

Armenians around the world celebrate today, Sunday, April 7, 2006 Palm Sunday, the feast that commemorates the re-entry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to Jerusalem. This event is considered a major feast in the calendar of the Armenian Church for many reasons. First of all, Palm Sunday liturgically concludes the season of Great Lent and ushers in Holy Week, the week that commemorates the passion of Christ and His last days on earth.

Furthermore, Palm Sunday celebrates an event in the Bible. It is a public recollection of the re-entry of Christ to Jerusalem as narrated in the Gospels and how the people in Jerusalem welcomed Him as king. This fulfilled a prophecy about the Messiah made by the Old Testament prophet Zechariah hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. Referring to the re-entry of the Messiah to Jerusalem, the prophet Zechariah addresses the Jerusalemites saying, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass (Zechariah 9:9). Palm Sunday, thus, is also a celebration of the fulfillment of this prophecy by Jesus.

Palm Sunday, most importantly was the result of a bold decision our Lord made to return to the temple, the headquarters of His enemies and those who rejected His message. It was a voluntary march to his final destination on earth: the Cross! As such, Palm Sunday, theologically speaking, was the beginning of the unfolding of the final phase of our redemption. Jesus and His companions knew very well that the Pharisees and the temple authorities were plotting to kill Jesus. However, having completed preaching the gospel for which He came down to earth, our Lord in His infallible wisdom decided that it was the time to confront the eternal enemy and destroy the enemy’s powers once and for all.

Thus, Palm Sunday is a powerful expression of the courage of our Lord and His determination to save us. With Palm Sunday our Lord turns the last few remaining pages of His love story for us. He also teaches us a lesson in courage and determination in that we also ultimately need to be strong enough to face our challenges and conquer them

The Lord, at the age of 33 willingly marched to Jerusalem to be arrested and crucified in order to redeem us from the shackles of our sins and of death. What are we doing to respond to this powerful expression of divine love? He walked not only to Jerusalem but also the cross, are you willing to go to the Church on Sunday or to the weekly Bible Study or to the Sunday school, or to the church evening lecture or … for Him?

Have a blessed Palm Sunday

      In Christ’s Service
Vahan Dzayrakuyn Vartabed

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