{"id":2396,"date":"2026-04-14T15:49:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/?p=2396"},"modified":"2026-04-14T15:49:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:49:37","slug":"the-meaning-of-palm-sunday-and-a-right-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/2026\/04\/14\/the-meaning-of-palm-sunday-and-a-right-response\/","title":{"rendered":"The Meaning of Palm Sunday (and a Right Response)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Palm Sunday is one of those moments in the Bible that I think can feel overly familiar, but when we really understand the meaning of Palm Sunday, it demands a response. We’ve heard it before. We know the scene. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds gather. Palm branches are waving. People are shouting, “Hosanna!” And if we’re not careful, we can read right past it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the more I’ve sat with this text, the more convinced I am that what’s happening here is bigger than a parade. It’s about the presence of God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Story Beneath the Story<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what the Bible is really about at its core. And if I had to boil it down, I’d say this: God desires to be with His people. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see it from the very beginning. In Genesis, God is walking with Adam and Eve in the garden. There is a relationship, closeness, and no separation. But when sin enters the picture, everything changes. Humanity doesn’t just break a rule. Rather, we distance ourselves from the presence of God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And from that point forward, the story of Scripture becomes this pattern I can’t unsee: God pursues, and yet, time and time again, people pull away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God gives the tabernacle so His people can dwell near Him. Later, the temple becomes the place where His presence resides. The ark of the covenant represents His presence among them. And yet, time and time again, the people reject Him. Instead, they treat His presence casually. They presume upon it. They turn their backs on Him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s this moment in Ezekiel that I find incredibly sobering. The prophet sees the presence of God actually leave the temple, moving slowly out of the city to the east. In other words, it’s as if God is giving every opportunity for repentance, but no one responds. And eventually, His presence departs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s the backdrop we have to understand if we’re going to grasp what’s happening on Palm Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s Really Happening on Palm Sunday<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus approaches Jerusalem, He doesn’t come from just anywhere. He comes from the east. He comes down from the Mount of Olives. And I’ve got to tell you, once I saw this, I couldn’t unsee it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same direction the presence of God departed in Ezekiel’s vision is the direction Jesus now enters from. That is not a coincidence. That is the presence of God returning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crowd may not have fully understood it, but they felt the weight of the moment. That’s why they’re shouting, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”<\/em> They’re longing for salvation, longing for restoration, looking for God to dwell with them again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They’re right. However, they’re just off in their expectations. Because what’s entering Jerusalem that day is not a political savior. Instead, it’s something far greater. It’s the presence of God. This time it’s not symbolized, but realized in the person of Jesus. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How We Can Miss It Completely<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What’s wild to me is how close the crowd gets… and yet how much they miss. They welcome Jesus. They celebrate Jesus. But ultimately, they never surrender to Him. Because of that, their praise doesn’t last. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus doesn’t meet their expectations, when He doesn’t overthrow Rome, when he doesn’t take power the way they thought He would, their voices change. The same crowd that shouted “Hosanna” will soon cry out, “crucify Him.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Because they wanted Jesus on their terms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I’m being honest, I can see myself in that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It reminds me of those Where’s Waldo <\/em>books. I used to love those growing up. You’d stare at the page, trying to find him in the middle of all the chaos. But once you saw him, you couldn’t unsee him. Every time you came back to the page, your eyes went straight to him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s Palm Sunday. Once you see what’s really happening, once you realize that this is the presence of God entering the city in the person of Jesus, you can’t unsee it. The question is.. what will you do with it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Moment Leads Somewhere<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Palm Sunday is not the end of the story. Instead, it’s the beginning of the final stretch. The road Jesus rides into Jerusalem leads straight to the cross. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve thought about it like this… Palm Sunday is an appetizer. And who doesn’t love a good appetizer? It gets you ready for what’s coming, but it’s not the main course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the same Jesus who entered the city in humility will return one day in glory. The first time, He came riding on a borrowed donkey. The next time, He’ll come on a white horse. In His first coming, He came to lay His life down. The next time, He’ll come to reign as King of Kings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Palm Sunday sits right in the middle of that tension. It shows us who Jesus is and where all of this is going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Right Response to Palm Sunday<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So the question becomes: what’s the right response? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Welcome Jesus<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the things I love about this scene is that the people didn’t just wait for Jesus to come to them; they went out to meet Him. In other words, they moved toward Him. And I think that matters, because our natural tendency is the opposite. When we feel the weight of our sin or our shame, we don’t run toward God; instead, we run away from Him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a right response to Palm Sunday is to move toward Jesus, to welcome Him, to say, “Jesus, save me.” Not just in a general sense, but personally. “Save my life. Save my marriage. Save my family. Rescue me.” And this isn’t just a one-time decision. Rather, it’s a daily posture. Every day, I want to choose to run toward Him, not away from Him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Celebrate Jesus<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Palm Sunday is loud. It’s joyful. It’s visible. It’s costly. People are laying down their cloaks. They’re waving palm branches. They’re shouting praises in the street. This is not quiet, reserved worship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I think there’s something really important about that. Because if the people celebrated the ark of the covenant, the symbolic presence of God, with that kind of joy, how much more should we celebrate Jesus, who is the presence of God in the flesh? He’s the one who fulfilled the law. He’s the one who went to the cross. He’s the one who conquered death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A right response to Palm Sunday is to celebrate Him. Not privately, but openly. Not halfway, but fully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Surrender to Jesus<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, this is where everything leads. Because it’s possible to welcome Jesus, it’s possible to celebrate Jesus, and still never surrender to Him. That’s exactly what the crowd did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They had expectations. They had preferences. They had a vision of Jesus that they were comfortable with. However, they never bowed to Him as King. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I’ve had to ask myself: am I doing the same?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because Jesus is not just Savior, He is King. Therefore, the only right response to a king is surrender. Not partial. Not conditional. Total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“All to Jesus I surrender… in His presence daily live.” That’s the invitation of Palm Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t Miss This Moment<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Palm Sunday is more than a story we remember. Instead, it’s a moment that reveals something about God and something about us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God is relentlessly committed to being with His people. Even when we reject Him, He still moves towards us. And because of Jesus, He has made a way for us to live in His presence forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the question is simple: will you welcome Him? Will you celebrate Him? Will you surrender to Him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because a right response to Palm Sunday changes everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article has been adapted from a full sermon by Pastor Jarrett Stephens. Catch up on more messages in our\u00a0<\/em>Sermon Archive<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or visit our\u00a0<\/em>Articles page<\/em><\/a>\u00a0for more reflections like this one.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Palm Sunday is one of those moments in the Bible that I think can feel overly familiar, but when we really understand the meaning of Palm Sunday, it demands a response. We’ve heard it before. We know the scene. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds gather. Palm branches are waving. People are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2403,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,24],"tags":[59,35],"class_list":["post-2396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spiritual-growth","category-theology","tag-palm-sunday","tag-sermon","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Meaning of Palm Sunday (and a Right Response) - Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/2026\/04\/14\/the-meaning-of-palm-sunday-and-a-right-response\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Meaning of Palm Sunday (and a Right Response) - Articles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Palm Sunday is one of those moments in the Bible that I think can feel overly familiar, but when we really understand the meaning of Palm Sunday, it demands a response. 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A native of Louisiana, Jarrett graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., with a bachelor of arts in biblical studies and psychology. He received his master of divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2006 and his doctorate of ministry from Liberty Theological Seminary in January 2012. 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We’ve heard it before. We know the scene. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds gather. Palm branches are waving. People are…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2396"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2406,"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396\/revisions\/2406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}