By Bill Warren, Ph.D NOBTS Professor of New Testament and Greek
Question: What is the importance of Palm Sunday and what was the chronology of that week?
[img_assist|nid=6120|title=Bill Warren NOBTS Professor of New Testament and Greek|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=75|height=100]Bill Warren responds: As the start of Holy Week, the last week of Jesus’ ministry before the crucifixion and resurrection, Palm Sunday marks the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. But it is more than just the entry story, for some events in the life of Jesus are “parabolic” events.
They are not parables in the sense of stories like the Good Samaritan, but rather are events that carry meanings beyond the physical event itself, much like the “sign” miracles in John (i.e., the wedding at Cana).
In the Synoptic Gospels, such events are marked with indications in the text about a larger meaning, like with the triumphal entry.
With this in mind, the triumphal entry is a street play that communicates that the king has come into his own city.
Jesus had already walked all the way from Galilee to the Mount of Olives, so he could have walked the last downhill distance without any problem at all, but instead he rides down on a colt, like a king returning to his setting. He does not ride a warhorse, but rather enters as the peaceful return home of the king.
On a minor note, Luke 19:39-40 tells us that the crowds at the entry that were shouting out were disciples (not the same ones who called out at the crucifixion!), with the Pharisees wanting Jesus to quiet them, but Jesus said that the stones would cry out if the disciples did not.
That is part of how we know this is a parabolic event: Jesus is being declared to be the king all Jerusalem should recognize.
As for the events of this last week, here is what seems to be the chronology of that week based primarily on the Gospel of Mark.
On Sunday evening after walking from Jericho to Jerusalem, Jesus enters Jerusalem with the triumphal entry, goes into the temple briefly, then goes to Bethany where he is spending the nights during the week (Mark 11:1-11).
On Monday he returns to the temple and cleanses it, then he leaves to go back to Bethany (Mark 11:12-19).
On Tuesday, Jesus and the disciples return to Jerusalem, see the fig tree now withered, and multiple conflicts happen with the Jewish leaders (Mark 11:20-13:37). We don’t have any details that are explicitly linked to Jesus being in Jerusalem on Wednesday, although some actions may have taken place on that day in Bethany, like the anointing of Jesus in Bethany and the decision/arrangement by Judas to betray Jesus (Mark 14:1-11), so perhaps Jesus stayed in Bethany on that day.
On Thursday, the preparation was made for the last supper (Mark 14:12-26), with the events of Thursday evening including the supper itself, Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the arrest.
On Friday, the trial is finished and Jesus is crucified, dying in the afternoon and being buried before the Sabbath began at 6 pm on Friday. The resurrection takes place with the first appearances of the risen Jesus on Sunday morning.
Bill Warren, PhD, Professor of New Testament and Greek in the Landrum P. Leavell, II, Chair of NT Studies,