He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

Palm Sunday commemorates the royal welcome Jesus received when he entered Jerusalem at the start of that fateful week. The words of praise shouted by the people that day were stanzas from an ancient song heavily used in Israel's liturgical tradition. Those words reveal the people's messianic expectations but also foreshadow their confusion as to what this kingly figure had come to do. This Palm Sunday, instead of studying the narrative itself, we seek to understand the song behind the story, so that it might prepare us to celebrate Holy Week.