All four Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John -- record the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Nisan 10. This study is an exposition of John 12:12-19 and answers the question: "What's most important about Palm Sunday?"

2. Where is
Palm Sunday
mentioned in the
Bible?

3. Matthew 21:1-16
Mark 11:1-10
Luke 19:28-38
John 12:12-19
Genesis 49:9-11
Psalm 118:21-26
Daniel 9:24-27
Zechariah 9:9
Revelation 7:9
Is mentioned in:

4. 12 The next day a great multitude that had
come to the feast, when they heard that
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took
branches of palm trees and went out to
meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of
the LORD!’ The King of Israel!” 14 Then
Jesus, when He had found a young
donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Fear
not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is
coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

5. 16 His disciples did not understand these
things at first; but when Jesus was
glorified, then they remembered that
these things were written about Him and
that they had done these things to Him. 17
Therefore the people, who were with Him
when He called Lazarus out of his tomb
and raised him from the dead, bore
witness. 18 For this reason the people also
met Him, because they heard that He had
done this sign.

6. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among
themselves, “You see that you are
accomplishing nothing. Look, the world
has gone after Him!”

7. Is the date on which
Palm Sunday
occurred
Most Important?

8. 12 The next day a great multitude that had
come to the feast, when they heard that
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
The Day
John 12:1 Then, six days
before the Passover, Jesus
came to Bethany, where
Lazarus was who had
been dead, whom He had
raised from the dead.

9. Genesis 49:1 And Jacob called his sons
and said, “Gather together, that I may tell
you what shall befall you in the last days:
The Day

10. The Day
people. 11 Binding His donkey to the vine,
and His donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He
washed His garments in wine, and His
clothes in the blood of grapes.
Genesis 49:10–11 The scepter
shall not depart from Judah, nor a
lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh comes; and to Him
shall be the obedience of the

11. Daniel 9:25-26 Know therefore and
understand, that from the going forth of the
command to restore and build Jerusalem
until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven
weeks and sixty-two weeks (69 x 7 or 483
yrs.) …And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah
shall be cut off, but not for Himself.
The Day

12. The Day
There are exactly 69 “weeks” of years (173,880 days)
between the decree of King Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:5-8)
in 446 B.C to rebuild Jerusalem to Palm Sunday.
ּ
‫שׁ‬
ָ
‫ב‬
‫ו‬
‫ﬠ‬
ַ
“weeks” (šā·ḇûaʿ)
= groups of 7
10 Nisan
30 A.D.
446 B.C.
COMMAND
TO
REBUILD

13. The Day
Sir. Robert Anderson,
The Coming Prince
Jesus entered Jerusalem on
the very day which marked
the completion of the 69th
week (i.e. 483 yrs]. (Lk. 19:42)

14. Luke 19:42 Now as He drew near, He saw the
city and wept over it, saying,
The Day
“If you had known,
even you, especially
in this your day, the
things that make for
your peace! But now
they are hidden from
your eyes.”

15. The Day
Leopold Cohen,
an Orthodox Rabbi, became
convinced that Jesus of Nazareth
is the Messiah based on Daniel
9:25-26. He converted to evangelical
Christianity and formed the Brownsville
Mission to the Jews, now known as
Chosen People Ministries.

16. Is the size of the
crowd on
Palm Sunday
Most Important?

17. 12 The next day a great multitude that had
come to the feast, when they heard that
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
The Multitude

18. The Multitude
Matthew 21:9-11 Then the multitudes who
went before and those who followed cried
out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10And when
He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was
moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11So the
multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet
from Nazareth of Galilee.”

19. Luke 19:37-38 Then, as He was now drawing
near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the
whole multitude of the disciples began to
rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for
all the mighty works they had seen, 38
saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in
the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven and
glory in the highest!”
The Multitude

20. The Multitude
Josephus, the notable Jewish
historian of that day, estimated
that over two million in the great
feast Passover. It is known that
256,500 lambs were slain and that
each lamb represented at least
ten worshippers. This, of course,
puts the number of people well
over two million.

21. The Multitude
1) The false concept of Christ: physical &
political savior (12:12-13)
2) The true concept of Christ: sovereign Lord
& voluntary sacrifice (12:14-15)
3) The disciples' reaction: bewilderment &
confusion (12:16)
4) The people's reaction: curious (12:17-18)
5) The religious leaders’ reaction: despair and
rage (12:19)

24. 12 The next day a great multitude that
had come to the feast, when they heard
that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
The Feast

25. Mon.
Sun. Tues. Wed. Thur. Fri. Sun.
Sat.
Nisan 14
Nisan 10 Nisan 17

26. 1 Corinthians 5:7–8 Therefore purge out the
old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since
you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our
Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let
us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with
the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Yeshua
Our Passover Lamb

28. 12 The next day a great multitude that had
come to the feast, when they heard that
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
The City

29. Matthew 21:1 they drew near Jerusalem, and
came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives
Mark 11:1 they drew near Jerusalem, to Beth-
phage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives
Luke 19:29 He drew near to Bethphage and
Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet
John 12:12 a great multitude . . . heard that Jesus
was coming to Jerusalem
The City

30. The City
Kidron
Valley
Garden of
Gethsemane

32. 13 took branches of palm trees and went
out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of
the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”
The Palm Branches
Matthew 21:8 And a very great
multitude spread their clothes on
the road; others cut down
branches from the trees and
spread them on the road.

33. Leviticus 23:40 And you shall take for
yourselves on the first day the fruit of
beautiful trees, branches of palm trees,
the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of
the brook; and you shall rejoice before
the LORD your God for seven days.
The Palm Branches

34. Revelation 7:9 After these things I looked,
and behold, a great multitude which no one
could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples,
and tongues, standing before the throne and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes,
with palm branches in their hands,
The Palm Branches

36. 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young
donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Fear
not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is
coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
The Donkey
Y Symbol of Peace
Y Symbol of Service
Y Symbol of Sacredness

37. is just and having salvation, lowly and riding
on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.
The Donkey
Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly,
O daughter of Zion! Shout, O
daughter of Jerusalem! Behold,
your King is coming to you; He

38. Revelation 19:11–12 Now I saw heaven opened,
and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on
him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His
eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head
were many crowns. He had a name written that
no one knew except Himself.
The Donkey

40. 12 The next day a great multitude that had come to
the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to
Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went
out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King
of Israel!” 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young
donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Fear not,
daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting
on a donkey’s colt.” 16 His disciples did not
understand these things at first; but when Jesus was
glorified, then they remembered that these things
were written about Him and that they had done
these things to Him.
Jesus

41. 17 Therefore the people, who were with Him
when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and
raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For
this reason the people also met Him, because
they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The
Pharisees therefore said among themselves,
“You see that you are accomplishing nothing.
Look, the world has gone after Him!”
Jesus

42. Jesus

43. Not the Day: God ordained “this day”
for Israel to receive her Messiah
Not the Multitudes: The “whole world”
came to see Jesus
Not the Feast: The Passover Lamb
foreshadowed Messiah

44. Not the City: Jerusalem the “city of peace”
will never fulfill its destiny until it
accepts Messiah, “the Prince of Peace”
Not the Palm Branches: The palms and
praises of Messiah’s first advent are a
diminished rehearsal compared to the
palms and praises of His second coming

45. Not the Donkey: The rider not the animal;
Jesus not the donkey, nor the white
horse at His second coming, is most
important.