Many of us know the story of Palm Sunday.
Jesus tells the disciples to get Him a donkey. He rides it into the capital city of Jerusalem, to great acclaim. The people spread their cloaks and palm branches in front of Him, shouting:
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest!” [1]
There’s a big hullabaloo as those who don’t yet know about Jesus ask, “Who is this?” [2]
And the crowds respond, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” [3]
And those who were blind and those who limped came to Him in the temple area, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant.
They said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?”
Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?”
And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.
(Matthew 21:14–17)
The children cried, “Hosanna!” ...in the temple.
The adults were content to make their proclamations, cut their tree branches, and lay down their cloaks outside. But the children brought the praise right into the temple.
The children were not concerned with “keeping up appearances.” They copied their parents, yes. But they also brought the praise into the place where it belonged—right to the centre of worship.
The children took the good thing their parents had done and made it better, made it not just into an expression of jubilance but into worship. The children turned the crowd's chant from something a little self-serving (“Finally! The Messiah will free us!”) into something purer and truer.
Truly: “Out of the mouths of babes and infants You have prepared praise for Yourself.” (Matthew 21:16)
And even in quoting that verse, Jesus declared His divinity.
“…and a little child will lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
“Unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)
Lord God, please help me to approach you with eyes that are clear and a heart that is pure to see the truth of who You are and what You require of me. This Easter, please open my heart to worship You with everything I am and have and hope to be. [4] You are my Lord and my King. Please be enthroned in my heart this Easter. Amen.
NOTES
[1] Matthew 21:9.
[2] Matthew 21:10.
[3] Matthew 21:11.
[4] Robin Mark, Jesus, All for Jesus, song lyrics, accessed April 11, 2025, https://genius.com/Robin-mark-jesus-all-for-jesus-lyrics.
