Palm Sunday

The book of the prophet Zechariah promised the Jews a King who was to enter the gates of Jerusalem on a young donkey, as a savior and redeemer, shining with meekness and righteousness Such guests were supposed to be greeted as winners, greeted with loud solemn exclamations and at the same time holding palm branches in their hands At the same time, no one could persuade the inhabitants of Jerusalem to force admiration; the people themselves decided who to honor and who not This is what happened to Jesus immediately after the news of the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus spread Witnesses to that event, who saw everything with their own eyes, passed on the story to neighbors and acquaintances The news spread with such incredible speed that the very next day, no more than 24 hours later, the whole city was happy to honor “Him as a King” An ancient prophecy was coming true, the Jews were ready to believe and accept Jesus, but not as the King of all earthly and mortal things and not as a victorious warrior on the battlefield They greeted him as the King of all spiritual things, whose kingdom would protect from death and atone for sins They had long hoped for such a Messiah; he was necessary But they expected him by Easter; Jesus appeared a week earlier The fact that a donkey was chosen rather than a horse was also a symbol His intentions were not political, but spiritual The people perceived the animal as another indication of Zechariah’s prophecy, which increased their rejoicing and general uplift of spirit Jesus went to the Jerusalem Temple, where by that time moneylenders and money changers had settled, and many sick, crippled and crippled people had gathered If the Savior healed the latter, which showed another miracle, then he dealt with the merchants quite cruelly He overturned their shops, deprived them of income and drove them out in disgrace The fact is that on Easter sacrifices are necessary; lambs were used as slaughter animals, which could be bought right there in the temple Everything needed for the ceremony was also sold here Taxes in the Temple were accepted in Jewish currency; goods could be purchased for Roman coins This means that changing tables appeared All this turned the Temple into a huge market The Savior expressed his righteous anger through conviction: The temple is for prayer, not for trade No matter how right he was, he caused discontent From that moment on, the Pharisees, who were afraid of the power and influence of Jesus, were joined by merchants, who suffered losses and were subjected to public ridicule The Passion of Christ began, the last week before Easter began Christians celebrate the last Sunday before Holy Week as Palm Sunday In regions where palm trees do not grow, willow begins to bloom at this time The consecrated branches of this plant were used as a symbol of veneration, and gradually the holiday began to be called Palm Sunday, and not Palm or Flower Sunday On the day of the celebration, it is permissible to relax the fast, fish is allowed It is customary to store willow branches for a whole year until the next holiday And weather signs associated with this date indicate success or failure in agricultural activities