How the raising of Lazarus ignited Palm Sunday
As Christ entered fulfilling prophecy and working miracles, Jerusalem was on fire and prepared to acclaim him as King.
As Christ entered fulfilling prophecy and working miracles, Jerusalem was on fire and prepared to acclaim him as King.
Editor’s Notes
In this Part, Fr. Coleridge tells us…
How the raising of Lazarus sets the city ablaze with messianic expectation.
That divine providence draws together pilgrims and citizens to honour Christ in union.
Why Christ’s miracles and fulfilment of prophecy directly fuelled the Day of Palms.
There is so much material that we could share during Holy Week. Rather than trying to provide it all, we will instead focus on how and why Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem provides a key to the whole of his blessed and glorious Passion.
The Procession of Palms
Passiontide, Part I, Chapter II
St. Matt. xxi. 14-17; St. Mark xi. 1-11; St. Luke xix. 29-44; St. John xii. 12-18.
Story of the Gospels, § 132
Burns and Oates, London, 1889
Headings and some line breaks added.
Sung on Palm Sunday
Our Lord at Bethany
The whole series of events of this most memorable day, on which the series of steps of the Passion of our Lord was, as it were, inaugurated by the solemn procession of Palms, are dwelt on in some detail by all the four Evangelists, though, in this as in many other cases, they do not all mention the same incidents. We gather the whole story from a comparison and juxtaposition of the several narratives.
It will be remembered that our Lord had arrived at Bethany on the evening, as it seems, of the Sabbath, probably outstripping for purposes of His own the march of the numerous caravans of pilgrims by whom He had been accompanied on His departure from Jericho. These had followed Him and, as it seems, arrived in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem on the morning after the day on which He reached Bethany.
But besides the bands of Galilæans and other pilgrims who were thus collected, and who were eager to do Him special honour, there were in the neighbourhood very considerable bodies of men full of enthusiasm for Him on account of the lately wrought miracle on Lazarus, which had surpassed all His former wonders in magnificence and in the sensation which it had caused, having been wrought in favour of one who was well known in some of the highest circles of society and in the immediate neighbourhood.
The effects of this miracle can hardly be exaggerated, and we have a proof of this in what we are told by St. John—who alone relates it—about the council held shortly after it had taken place, by the Chief Priests and Pharisees. It had produced unanimity among the sects of the Jews, who were generally at variance among themselves, and it had forced them to adopt, as the policy of the whole body of the rulers, an open measure of deliberate murder. It may therefore be well supposed that the public in general of Jerusalem, among whom the miracle was still fresh, were filled with the greatest admiration or fear, respectively, according as they belonged to the class which was ready to believe in our Lord or to that which was obstinate in rejecting Him.
Besides the miracle on Lazarus, He had worked many in the immediate neighbourhood of Jerusalem, where before this year he had not been so much known. There were therefore many in the city at this time disposed to believe in Him, and these would form another class of persons who might be expected to welcome Him on His first appearance for the great feast, which was at hand.
Different classes of His followers
The existence of these different classes of believers, or persons ready to believe, in our Lord, is intimated to us in the narratives of the several Evangelists. It is natural to find the earlier Gospels, which make no mention, as has often been said, of occurrences outside the sphere of our Lord’s preaching in Galilee, should give no hint as to the effect of the miracle of Lazarus.
Thus it seems that the reason why St. John dwells at all on the Day of Palms (which he might naturally omit, as having been related by his predecessors), is that he may supply the deficiency of the history as he found it, having supplied the narrative of the great miracle itself, of which, however, it is impossible to suppose that the other Evangelists were ignorant.
What is thus added by St. John to complete the story of the entrance into Jerusalem is a very important supplement indeed. We thus learn that there were two several classes of people anxious to do honour to our Lord. The first consisted of the more ordinary number of His followers, and those who had known Him in Galilee and elsewhere, and the other of persons dwelling in or near Jerusalem itself, whose enthusiasm had been kindled by His miracles in Judæa, and especially by the crowning and most recent miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
These remarks will enable us more clearly to understand the several details of the Gospel history of the Day of Palms.
The multitude meeting him
We first quote the narrative of St. John.
‘And on the next day a great multitude that was come to the festival day, when they had heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, Hosanna, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.’1
This is a very general description of the incidents, which had already been related by the other Evangelists, and which therefore St. John had no occasion to relate afresh in all their details. But he has added what it was important to add. The words quoted come immediately after the account in St. John of the supper of Bethany. He tells us, after that account, that a great number of the Jews got to know that our Lord was now at Bethany, it having up to that time been doubtful, and a matter of speculation among them, whether He would be present at the feast or not.
They came to Bethany on the news of His arrival, ‘and not only that they might see Him, but Lazarus also.’ They came not for Jesus’ sake only, ‘but that they might see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the Chief Priests thought to kill Lazarus also because that many of the Jews by reason of him went away and believed in Jesus.’
‘And Jesus found a young ass, and sat upon it, as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion, behold thy King cometh sitting on an ass’s colt. These things His disciples did not know at the first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.
‘The multitude therefore gave testimony which was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the grave, and raised him from the dead. For which cause also the people came to meet Him, because they had heard that He had done this miracle.’
News of His arrival
It appears, then, from St. John’s words, that the news of our Lord’s arrival at Bethany spread into the city that morning, or late on the previous evening, and that some of the people came to see our Lord and Lazarus as soon as it became known that He was there, others at the same time, who were not able immediately to go to Bethany, preparing themselves to meet our Lord in triumph when He should approach the city.
Our Lord knew of their intention, and as He chose from motives of His own Divine wisdom to receive the honour which they intended to show Him, He made His own simple dispositions for the solemnity which He designed to take place. In the meanwhile the multitude of the pilgrims and other disciples would have time to collect.
It often happens at such times, when it pleases God that great bodies of men should be gathered by some holy impulse of enthusiasm and devotion to join in doing Him honour, that without knowing what they are doing, or taking concert together, these crowds find themselves swelling into an immense multitude, and borne on by an irresistible attraction, which supersedes all preparation, and marshalls them in perfect order for the one purpose which animates their hearts.
Thus it seems that on leaving Bethany the band of followers of our Lord was small, confined perhaps to the Apostles and the ordinary number which gathered round them. But as they passed on towards the little village of Bethphage, and towards the Mount of Olives, the stream began to swell and the enthusiasm to increase.
Preparation for the Procession
Then our Lord gave the word for the preparations of which there was need. On this momentous occasion He acted with masterful and royal authority, although it would have been easy for Him to supply what was wanting to Him in many other ways. But it was now the time to act with power, and claim the rights which were inherent in Him as King of the world.
‘He sent two of His disciples, saying, Go into the town which is over against you—’
(On the other side of the narrow gorge or declivity which separated them from Bethphage.)
‘—at your entering into which you shall find the colt of an ass tied, on which no man hath ever sitten, loose him and bring him hither. And if any man shall say to you, What are you doing, why do you loose him, you shall say thus unto him, Because the Lord hath need of his service, say ye, that the Lord hath need of Him, and immediately he will let him come hither.
‘And going their way, they found the colt tied before the gate without, in the meeting of two ways, and they loose him, and some of them that stood there said to them, the owners of the colt said to them, Why loose you the colt? What do you loosing the colt? But they said, The Lord hath need of him, as Jesus had commanded them, and they let him go with them.’
The predictions
St. Matthew tells the story in different words, but to the same purpose as the others.
‘Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, and riding upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of her that is used to the yoke.’2
Having mentioned the presence of an ass as well as her colt in the prophecy which he has quoted, St. Matthew mentions also the presence of the mother in the history, while the other Evangelists, quoting the prophet merely summarily, as is the case with St. John, or not quoting him at all, as is the case with the others, leave out the mother, and mention only the foal, which seems to have been the animal actually used by our Lord.
End of Part II of our Passiontide and Holy Week focus on the Triumphal Entry.
In the next part, Fr Coleridge considers how the crowd takes the role of the proto-Church in its praise, and that Christ openly accepts divine honours and messianic titles for the first time.
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The Procession of Palms
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St. John xii. 12, 13.
Isaias lxii. 11; Zach. ix. 9.