From the first day of the Great Week, we must (receive) Jesus Christ, and accept that His will dominates us. In this reception of Christ coming to us lies the meaning of Palm Sunday (25).
تُقرأ في صلاة الغروب، المقامة مساء السبت، ثلاثة تلاوات من العهد القديم. تتكلم الأولى عن الإرشادات الأخيرة التي أسداها يعقوب لأبنائه (تك1:49- 2، 8- 12). لقد اختير هذا المقطع لأنه يشير إلى (القضيب) و (الجحش) و (دم العنب) الذي يغسل الثياب، وكلها تكتسب معنى جديداً بدخول يسوع إلى أورشليم قبل آلامه: (لا يزول قضيب من يهوذا… متى يأتي من يكون له خضوع الشعب، رابطاً بالكرمة جحشه وبالجفنة ابن أتانه، غسل بالخمر لباسه وبدم العنب ثوبه). أمّا القراءة الثانية (صفنيّا 14:3- 19) فتعلن أيضاً عن حضور الملك المعزّي: (اهتف يا إسرائيل… ملك إسرائيل الرب في وسطك. لا تنظرين بعد شرّاً). وتشير القراءة الثالثة إلى نبوءة زكريا ( 9:9- 15) التي تحققت يوم الشعانين: (ابتهجي جداً يا ابنة صهيون… هوذا ملكك يأتي إليك. هو عادل ومنصور، وديع وراكب على حمار وعلى جحش ابن أتان) (26).
تدعونا تراتيل السَحَر إلى الذهاب للقاء الملك الآتي: (هلمّ بالأغصان نسبّح المسيح السيّد… الله الرب ظهر لنا، فأقيموا العيد وهلموا نعظم المسيح مبتهجين، وبسعف وأغصان نهتف نحوه بالتسابيح قائلين: مبارك الآتي باسم الرب). أمّا إنجيل السَحَر (متى1:21- 11، 15- 17) فيصف دخول يسوع الاحتفالي إلى أورشليم (27). At the end of the magic service, the bishop or priest blesses the palm branches and distributes them to the believers.
تتكلم الرسالة التي تتلى في قداس الذهبي الفم الذي يُقام اليوم (فيليبي 4:4- 9) عن قرب مجيء السيّد: (افرحوا في الرب كل حين وأقول أيضاً افرحوا… الرب قريب). أمّا الإنجيل (يو1:12- 18) فيشير إلى دهن رجلي يسوع بالطيب الذي قامت مريم في بيت عنيا (وستعود الكنيسة وتذكرنا بهذا الحدث صباح يوم الأربعاء العظيم) ثم إلى الدخول إلى أورشليم. وتبتدأ البركة الختامية في آخر القداس بالكلمات التالية: (يا من ارتضى أن يجلس على جحش ابن أتان لأجل خلاصنا…).
Let us now seek to understand some of the teachings of this Sunday.
* (Behold, your king comes to you.) Today, Jesus comes to us as our king. He is more than a teacher who guides his disciples. Jesus wants us to accept His will in everything and give up all our own desires. He comes to us to reign over our souls and to establish a king in our hearts.
* (إليك…). لا يأتي يسوع إلى البشرية جمعاء وحسب، بل إلى كل واحد منّا بصورة خاصة. (ملكك…). يريد يسوع أن يكون ملكي. وبمعنى خاص إنه ملك على كل واحد منّا. وبشكل شخصي ومميّز بالكلية إنه يطلب طاعة وقبولاً داخليين وصميميين.
* This king is (humble). He comes to us riding on a vile animal, a symbol of humility and medicine. One day he will return in his glory to judge the world. Today, he rejects all manifestations of glory or authority and does not demand any visible kingdom. He only wants to rule over our hearts: “My son, give me your heart” (Proverbs 23:26).
* But the people’s feeling was correct when they greeted Jesus as the visible king of Israel, because Jesus is not only the king of individuals, but also the king of human groups. His kingdom is also of a social nature, and extends to the fields of politics and economics in addition to the moral and spiritual field. There is nothing strange or far-fetched about the lordship of Jesus.
* The crowd that received Jesus was carrying palm fronds and branches that may have been olive branches - a tree that we find in abundance on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Both palm and olive branches have their symbolic meaning. Palm fronds indicate victory, while olive branches indicate peace and anointing. So let us go to meet Jesus, glorifying his strength and kindness at the same time, offering him our victories (which are actually his victories) over ourselves and over sin, as well as our inner peace (which is his peace).
* (وفرش الجمع الكثير ثيابهم على الطريق…). فلنلق على أقدام يسوع ثيابنا وممتلكاتنا وأمانتنا وأملاكنا، وأيضاً وكذلك مظاهرنا الكاذبة وقبل كل شيء أفكارنا ورغباتنا وشعورنا وليطأ الملك الغالب كل ما لنا ولنخضع له كل ما لدينا من ثمين وقيِّم مقدمين إياه للسيّد.
* The people were chanting: “Hosanna (28) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. If I can utter this phrase with all sincerity and obedience, and if it truly expresses a total longing for the King whom I accept with all my heart, then I will have, at that very moment, turned away from my sins and accepted Jesus as my guest. Welcome to whoever comes to me! And may he be blessed!
(25) Both the Greeks and Latins give this name to the Sunday before Easter. We know that, starting in 397, it was practiced in all Mesopotamian churches to bless palm trees on Sunday. As for Jerusalem, during the same period, Palm Sunday was celebrated as follows: The believers gather at dawn in the Church of the Resurrection, and from there they move to the Church of Calvary, where the regular Sunday service is held. Then they would make a big procession in the early afternoon to the Mount of Olives where they would hold another service. Then, around three o'clock, they move to the place from which Christ ascended, according to tradition, and hold another service. From there, at about five o'clock in the afternoon, they would go to Jerusalem, carrying palm branches and olive branches, and they would perform vespers in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, then they would go to the Church of Calvary and end the day with final prayers.
(26) The Prophet wants to contrast the traditional image of kings riding on horses or chariots with the image of a king whose entry into his capital is a sign of humility. The donkey is the opposite of the horse, which suggests the idea of war and conquests.
(27) Matthew's account transmits, with some modifications, Mark's account (11:1-11). Matthew considers that Jesus set out from Bethphage on his way to Jerusalem, while Mark mentions Bethphage and Bethany at the same time. It means house of faji (house of green figs). Is there a connection between this name and the curse of the fruitless fig tree, at the beginning of the last week of Jesus’ teaching?
(28) During the time of Jesus, the Hebrew word Hosanna had lost its original power and meaning, and had become merely a cheer and a cry of joy or reconciliation. It was used in this sense on the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles called (Hosanna Day) or (The Great Hosanna). But the original meaning of the word was much stronger than that, as it was used in the sense of: (Save now, pray), and therefore it had Messianic concepts. The Holy Spirit put this word on the lips of the crowd, upon Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, in its deep, ancient meaning, without the crowd being fully aware of this meaning.