The Palm Sunday story, the majestic tale of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, calls our attention to a great leader’s humility and love. His action, seemingly simple and unassuming, held a profound truth – he did it for us, for humanity. A king typically enthroned high and stout on a war horse chose the small stature of a donkey to herald his entry, presenting a symbol of peace instead of power, love amidst despair, and hope where darkness loomed.

Many would question why a king, a messiah, would ride on a donkey’s back, especially knowing the immense weight of the world’s sins sitting heavy on his shoulder. Yet, Jesus did so, willingly and freely. This calls to our consciousness about the nature of a leader’s heart. Unlike earthly kings embodying power and exuding superiority, Jesus walked a different path. He was the sacrificial lamb, embodying love, compassion, and understanding. Beneath his divine wisdom was an unwavering love for humanity, something that made him ride a donkey and embrace inevitable suffering. Amid all this lay an unequivocal truth – he did it for us, so we could find redemption and forgiveness in our moments of frailty and desolation.

This Palm Sunday, as we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, let’s pause and ponder about the extraordinary love he embodied. Just as a seed breaks open to give life to a tree, Jesus fragmented his life for the wellbeing of humanity. The whole act was a meditation on humility, placing others before self, encouraging us to ride our personal donkeys of compassion, humility, and love as we journey through our modern Jerusalem. His act was not just an event in history. Instead, it was a beckoning, a call to action, to lean more into love, grace, and humility. On this Palm Sunday, let’s remember that we, too, are a part of this grand narrative. As we wave our palm fronds high, let’s honor the essence of Jesus’ journey – that he, indeed, did it for us.