The first thing to consider about Palm Sunday is the dispute surrounding the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, good Friday and the Sunday pre-ported to be the day of His resurrection. If Jesus did not die on a Friday, in brings into question NOT the occasion of Jesus’ entry into the city, but if this occurred on a Sunday. Palm Sunday is the day Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, supposedly, one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1–11). As Jesus entered the holy city, He neared the culmination of a long journey toward Golgotha. Palm Sunday marked the start of what is often called “Passion Week,” the final seven days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Palm Sunday was the “beginning of the end” of Jesus’ work on earth.

1. Should Palm Sunday be Palm Wednesday?
The first thing to consider about Palm Sunday is the dispute
surrounding the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, good Friday and the Sunday
pre-ported to be the day of His resurrection. If Jesus did not die on a
Friday, in brings into question NOT the occasion of Jesus’ entry into
the city, but if this occurred on a Sunday. Palm Sunday is the day
Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem,
supposedly, one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1–11). As
Jesus entered the holy city, He neared the culmination of a long
journey toward Golgotha. Palm Sunday marked the start of what is
often called “Passion Week,” the final seven days of Jesus’ earthly
Tony Mariot Palm Sunday vs Palm Wednesday 1

2. ministry. Palm Sunday was the “beginning of the end” of Jesus’ work
on earth.
Palm Sunday began with Jesus and His disciples traveling over the
Mount of Olives. The Lord sent two disciples ahead into the village of
Bethphage to find an animal to ride. They found the unbroken colt of
a donkey, just as Jesus had said they would (Luke 19:29–30). When
they untied the colt, the owners began to question them. The disciples
responded with the answer Jesus had provided: “The Lord needs
it” (Luke 19:31–34). Amazingly, the owners were satisfied with that
answer and let the disciples go. “They brought [the donkey] to Jesus,
threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it” (Luke 19:35).
As Jesus ascended toward Jerusalem, a large multitude gathered
around Him. This crowd understood that Jesus was the Messiah; what
they did not understand was that it wasn’t time to set up the kingdom
yet—although Jesus had tried to tell them so (Luke 19:11–12). The
crowd’s actions along the road give rise to the name “Palm Sunday”:
“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut
branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matthew 21:8).
In strewing their cloaks on the road, the people were giving Jesus the
royal treatment—King Jehu was given similar honor at his coronation
(2 Kings 9:13). John records the detail that the branches they cut were
from palm trees (John 12:13).
On that first Palm Sunday, the people also honored Jesus verbally:
“The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ / ‘Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord!’ / ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (Matthew
21:9). In their praise of Jesus, the Jewish crowds were quoting Psalm
118:25–26, an acknowledged prophecy of the Christ.
The allusion to a Messianic psalm drew resentment from the religious
leaders present: “And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said
unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.!” Luke 19:39
However, Jesus saw no need to rebuke those who told the truth. He
replied, “And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke 19:40
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3. Some 450 to 500 years prior to Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, the prophet
Zechariah had prophesied the event we now call Palm Sunday:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold,
thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding
upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Zechariah 9:9
The prophecy was fulfilled in every particular, unfortunately, the
celebration was not to last. The crowds looked for a Messiah who
would rescue them politically and free them nationally, but Jesus had
come to save them spiritually. First things first, and mankind’s
primary need is spiritual, not political, cultural, or national salvation.
Even as the multitudes waved the palm branches and shouted for joy,
they missed the true reason for Jesus’ presence. They could neither see
nor understand the cross.
“And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If
thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong
unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come
upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee
round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the
ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one
stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. And
he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and
them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of
prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the
temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought
to destroy him,” Luke 19:41–47
It is a tragic thing to see the Savior but not recognize Him for who He
is. The crowds who were crying out “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday
were crying out “Crucify Him!” later that week (Matthew 27:22–23).
“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:10–11
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number,
of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
Tony Mariot Palm Sunday vs Palm Wednesday 3

4. and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”
Revelation 7:9
Many have assumed Jesus died on the Weekly Sabbath and that Jesus
was crucified on a Friday. (Good Friday)
There are two distinct high days or Sabbaths referred to in the week of
Jesus crucifixion.
1. The Weekly Sabbath sunset Friday to sunset Saturday
2. The First Day of Unleavened Bread, which was a high Annual
Sabbath - sunset Wednesday to sunset Thursday.
John 19:31 (for that sabbath day was an high day) - (Exodus 12:16-17;
Leviticus 23:6-7)
• The annual Holy Days usually fall on weekdays, other than the
regular weekly Sabbath days which fall on sunset Friday - sunset
Saturday.
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5. In Luke 23:54-56 the women saw Jesus’ body being laid in the tomb
just before sunset Wednesday. They “returned and prepared spices
and ointments”
• Preparing spices would not have been done on a Sabbath day since
it would have been considered a violation of that Sabbath.
• This is verified by Mark’s account, which states, “Now when the
Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome
bought spices” (which they would not have purchased on the high-day
Wed-Thur - (Mark 16:1).
• The women had to wait until this annual “high day” was over
before they could buy and prepare the spices to be used for anointing
Jesus’ body. After purchasing and preparing these spices and oils on
Friday, “they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke
23:56).
• The second Sabbath mentioned in the Gospel accounts is the regular
weekly Sabbath, observed from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.
Jesus died at the 9th hour which is 3PM, Matthew 27:45-50
The Feast of Unleavened Bread—which, in A.D. 31 and A.D. 33, fell on
a Wednesday.
After the women rested on the regular weekly Sabbath Friday -
Saturday, they went to Jesus’ tomb early on the first day of the week
(Sunday), “while it was still dark” (John 20:1), and found that He had
already risen (Matthew 28:1-6; Mark 16:2-6; Luke 24:1-3).
Jesus was crucified and entombed on Wednesday afternoon, just
before the Sabbath began at sunset. The high-day Sabbath, lasted from
sunset Wednesday to sunset Thursday, rather than the regular weekly
Sabbath, lasting from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.
Jesus rose anytime from 3PM Saturday - He was already gone early
Sunday when Mary arrived. Matt 28:1-6
Jesus rose precisely three days and three nights after He was placed in
the tomb. There is no math that can support 3 days an 3 nights from
anytime Friday to early Sunday morning. These facts bring into
question should Palm Sunday be Palm Wednesday.
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