What is Palm Sunday (and Where is it in the Bible)?
What is Palm Sunday? In this article, Erin Odom digs into the significance of Palm Sunday, Scripture and prayers for Palm Sunday, how different Christians celebrate this special day, and more!
Palm Sunday is one of the most significant Christian holidays, and it’s right around the corner. Are you ready for this special day?
Growing up in a Christian home, I fondly remember celebrating Palm Sunday throughout my childhood. From making palm branch crafts in Sunday school to worship services featuring live donkeys carrying actors portraying Jesus down the church aisle, each tradition made the day a special blessing. I especially enjoyed waving palm branches during children’s church and taking one home as a cherished keepsake.
Palm Sunday has always felt unique to me, even into my adult years. Commemorating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, it is celebrated just as springtime in the United States begins to take root.
As warmer, sunnier days and the scent of freshly cut grass and blooming daffodils push out the harshness of winter, the atmosphere and meaning make this Christian holiday feel lighter and more joyful in contrast to the solemnity of Ash Wednesday.
More than just a prelude to Easter, Palm Sunday is a meaningful celebration in its own right.
But with many Christians focusing so much on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day as the two major Christian holidays, Palm Sunday sometimes seems like a tiny blip on the Christian calendar. I wish it weren’t so.
Palm Sunday has major significance to the church as a whole, and I think those who don’t take the time to observe it are truly missing out on a day to remember Jesus and draw close to God as we prepare our hearts for Resurrection Sunday.
If you’ve been wondering how to make Palm Sunday a more significant part of your life, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’re diving deep into history, tradition, and Scripture to answer the following questions:
What is the Significance of Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is a significant Christian holiday observed on the Sunday before Easter. It commemorates Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, marking the beginning of Holy Week, which is arguably the most important week in the Christian calendar.
For nearly three years, Jesus had asked His followers to keep His identity a secret. But on Palm Sunday, He entered Jerusalem to the cheers and praise of a large crowd.
Matthew 21:8-9 describes the scene:
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!”
Palm Sunday sets the stage for the events leading to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. The joyful welcome Jesus received starkly contrasts the jeers and mockery He faced just days later on His way to the cross, an irony often highlighted in Palm Sunday worship services.
In some Christian traditions, Palm Sunday is also called The Sunday of the Passion, particularly in Lutheran and Anglican denominations. This name reflects its connection to the Passion of Christ, referring to His suffering during Holy Week. (“Passion” stems from the Latin word “passion,” which means “to suffer, endure, resign.”)
Historically, Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday were separate observances, with Passion Sunday marking the fifth Sunday of Lent and Palm Sunday following a week later. However, after Vatican II in the 1960s, the Catholic Church combined the two, removing Passion Sunday from the calendar and incorporating its themes into Palm Sunday.
According to Aleteia, “After Vatican II, the Church decided to combine the two Sundays, removing Passion Sunday from the calendar and adding its name to Palm Sunday. This puts a greater emphasis on Palm Sunday and also reinforces the Passion narrative that is proclaimed on that day.”
When is Palm Sunday 2025?
Palm Sunday is on Sunday, April 13, 2025 this year. Palm Sunday is always on the Sunday before Easter Sunday.
Is Palm Sunday in the Bible (and Where)?
We can find a description of Palm Sunday in the Bible in all four gospels in the New Testament, including Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19. Palm Sunday is not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament outside the four gospels.
However, most biblical scholars believe that Zechariah 9:9-12 in the Old Testament also prophesies the events surrounding Palm Sunday. This passage says:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
What Are Some Palm Sunday Scriptures?
Many churches read Palm Sunday Scriptures such as: Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19.
Additionally, many churches also read the Bible verses that describe Jesus’s trial and crucifixion at some point on or before Easter. They include: Matthew 27:1-2, 11-26; Matthew 27:32-56; Luke 22:66-23:25; Mark 15:21–41; John 18:28-40; and John 19:1-22.
Palm Sunday Scriptures from Psalms
Psalm 22, widely regarded by biblical scholars as a prophecy of Jesus, is a commonly read Scripture on Palm Sunday in Catholic and Protestant traditions. The following selection from the psalm (verses 8-9, 17-20, and 23-24) may be familiar to those of you who grew up celebrating Palm Sunday in your church:
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.Psalm 118:25-29 is a psalm of praise that is also commonly read on Palm Sunday:
Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
A Popular Palm Sunday Scripture From The New Testament
Philippians 2:6-11 is another popular Palm Sunday Scripture. In this New Testament passage, the Apostle Paul speaks to Jesus’s humility and obedience in sacrificing Himself on the cross for our sins:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
What Are Some Prayers for Palm Sunday?
Different Christian denominations have their own traditional prayers for Palm Sunday. While evangelical churches typically do not follow a set liturgy, denominations with more formal worship practices incorporate time-honored prayers that unite congregants in worship each year.
For example, Catholics bless palm branches used during Palm Sunday Mass with the following prayer:
Almighty God, we pray you bless these branches and make them holy. Today we joyfully acclaim Jesus our Messiah and King. May we reach one day the happiness of the new and everlasting Jerusalem by faithfully following him who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer, used for centuries by Christians from a variety of denominations, including Anglicans, Episcopalians, and Methodists, lists several prayers for Palm Sunday. These beautiful prayers all center around remembering Christ’s suffering during Holy Week. The following is an example of one of the Palm Sunday prayers from the Book of Common Prayer:
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he
was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way
of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and
peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
What are Palm Sunday Palms?
Palm Sunday Palms are palm branches that churches distribute among members to symbolize the palm branches that the crowds used to greet Jesus when he entered Jerusalem. These branches are typically used in worship services on Palm Sunday by children and adults alike.
Some denominations use Palm Sunday Palms to reenact Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, waving branches as an actor portraying Jesus rides down the aisle on a donkey. Others incorporate palms into children’s activities, allowing them to take branches home or use them in crafts highlighting Palm Sunday’s significance.
Some traditions (including Catholics) burn the palms after Palm Sunday to create ashes for the following year’s Ash Wednesday observance.
Interestingly enough, the only time palm branches are mentioned in the gospels’ account of this event was in the Gospel of John. In John 12:13, we read:
So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
What Are Ways Christians Observe Palm Sunday?
Christians from different denominations observe Palm Sunday uniquely. Some take a more casual approach, like re-enacting the events from Jesus’s Jerusalem entry or singing contemporary praise songs that place an emphasis on Jesus’s suffering and death during Holy Week. Other churches take a more liturgical approach by reciting common Palm Sunday Scriptures and Palm Sunday Prayers during church services.
Catholics follow a traditional ceremony on Palm Sunday.
According to Catholic Culture: “The priests and deacons wear red vestments for Mass. There is a special entrance at the beginning of each Mass, either simple or solemn. This includes a blessing of the palms and the gospel reading of the entrance into Jerusalem.” The priest then invites the congregation to participate in the Palm Sunday celebration, and the church blesses the palm branches with a special prayer.
For both Protestant and Catholic churches, an emphasis on the Passion of Christ (His suffering during Holy Week) is common, as the focus is typically on Christ’s resurrection the following Sunday, Easter Sunday.
Whether you are Protestant or Catholic, I hope you’ll take time to remember Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem this Palm Sunday. May it be a time to prepare our hearts for Holy Week as we eagerly await the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Do you celebrate Palm Sunday? What are your favorite Palm Sunday traditions?
