How did us Christians end up using Palm leaves for Palm Sunday? Couldn't it be another plant? What does it...

Question

How did us Christians end up using Palm leaves for Palm Sunday?

Couldn't it be another plant?

What does it symbolize?

Was it common back then that's why they used it?

Answer 1

Symbolism of the Palm leaf:
It was a common custom in many lands in the ancient Near East to cover, in some way, the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honour. The Hebrew Bible reports that Joshua was treated this way.

Both the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John report that people gave Jesus this form of honour. However, in the synoptics they are only reported as laying their garments and cut rushes on the street, whereas John more specifically mentions palm fronds.

The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and of victory, in Jewish tradition, and is treated in other parts of the bible as such (e.g. Leviticus 23:40 and Revelation 7:9). Because of this, the scene of the crowd greeting Jesus by waving palms and carpeting his path with them has given the Christian festival its name.

Jesus and Joshua are the same name in Hebrew, and Jesus' parallel to Joshua is usually seen as indicative of Jesus being seen as the Jewish Messiah.

The song that the people are described as singing, Psalm 118, happens to be the benediction song for the passover meal, and hence is seen as foreshadowing Jesus' Passion as a symbolic passover sacrifice. Amongst those who see the events as being a literary invention, this is by design of the authors of the Gospels, while among those who believe the events are historic, this is seen as an example of Biblical prophecy.

Further information:
Christians often interpret a passage from the Zechariah as a prophecy which was fulfilled by the Triumphal Entry:

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the war-horses 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. -Zechariah 9:9-10

Matthew even qoutes from this passage.

Answer 2

Christians use palms on Palm Sunday because that is what Jesus was greeted with when he entered Jerusalem before his crucifixion. Palms symbolized triumph and victory in the Jewish tradition. It is specifically mentioned in Leviticus as such. It's not that palms was common back then, but that it was abundant in that place. Palm trees are to be found all over the Middle East even to this day. Palms were waived at and laid before Christ as he triumphantly entered Jerusalem after having raised Lazarus from the dead while the people sung part of Psalm 118, "Blessed is who comes in the name of the Lord, Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father, David" His triumphant final entry into the city has parallels with Joshua's elsewhere in the Bible and the entire event foreshadows his coming passion as a symbolic Passover sacrifice as Psalm 118 is the benediction song for the Passover meal.

Answer 3

The palm thing has to do with when Jesus rode into town on a donkey - the people welcomed him by waving palms, which were a common plant. "Palms" are the leaves of many types of plants - olives, dates, and several other non-edible plants and are common in that area.

Answer 4

In the Bible, when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, he was led in on a donkey. The people put palm leaves on the road in front of him as a symbol of homage. Believe it or don't that is where it came from. A week later he was dead because of the betrayal of these same people. Jesus led the life of ultimate frustration.

Answer 5

Palm Sunday is the day we remember Jesus' "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, exactly one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1-11). Some 450-500 years earlier, the Prophet Zechariah had prophesied, "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). Matthew 21:7-9 records the fulfillment, "They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 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!" This event took place on the Sunday before Jesus' crucifixion.

In remembrance of this event, known as the "triumphal entry," we celebrate Palm Sunday. It is referred to as "Palm Sunday" because of the palm branches that were laid on the road as Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday was the fulfillment of the Prophet Daniel's "seventy sevens" prophesy - "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble" (Daniel 9:25). John 1:11 tells us, "He (Jesus) came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him." The same crowds that were crying out "Hosanna" were crying out "crucify Him" five days later (Matthew 27:22-23).

Answer 6

Your right, how could they be using palms when their just starting to grow in this season. The truth, just maybe, the crucifixion actually happened during the fall.

There are some interesting letters during the crucifixion that also confirms this fall season theory. There are other events that happened during the crucifixion that are not present in the Bible to further my theory. I personally have never seen or heard of this theory from anyone but myself, even from the source below in which is a great source of information..

Answer 7

The Romans would honour their champions with palm branches. Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey signifying his intentions regarding his rise to power - according to scripture. His followers therefore used palm branches to line his route into the city.

Answer 8

Yeah whats with getting it right?
We have the Easter Bunny. Nothing to do with Easter
We hane Santa Claus. Nothing to do with Chiristmas
Yet palms on Palm Sunday? It dosent fit the pattern

Answer 9

It is what the people of Jerusalem waived as they welcomed Jesus as he rode in to town for passover. Besides if it's wasn't for them using Palm branches then and us using them now it wouldn't be called Palm Sunday now would it?

Answer 10

It commemorates the palm leaves laid down by the citizens of Jerusalem for Jesus's donkey to walk on.