They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
John 12:13
Dear members and friends,
As its name suggests, we often view palm branches as an essential element for Palm Sunday. Growing up in South Korea, I remember my Sunday School teachers emphasizing them so strongly that my friends and I had serious debates about their meaning—even though, as a boy in Korea, I had never actually seen a real palm tree! However, a closer look at the Gospels reveals a surprising fact. Only John specifically mentions that those branches were of palm trees. Matthew describes simply “branches from the trees,” Mark speaks of “leafy branches cut in the fields,” and Luke omits the branches entirely.
This tells us two important things:
- What we now consider a definitive ritual often grows from later emphasis.
- The broader symbolism lies not just in the species of the tree, but in the branches themselves.
In Leviticus 23:40, the Festival of Tabernacles required people to gather “branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows, and other leafy trees.” A leafy branch signifies a healthy tree ready to bear fruit. In our tradition, as noted by Emanuel Swedenborg, the leaf of a tree symbolizes truth. Truth is the essential seed that, once accepted into the mind, grows into a tree that produces the “fruit” of goodness. However, truth is a complex thing. There is objective truth, and then there is perceived truth. Ideally, they are the same, but in our modern world, they are often miles apart.
When the crowds greeted Jesus, they held the “leaves of truth” in their hands and shouted “Hosanna!” Yet, their perception was clouded. They were looking for a political liberator, not a spiritual Savior. They had the right words and the right branches, but they didn’t yet understand the true nature of the King they were cheering for. As we enter Holy Week this year, let us ask ourselves: Are we holding onto the “leaf” of truth only as we want to see it? Or are we ready to follow the real Jesus—the one who leads us through the cross toward a deeper, more fruit-bearing goodness?
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a few moments this week. As we enter the space of holiness and quietness, let us open our hearts toward the Divine Creator who came in the name of Jesus. Let us welcome his coming into our own hearts. May his entrance inspire our hearts to be more loving and more willing.
Blessings,
Rev. Junchol Lee