Riding on the Clouds
Pastor Arthur Kay offers these thoughts on the symbolism of Palm Sunday:
“Palms are associated with covering clouds (Feast of Booths, Leviticus 23:40). They are also associated with the nations (Exodus 15:27; Revelation 7:9). Therefore, on Palm Sunday, Jesus is already coming on the clouds – He rides on palm leaves and ‘winged’ garments. And His triumphant entrance to the doomed city is already, in type, supported and sponsored by Gentiles.”
Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, and immediately heads to the temple, where He creates a scene that foreshadows its later destruction. In this, as Pastor Kay notes, Palm Sunday is a pre-enactment of the later coming of the Son of Man on clouds to the temple.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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