The Road to Jerusalem: What Palm Sunday Teaches Us About Surrender
Road to Resurrection Series – Renovate Church — Centennial, Colorado
By Greg Russell
As we begin our new series “Road to Resurrection,” we’re walking through the events leading up to Easter. Each week we’ll follow the journey that ultimately led to the resurrection of Jesus.
We begin with Palm Sunday, the day Jesus entered Jerusalem in what is often called the Triumphal Entry. But the story begins even earlier—with another resurrection that changed everything.
The Miracle That Started It All
Just weeks before Palm Sunday, Jesus performed one of His most famous miracles: raising Lazarus from the dead.
The account appears in the Gospel of John.
Lazarus lived in Bethany, just two miles outside Jerusalem, and many people knew him personally. They had seen him sick. They had mourned his death. Many had even attended his burial.
Then Jesus raised him from the dead.
The excitement spread quickly. People were amazed, and the buzz around Jesus grew stronger than ever.
But while the crowds celebrated, the religious leaders felt threatened. They feared losing their influence and began plotting how to kill Jesus.
In many ways, Lazarus’s resurrection triggered the events that would lead to Jesus’ crucifixion.
Palm Sunday: The Crowd Welcomes a King
When Jesus finally entered Jerusalem, the crowd greeted Him with overwhelming excitement.
They waved palm branches and shouted:
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
This phrase comes from Psalm 118, a prophecy associated with the coming Messiah.
The people also laid their cloaks and palm branches on the road in front of Jesus. In ancient times, this was something people did for the inauguration of a king.
They even called Him “the King of Israel.”
From their perspective, Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah who would free them from Roman rule.
But their expectations were about to collide with God’s actual plan.
A Prophecy Fulfilled
Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a young donkey, fulfilling another prophecy:
“See, your king comes to you… gentle and riding on a donkey.”
This prophecy comes from Book of Zechariah.
The people understood the symbolism. They knew these prophecies and believed Jesus was the promised Messiah.
But they misunderstood what kind of king He came to be.
Why Jesus Had Hidden His Identity
Throughout His ministry, Jesus often told people not to reveal who He was.
When Peter finally recognized Him as the Messiah, Jesus instructed him to keep it quiet. Even after performing miracles, Jesus frequently told people not to spread the news.
Why?
Because it wasn’t time yet.
If the religious leaders had fully realized His claim earlier, they would have tried to execute Him before His mission was complete.
But now, riding into Jerusalem, Jesus no longer hid His identity.
He was openly declaring who He was—even though He knew it would lead to His death.
The Road to Resurrection Was Also the Road to the Cross
Palm Sunday might have looked like a moment of victory, but Jesus knew exactly what was coming.
Within days:
- The cheering crowds would disappear.
- Some of the same people would shout “Crucify him!”
- He would be betrayed by Judas.
- Peter would deny Him.
- He would be beaten, mocked, and crucified.
Jesus wasn’t surprised by any of it.
This was the mission He came to fulfill.
The Real Mission of Jesus
Many people believed Jesus came to overthrow Rome and restore Israel’s political power.
But His mission was far bigger.
Jesus came to undo the damage caused when humanity chose to live apart from God.
From the moment Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Book of Genesis, the world was filled with suffering, evil, and death.
Jesus came to unruin what humanity had ruined.
He brought the power of heaven into the brokenness of earth.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus demonstrated this by:
- Healing the sick
- Casting out demons
- Restoring broken lives
- Raising the dead
He was reversing the effects of sin and bringing the kingdom of God into the world.
The Question Palm Sunday Raises for Us
The crowds welcomed Jesus enthusiastically—but they had the wrong expectations.
They wanted a Messiah who would defeat Rome.
When they realized that wasn’t His plan, many turned against Him.
Which raises a powerful question for us:
Who do we want God to be?
Do we want God to be:
- A rescuer from our problems?
- A provider of everything we ask for?
- A kind of spiritual vending machine?
Sometimes we treat prayer like a transaction: we ask for something and expect God to deliver exactly what we want.
But if God always did exactly what we asked, we would effectively be God. There are a lot of requests God can’t logically grant (there can only be one richest person in the world, but many people would ask for this), and there are a lot of requests that God shouldn’t, in his goodness, indulge.
The only right answer is this:
We should want God to be God.
Surrender Is the Road to Resurrection
The central lesson of Palm Sunday is surrender.
Jesus lived in complete alignment with the Father’s will.
He even prayed:
“Your kingdom come, your will be done.”
That surrender led Him to the cross—but also to resurrection.
For followers of Jesus, the same principle applies.
Our spiritual journey involves daily decisions to surrender:
- our plans
- our comfort
- our expectations
And instead choose God’s will.
Jesus said:
“Take up your cross and follow me.”
The Daily Choice to Follow Jesus
Surrender is not passive.
It is an active, daily decision to align our lives with God.
Every day we face crossroads where we must decide:
- our will or God’s will
- comfort or obedience
- control or trust
The apostle Paul described this mindset in Letter to the Philippians when he wrote that he considered everything else loss compared to knowing Christ.
The focus of surrender to God isn’t what we give up.
It’s what we gain.
Living the Way of Jesus
Following Jesus means choosing a different way of living.
It means:
- Loving even when people misunderstand us
- Doing good even when it goes unnoticed
- Forgiving when it’s difficult
- Serving when it costs something
As Mother Teresa once said:
“In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
Final Thought
Palm Sunday reminds us that the road to resurrection begins with surrender.
Jesus surrendered His life to the will of the Father.
And He invites us to follow Him on that same road.
Not the road of control.
Not the road of comfort.
But the road that leads to life, transformation, and ultimately resurrection.