In this unit we focus on that one holy and epochal week in which all the central events of the Christian faith take place---from the frenzied parade of Palm Sunday to the dark hill of Golgotha, to the shining angel by the empty tomb. It's an opportunity for your faith to grow as you share this greatest-of-all story with your group.

Jesus' path to the cross begins outside the city of Jerusalem. Pilgrims are pouring into the city by the tens of thousands; spiritual fervor is at fever pitch; messianic expectations charge the air. Many have heard about Jesus, and now he's about to enter the city with his disciples. Shouts ring out: "Here he comes!" People throw robes on the ground and sing portions of the psalms, especially Psalm 118.

And here he is: riding a donkey, shoulders swaying to the rhythm of the beast, feet nearly dragging on the ground. The people continue to sing and shout, "Hosanna, Hosanna to the King!"

It's hard to know what to make of this day. Do we join the parade, or do we stand back and rebuke the hypocrisy of the crowds? The event is shot through with irony and contradiction: the public acclamation of their king on a donkey now, their condemnation of him later that same week.

It's important to notice that Jesus isn't a surprised or reluctant celebrity here. He takes the initiative, sending two disciples to procure the animal with explicit directions. It's a striking example of prophecy being fulfilled on purpose. One could say he played the crowd like a master politician. That's exactly what scared the Pharisees, who feared that the people might truly crown him king of the Jews, bringing down the wrath of their Roman rulers.

Planned or not, what's striking is that everything said and done that day was no charade; Jesus was no flash-in-the-pan celebrity on parade. He is the King, the King who brings peace. He deserves all our acclamation and praise.

It's fascinating that in Matthew's gospel, Jesus' parade route takes him right into the temple (in keeping with Psalm 118, which the people were singing). There he angrily turns over tables and demands that the merchants and money changers clear out. He accuses them of making God's house a "den of robbers." He is the King they acclaim, and he has authority over the house of God.

Jesus does two more things in the temple: he welcomes and heals people who are blind and lame, and he welcomes the shouts of the children. These people, according to the law, don't belong in the temple. But the King opens up God's house to those who were excluded.

Yes, the King will end up mocked and crowned with thorns by the end of the week, but this triumphant parade is a picture of his coming cosmic triumph, when he will rise from the dead in victory.