Easter Holy Week – Saturday -Triumphant Entry

To begin, I teach:

And on the first day, God created the earth! He divided the land from the sea and formed the firmament above. He created animals and fish and birds and trees and made the world beautiful! Then on the 6^th day, He created us! In His own likeness and image. And then…He rested.

“God rested and blessed and sanctified the seventh day.” Genesis 2:2-3

That is why, for centuries, the all the world worshiped God on Saturday—the Sabbath. Palm Sunday, in reality, is Palm Sabbath, observed on the Jewish Saturday. The Jewish faith still believes that the Messiah has not yet come and continues to await His arrival. As instructed in Genesis, their Sabbath remains at the end of the week, on Saturday.

And so the the Easter Story begins…

The Triumphant Entry

Holy Week commences with the Savior’s Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate, also known as the Beautiful Gate or Golden Gate. This significant entrance, situated on the eastern wall of the temple mount, faces the Mount of Olives.

The Symbolism of the Donkey

Historically, kings entered the Eastern Gate riding a white warhorse with a sword as victors or on a donkey to announce peace. This gate is the only one used to announce a newly proclaimed King of Israel. Jesus was announcing that He was the promised Messiah!

The Savior sat upon a colt that had never been ridden. As He rode under the Beautiful Gate and through the city of Jerusalem, towards the temple, the people shouted:

“Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” – Matthew 21:9

Hosanna means ‘save us we pray’. Many Jews believed Jesus was a great prophet—a man of God wielding divine power. He had raised Lazarus from the dead, confirming His miraculous abilities. But they did not yet understand that He was the Son of God, the Messiah, King of Heaven and Earth. They expected Him to liberate them from Roman oppression, but His purpose was far greater. Jesus did not come to overthrow the Romans—He came to conquer sin and death itself!

 Honoring the Deliverer

To show reverence and honor for their ‘deliverer,’ the people laid down their coats and palm fronds upon the path before the donkey that carried Jesus.

In Jewish belief; the Messiah is a future leader, a descendant of King David, prophesied to unite the tribes of Israel, rebuild the Temple, and usher in a Messianic Age of global peace. Those who deeply understood scripture—those who embraced Christianity after Jesus Christ’s resurrection—recognized Him as the divine fulfillment of all Messianic prophecies.

The Passover Lamb

On this sacred Saturday, families celebrating Passover selected a lamb without blemish to bring into their homes. For four days, the lamb would live with them, becoming part of their household. Similarly, the people choose Jesus as he entered the Eastern Gates to be their Savior and Jesus would spend these same four days in His Father’s house—the Temple—where He taught, healed, and cleansed. (Ezekiel 12:3)

To help us understand why the Triumphal Entry was on a Saturday. We must understand that every Passover begins and ends with a High Holy Day. A High Holy Day is like an extra day of Worship. And so this scripture helps us to know that the Triumphal Entry occurred on Saturday.

“Then Jesus, six days before Passover, came to Bethany…” —John 12:1

1^st – Because THIS Passover began on Wednesday at 6pm after Christ was buried in the tomb. According to the Jewish calendar and their High Holy days. The Passover meal with the sacrificial temple lamb was held immediately following Christ’s burial. Wednesday night after 6pm.

And 2^nd – when the scripture below was spoken, it helps us understand our timeline and suggests that the day Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, anointed Jesus’ head and feet in an act of devotion, occurred the night before His Triumphal Entry, in Bethany, on a Friday! Jesus Himself would later memorialize this moment during dinner on Monday.

Therefore, this scripture is referring to the event of Palm Sabbath or Saturday.

“On the next day, much people… went forth to meet him…” —John 12:12-13

Video Link re-telling the story of Easter Week day 1 HERE (coming in march)

Scriptural References: Mark 11:1-7, Matthew 21:4-5, Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:8, Luke 19:37, Matthew 21:9, Psalm 118:26, Matthew 21:9-11, Matthew 21:23-42

To Create This Saturday Scene of Palm Sabbath:

Most links to the patterns are in the Introductory post at the end (Easter-holy-week-advent-peg-people-intro). Any extra links needed will be included below.

• Use the Eastern Gate as the backdrop.
• Include the donkey with a lead rope, with Jesus seated on it.
• I placed a magnet in Peter’s hand so he could lead the donkey down the path of palm fronds and clothes. At the end of the rope is a thin wire wrapped around its end. Drill a small hole in Peter’s hand and insert a miniature magnet.
• Incorporate all the Peg-People, including children and/or grandchildren.
• Cut felt shirts or robes in three colors: brown, dark blue, and dark red (see photos).
• Make palm fronds from fake eucalyptus leaves (2 inches tall by 1.5 inches wide) I purchase these leaves at Hobby Lobby. Shape the leaves into palm fronds (see photos) and wrap wire around the stems. Some peg-people can hold fronds (using magnets in their hands), while others watch and fronds can lay along the path.
• I also Purchase 8-inch palm fronds (that measurement includes stems) from Hobby Lobby for my grandchildren to be part of the story and wave the palm leaves while I do the re-telling of Palm Sabbath.