Level 2
Lesson 22: Palm Sunday

Along the road to Jerusalem a great crowd of people were waiting. Men and women and boys and girls were there. Some had the branches of palm trees in their hands and they waved them as we wave flags. Some had gathered beautiful flowers which they carried.

“Who is coming? What is everyone waiting for?” asked a boy who came along.

“Don’t you know?” answered someone. “Jesus is coming. He is going to pass along this road on his way to the city. We are going to wave our palm branches and sing to him.”

Just then they heard a shout. “Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming!”

Everyone looked up the road. Sure enough, there came Jesus, riding on the back of a donkey. Beside him walked the disciples, his helpers.

The people came running to get as close as they could to Jesus. In the crowd were people who had been lame, blind, or sick, until Jesus had made them well. There were people who had listened to the wonderful stories Jesus told. There were children whom Jesus had put his hands on and blessed. How they all loved this good, kind Friend!

They began to sing as they waved their palm branches. “Hosanna! Hosanna!” they sang, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Some of the people ran out on the road and spread their coats down on the ground to make a carpet over which Jesus could ride. Some of the children scattered their flowers in Jesus’ path. All the people were very happy.

At last they reached the city. The people in the city heard the shouting and the singing.

“What does it mean?” they asked. “Who is coming?”

“Jesus is coming,” someone answered. “The people are singing to him.”

Then a great many people from the city hurried out to meet him. They too began to sing. “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Together they all marched into the city waving their palm branches and singing. They went with Jesus to the beautiful Temple. Many people saw them and asked, “Who is coming?”

“It is Jesus of Nazareth,” answered the people. “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

By and by they reached the Temple. There in the Temple were a crowd of children, who loved Jesus and who wanted to help welcome him. So they too began to sing. “Hosanna! Hosanna!” sang the children. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Jesus who always loved children was pleased at their welcome. But some of the men in the Temple were angry.

“Stop those children shouting,” they said. “Don’t you hear them?”

“Yes, I hear them,” said Jesus. ”Have you never read in your Bibles, ‘Out of the mouths of little children God is to be praised’?” And Jesus smiled his thanks to the children for their song.