The Significance of No Palm Sunday Celebrations in Jerusalem This Year

In 2017, I was fortunate to be able to celebrate Palm Sunday in Jerusalem. This event stands out as one of my most memorable spiritual experiences, not only during my travels to Israel and Palestine, but also in the context of my Christian life. When I heard that the Palm Sunday celebration in Jerusalem had been cancelled this year on March 29, 2026, I began to ponder the experience I had 9 years ago.

I had no idea how significant Palm Sunday was in the Holy Land.  I had been living in the West Bank as a volunteer for the past year, and I showed up because it was something to do on the weekend.  When the taxi dropped me off in Bethany, I was met by thousands of pilgrims from dozens of nations. Each group was led by their country’s flag. Each person carried a festive palm branch. 

Crowds gather in vibrant celebration during the Palm Sunday procession from Bethany to the Old City of Jerusalem in 2017, with a colorful banner waving above the participants.

As I looked down the hill, I saw the entire route filled with pilgrims from start to end. The procession was anything but quiet—songs of praise and rejoicing echoed in every language. Some were singing on loudspeakers. Musicians played guitars, drums, and horns. Nuns were praying and dancing. And this jubilant celebration continued for the entire 2.6-mile march.

The Palm Sunday procession begins at the top of the Mount of Olives at the Church of Saint Lazarus in the Palestinian town of Al-Eizariya (Arabic for "place of Lazarus"), traditionally known as Bethany. The walk continues through the Kidron Valley, passing by the Garden of Gethsemane, and entering the Old City through the Lion’s Gate where the Via Dolorosa begins.  The march ended at the Church of St. Anne where the Pools of Bethesda are located.

Pilgrims gathering outside the historic Church of Lazarus in Bethany: Al-Eizariya, Palestine. The stone facade is adorned with angelic mosaics, welcoming visitors to the sacred site.

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding humbly on a donkey, after raising Lazarus from the dead. These events which happened nearly 2,000 years ago foreshadow the general resurrection of the dead which will occur at the Second Coming. At some unknown time, Jesus will re-enter our dimension as the uncontested King of the Universe, riding victoriously on a white horse.

Though the Israeli government can cancel this year’s celebration, the final triumphal entry is unstoppable. Wars will cease. The lies and corruption will be exposed, and the wicked will perish from the face of the earth. The ongoing violent power struggle over the Holy Land will ultimately prove irrelevant.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, holds a prayer service to mark Palm Sunday, following the cancellation of the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives, amid restrictions on gathering in large groups, in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026 [Ammar Awad/Pool via Reuters]

Indeed, there is something spiritually significant about Jerusalem and the Holy Land, but it is no longer worth fighting over. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man and accomplished for humanity what we could never do. He won back our spiritual dominion over the earth which Adam forfeited to Satan by transgressing God's commandment.  By living a sinless life of sacrificial love and upholding the Torah on every point, Jesus defeated the power of the devil, sin, and death, and reclaimed Jerusalem as the Son of Man and King of kings. Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus told the apostles to leave Jerusalem and proclaim His victory to all nations. This phenomenon signals the approaching end of this age.

“This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

No matter which ethnic group controls Jerusalem and the Holy Land, the real battle over the spiritual power seat of the earth has already been won. Even if we cannot celebrate this year in Jerusalem, the celebration of Palm Sunday in every church across all the nations of the earth is prophetic. We are announcing Jesus' coming final triumphal entry, not into Jerusalem, but into the whole world. Palm Sunday is a proclamation of Jesus Christ's victory for humanity in joyful expectation of the resurrection of the dead and the world to come, as well as a sobering reminder of divine judgement.