Why did people throw palm leaves on the ground while Jesus was coming?

Answer 1

The original account, Mark 11:8-9 does not say that the people used palm leaves (NAB): "Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

The time of the Passover is too early for leafy branches (except palms), which the author of John's Gospel recognised, changing this reference to 'palm branches', thus creating our modern tradition of Palm Sunday.

John Shelby Spong (Jesus for the NonReligious) says that Mark's Gospel seems to have taken the reference to 'leafy branches' from the traditional Jewish observance of Sukkoth at an entirely different time of year: The ]ewish eight day celebration of the harvest, known as Sukkoth, and also called the Festival of the Tabernacles or Booths, was probably the most popular holiday among the Jews in the first century. In the observance of Sukkoth, worshippers processed through Jerusalem and in the Temple, waving a bunch of leafy branches made of willow, myrtle and palm. As they waved these branches in that procession, the worshippers recited words from Psalm 118, the psalm normally used at Sukkoth. Among these words were "Save us, we beseech you, O Lord." Save us in Hebrew is hosianna or 'hosanna'. This is typically followed by "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. (Psalm 118:25-6)."

The author of John's Gospel is known to have copied the account in Mark's Gospel, but amended this detail in order to make it more realistic.

Answer 2

The people lay palms at Jesus' feet as Jesus was entering Jerusalem shortly before being crucified there. The story is commonly called "The Triumphal Entry" and you can read it in Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, and John 12:13 in The Bible. The gospel of Luke gives the story as well but does not mention anything being laid on the ground before Jesus.

It was a practice of people's of the east to cover the ground that someone of high honor was walking on. You can see this happening in the Bible with king Jehu when the people lay their garments before him in 2 Kings 9:13. In Matthew and Mark's gospels only tree branches and clothes are described as being laid before Jesus. John is the only author who specifies "Palm" branches.

The idea is the same though: The people were honoring Jesus in the way they would honor a king. So to answer the question of why the people lay palm branches before Jesus we have to ask what the people thought of Jesus to make them honor him in such a way.

In Matthew and Mark the people are recorded as saying "Hosanna to the Son of David!", "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!", "Hosanna in the highest!"

John's gospel adds that the people said "Blessed is the King of Israel!" and he quotes the prophet Zechariah who prophesied, "Do not be afraid O daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." Jesus was riding a donkey when he entered Jerusalem.

• In calling Jesus the "Son of David" they were identifying him as the "Messiah" (Christ in Greek) or the one who was to lead Israel, descended from the line of the first king of Israel, King David.
• Hosanna meant "God save!" or "God saves!"
• The one who came in the name of the Lord was the one sent by God to do his will.
• Calling Jesus "the King of Israel" is the most straightforward way of identifying him as the promised Messiah.

So the simplest answer to the question is that the Jewish people who lay palms and clothes before Jesus wanted to honor him because they thought he was their Messiah.

There is a lot to say about what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah but that is beyond the scope of the question.

Answer 3

They threw these things in front of Jesus because they were showing him honor. Little did they know it, but they were also fulfilling an Old Testament prophecy - "Here He comes to you Zion (Jerusalem), lowly and humble, riding on a donkey.

Answer 4

I was told people used their palms to herd the sheep so I was looking for any more information. I thought this was an interesting fact.

Answer 5

palms were a holy plant