[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore all of the readings except the main Gospel to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, March 29, 2026, which is Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord.
If you listened to my podcast last week, I explained that this week’s readings are broken into two episodes. This is Episode 97 where I will cover the Procession Gospel, the First Reading, Psalm, and Second Reading. In Episode 98 I will cover the full Gospel, the narrative of Christ's Passion and Death.
[00:00:50] This week's first episode is entitled: Behold your King and these readings help prepare us for Matthew's account of Jesus’ Passion and Death. Hopefully our Lenten disciplines have readied us to enter humbly into Holy Week and be reminded of all that Jesus endured for our sakes.
[00:01:14] As we journey through our readings this week, consider the following”
Holy Week offers a number of beautiful liturgies that invite us to witness the depth of Jesus saving actions… from the extremes of Palm Sunday to the quiet beauty of the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday - from the bitter sorrow of the Passion of the Lord on Good Friday - to the joyous celebration of the Lord's Resurrection at the Easter Vigil… we are invited to participate in the greatest mysteries the world has ever known. May we traverse these sacred days with open hearts and humbled egos, offering Jesus unending praise and gratitude for his sacrifice as we wonder anew at the love he has for us.
[00:02:15] So let's begin in prayer:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of this most sacred time of Holy Week. Strengthen us so that we may faithfully follow Jesus, Our Savior and King, wherever he leads by loving and serving others and by giving generously of ourselves so that we may reach the new and eternal Jerusalem where he lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:02:51] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures.
[00:02:59] Our Procession Gospel is from Matthew 21: 1-11.
And remember, the Procession Gospel opens the Mass on Palm Sunday.
[00:03:14] “[W]hen [Jesus and the disciples] drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth’phage, to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If any one says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord has need of them,” and he will send them immediately.’ This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.’
[00:04:45] All four Evangelists record Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem - John's is the shortest (@ just 7 verses) and Luke's is the longest (@ at 12 verses). Some details are only found in the Synoptics; other details are found in all four. Regardless of which Gospel account we hear, we must keep in mind that this is the final time Jesus will ever enter the city of Jerusalem… this will be the last time he celebrates Passover. Every event in his human life has led up to this week, during which he will experience his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Here in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has been careful about protecting his true identity up to this point…. but that is no longer the case! All the secrecy ends here.
So, let's break open the Procession Gospel…
[00:05:51] “[W]hen [Jesus and the disciples] drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth’phage, to the Mount of Olives,”
Bethphage was a small village somewhere east of Jerusalem; its exact location is no longer known. And the Mount of Olives is also east of the city of Jerusalem.
“Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her;’”
[00:06:24] That echoes a royal prophecy from Genesis 49, made by Jacob as part of the last word spoken to his 12 sons before his death. Only Matthew mentions both a donkey and a colt; Mark and Luke say only a colt. In John's Gospel, Jesus finds his own animal to ride, and John says that it is a young donkey.
[00:06:53] “‘untie them and bring them to me. If any one says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord has need of them” and he will send them immediately.’ This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet,”
Remember, Matthew is all about fulfilling prophecies. And the prophet Matthew will quote here is Zechariah 9, which describes the entry of a triumphant king. Zechariah says…
“Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
[00:07:39] The king described in that prophecy is unique because he arrives not on a mighty war horse, but humbly on a peaceful donkey.
[00:07:53] “The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat on them.”
[00:08:06] Most scripture scholars think Matthew means Jesus sat on the garments instead of suggesting that Jesus tried to balance on the backs of both animals at once. And by this action, Jesus now proclaims - publicly - that he is the long-awaited Messiah without actually uttering a single word.
[00:08:33] “Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road,”
[00:08:37] We might compare that to a red carpet spread out for a movie premiere.
[00:08:44] “and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.”
[00:08:50] Both Matthew and Mark mention leafy branches - that is where the custom of palm branches arose.
“And the crowds that went before him and that followed him”
[00:09:04] Those words show that Jesus' popularity has spread… for now. The crowds are both going before him and following him. And as they do, the crowd…
“shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’”
[00:09:25] Hosanna is from Hebrew and it means: Save Us - Save us, son of David!
[00:09:34] “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
That greeting - that blessing - was used to welcome pilgrims coming to the temple, but it takes on a whole new meaning with Jesus. And those words are proclaimed at every Catholic Mass - they are part of the Sanctus (the Holy, Holy) which ends with the reminder of the crowd's words…
“‘Hosanna in the highest!’ And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, ‘who is this?’”
[00:10:11] Meaning, essentially, that the city was in a tizzy… the crowds were riled up… they were rowdy – which, in turn, meant that the Roman officials and the chief priests were alarmed and felt that Jesus threatened their authority.
[00:10:33] “And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.’”
The crowds proclaim that Jesus is from Nazareth of Galilee. Jesus' fame has preceded him; his popularity as a teacher and healer has spread far and wide. But notice, that's all it is! They call him a prophet!
And if we think back to the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, we heard the prophecy from 1st Isaiah that promised the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali - Galilee of the nations - that a great light would shine upon them… the light of the Messiah. The Jewish religious authorities, however, will discount Jesus simply because he is from Nazareth rather than from Jerusalem… he is from Galilee, not Judea… which means they will see him as an uneducated country bumpkin from a backwater northern region… their own prejudices will cloud their perceptions of the Messiah, and they will not be able to see him for who he really is.
[00:12:00] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Isaiah 50: 4-7.
“The LORD God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. Morning by morning he wakens, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The LORD God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the LORD God helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”
[00:13:02] This is from 2nd Isaiah (chapters 40 – 55), which were written during the Babylonian captivity to give hope and encouragement to those who were in exile. Isaiah addresses the issue of why the just suffer while the wicked prosper in the four Suffering Servant Songs. This particular passage is part of the 3rd Suffering Servant Song. If we look at this from an historical perspective, Isaiah sees the exiles as the Suffering Servant. From a Christian perspective, we see Jesus as the Suffering Servant.
[00:13:50] So, let's hear what 2nd Isaiah has to say…
[00:13:54] “The LORD God has given me the tongue of those who are taught,”
In the NAB, those words are translated as: “a well-trained tongue.” The message is the same, that the Suffering Servant has been given the words that are necessary - directly from God himself. But the NAB is a bit more poetic than the RSV translation in this instance.
“that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary.”
[00:14:31] In other words, the Suffering Servant has both the knowledge imparted to him directly by God AND the ability needed to encourage those around him who are suffering.
“Morning by morning he wakens, he wakens my ear to those who are taught. The LORD God has opened my ear,”
[00:14:57] The Lord is preparing the Suffering Servant; the Lord is teaching the Suffering Servant to hear and understand HIS words so that the Suffering Servant can't - in turn - share them with others.
[00:15:13] “and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward.”
[00:15:18] The Suffering Servant is both obedient and faithful.
[00:15:24] “I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;”
Pulling on a man's beard would have been considered a grave insult to any Jewish male. So, Isaiah is saying, the Suffering Servant - the exiles who are in captivity in Babylon - have endured numerous insults and trials… and they have endured them patiently.
“I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”
The Suffering Servant is obedient to God's will, which in turn results in both mental and physical abuse being heaped upon him. Those are those trials - those insults - that are being heaped upon the exiles in Babylon.
[00:16:20] “For the LORD God helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore I have set my face like a flint,”
[00:16:31] Through every trial, God is there to support the Suffering Servant and keep him from faltering or wavering. “Set my face like flint” is an idiom for resolute determination, meaning that the Suffering Servant possesses the strength and courage to withstand any test.
[00:16:55] “and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”
[00:16:58] That, of course, is the ultimate promise that could be made in an honor/shame society, as the Jewish society was in biblical times! Others may incur shame through their own unjust actions (meaning the Babylonians), but the Suffering Servant (the exiles) will not experience shame.
[00:17:26] When we get to the Gospel in Episode 98, it will be quite evident why these verses are read on Palm Sunday - Christians see these images come to life in the Passion Narrative, which is why we see Jesus as the Suffering Servant in all of the Suffering Servant Songs.
[00:17:52] In the verses that immediately precede this passage, Isaiah points out that the faith of the Jews at the time was weak, that the people no longer responded when God called to them, and that they did not believe that God would actually deliver them from their bondage.
[00:18:15] Placed within that context, it makes it difficult to perceive the Jewish exiles as the Suffering Servant in this particular passage. Now, it is possible that Isaiah was intentionally employing hyperbole to snap the exiles out of their waywardness.
[00:18:41] He was known for using epigrams, hyperbole, and metaphors in his writing, just not necessarily in the Suffering Servant Songs. Again, the Jewish perspective does see the Suffering Servant as the exiles in Babylon, but the Christian perspective sees Jesus in those very same words.
[00:19:11] That takes us to our Responsorial Psalm, which this week is Psalm 22, and the refrain is:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
[00:19:24] In the NAB, the word “forsaken” is translated as “abandoned.”
And here are the verses:
“All who see me mock at me, they make mouths at me, they wag their heads; ‘He committed his cause to the LORD; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
“Yes, dogs are round about me; a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet—I can count all my bones.”
“[T]hey divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O LORD, be not far off! O my help, hasten to my aid!”
“I will tell of your name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the LORD, praise him! all you sons of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel!”
[00:20:31] This Psalm is an Individual Lament – and, as most Lament Psalms do, it begins with cries and complaints, but ends with words of trust and gratitude. Even Jesus quoted this Psalm on the Cross, when he took humanity's weakness upon himself and fulfilled the Father's plan to transform death into eternal life.
[00:21:00] And it's clear why Psalm 22 was chosen to be part of the Palm Sunday liturgy: Jesus was mocked by the Roman soldiers, the chief priests and scribes told Jesus to save himself, evildoers were the thieves crucified on Jesus' right and left, his hands and feet were pierced in the Crucifixion, and the soldiers cast lots for his garments - those are all events that take place as the Passion of Jesus unfolds.
And remember, Lament Psalms help us express our pain and grief to God, not through words of praise - we often can't call to mind those praises when we are in pain - but they help us turn toward God and ask for his help… they remind us that God bends down to us and meets us at our lowest point and that is also when we become aware of his love and mercy.
[00:22:21] That leads us to our Second Reading, which is from Philippians 2: 6-11.
[00:22:31] “[Christ Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
[00:23:28] This is one of Paul's Captivity Letters, written when Paul was a prisoner in Rome around 62 AD, to thank the Philippian community for their generous support during his imprisonment - through both their constant prayer and their financial assistance. The Philippians were one of the kindest and most gracious churches Paul ever established, and his affection for them is particularly evident. In this letter, Paul not only expresses his gratitude to the Philippians, he also encourages them in their faith in in spite of what is happening to him! Paul begins chapter 2 by telling the Philippians to be humble and generous and presents Jesus as the perfect example of humility, selflessness, and generosity. This passage may have been based on an early Christian hymn that Paul adapted from for this letter.
[00:24:36] So let's listen to what Paul has to say to the Philippians…
“[Christ Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,”
[00:24:51] The word “through” can also be translated as “because” – “because he was in the form of God” - and the word form comes from the Greek word morphē, which not only means outward appearance, but it also means essential nature. So, when Paul says Jesus “was in the form of God” he's not suggesting that Jesus just looked like God - he is saying that, in the kingdom of heaven, both Jesus' outward appearance and his essential nature were divine. And that Jesus never hesitated to do the Father's will by taking on human flesh in the Incarnation.
[00:25:40] Paul says that Jesus did not perceive his divinity – “his equality with God” - as something to be grasped… and Paul uses that word very deliberately! He could have said held on to, but he used the word grasped. That's because he's contrasting Jesus' willingness to let go of the outward signs of his divinity with Adam grasping the fruit of the tree of knowledge in Genesis 3, thereby falling prey to the serpent’s temptation to place himself on the same level as his Creator. Jesus, the new Adam, surrendered that which the first Adam attempted to grasp.
“but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
The word “emptied” comes from the Greek word kenoō, which means to empty out. So, Jesus emptied himself… he restricted the rightful exercise of his divinity to accept the apparent limits of his Incarnate, human existence. And then we have that word “form” again (in Greek morphē, “taking the form of a servant” but then Paul adds “born in the likeness of men,” those two phrases together are Paul's way of saying that Jesus’ outward appearance looked like that of any other human being.
[00:27:29] But remember, Paul has been comparing Jesus - the new Adam - with the first Adam. When he says that Jesus was “in the likeness of men,” Paul is absolutely saying that Jesus took on human flesh - he became Incarnate - but he is then comparing the humility of Jesus’ Incarnation with the serpent's empty promise to Adam, in Genesis 3, that Adam would “BE like God.”
[00:28:02] Paul is contrasting the reality of Jesus’ Incarnation with the mere illusion of divinity offered by the serpent.
“And being found in human form”
So, presenting to the world his human appearance… at least until the Transfiguration.
[00:28:24] “[Jesus] humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.”
[00:28:33] Paul says that Jesus “humbled himself” because that is exactly what Paul is encouraging the Philippians to be – humble! And Jesus' humility led him, through his obedience to the Father's will, to sacrifice himself in Death. And not just any death! But “death on a cross” - the most shameful and humiliating death imaginable to people in biblical times. All for us and all out of love.
[00:29:11] “Therefore God has highly exalted him”
[00:29:15] How exactly has God done this? Scripture tells us that God exalted Jesus by raising him from the dead, by seating him at the Father's own right hand in heaven, and by clothing his Incarnate humanity with eternal, unchanging divine glory.
“and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,”
[00:29:48] The word “bow” is translated as “bend” in the NAB - and bend actually makes more sense, at least for a knee. It's not so easy for a knee to bow, but it is pretty easy for a knee to bend.
[00:30:04] And Paul's words there are actually an adaptation of a quote from Isaiah 45, where God says: “To me every knee shall bend” indicating, again, Jesus' divinity and his exaltation by God the Father. And notice Isaiah does say bend! And where will this take place?
[00:30:30] “in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”
[00:30:36] Why those three places? Those are the three primary realms of existence understood by the ancient Israelites: “heaven” is the realm of the angels and saints; “earth” is where all living creatures exist; “under the earth” means the dead - those who reside in the underworld.
[00:30:58] “and every tongue confess”
[00:31:02] That is actually the other half of the quote from Isaiah 45, where God says: “by me every tongue shall swear” but by using the word confess, Paul is tweaking the meaning a bit. Swear would be equated with taking an oath, whereas confess suggests acknowledging or bearing witness. So, what is every tongue acknowledging?
“that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
[00:31:35] The Jews say LORD rather than the name of God - the Tetragrammaton (YHWH). So, Jesus is - now and for all eternity - fully divine and fully human - which came about out of obedience to his Father and which, in turn, brings the Father glory.
[00:32:02] Jesus did not obey the Father's will to achieve glory or to be exalted… he did it out of love.
[00:32:12] Jesus is the Word (that's capital “W” Word - Logos in Greek), the Word through which God spoke everything into existence. So, in his unending divine love, Jesus became obedient to the Father for us… for our sakes.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week - the last days of Jesus’ earthly life.
[00:32:47] If you have never attended any of the liturgies of Holy Week, I invite you to do so this year. These profoundly moving and hauntingly beautiful liturgies immerse us in the totality of Jesus' saving actions.
[00:33:04] This year I am happy to announce that I will release 2 Bonus Episodes for Holy Week - one exploring the readings for the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday and the other exploring the readings for the Commemoration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday.
[00:33:22] In fact, I am privileged to announce that this podcast reaches an important milestone with the Good Friday episode - that will be our 100th episode!
[00:33:36] However you observe Holy Week, I encourage you to embrace this sacred time, traverse these days with open hearts, and offer Jesus unending gratitude and praise as we stand in awe of the love Our Lord and Savior has for each and every one of us.
[00:34:02] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you safe and secure in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God Bless.
