IN Church liturgy, the Sunday (which was to be his last) when Jesus entered Jerusalem is called Palm Sunday.

The term was coined from the fact that the people who welcomed Him into the city spread their clothes on the street as others cut branches of trees which they waved to welcome Him.

A close look at the Gospel narrative (Matthew 21:1-17) indicates that the reaction of the people was mixed.

The common people (mostly pilgrims from other lands who came to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of the Passover) were jubilant. They shouted “Hosana to the Son of David”.

On the other hand, the reaction of the clergy of the temple, was negative. They were incensed by the warm reception of the common tao.

The clergymen felt insecure. A new religious leader has come to town and is drawing the people away from them.

They had to act to preserve their vested interest. The priests plotted to kill him.

They hired false witnesses who testified that he committed blasphemy.

Blasphemy is the highest form crime against God. The penalty for this crime is death.

Here is the crucial moment. It is recorded in John 19:7.

“The crowd replied. He claimed to be the Son of God. Our law says that he must be put to death.”

In the context of the Jewish religion, for a man to claim that he is the Son of God, is to pretend that he is God. That is blasphemy.

The Jews failed to see that Jesus is God in human flesh. This is our doctrine of the incarnation.

God left His throne in heaven. He came down to earth in human form. God appeared as a man.

Just as God appeared to Moses as fire in the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6).

There is an ancient law known as lex taliones or the law of the sword. Its application is expressed in the maxim “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”

When you offend a fellowman by hurting his eye; you will pay the crime by having your eye also blinded.

The Christian concept of salvation is such that because man was lost to sin, he can be redeemed by a man with no sin.

There is only one man who is without sin. The man Jesus. Redemption from sin involves the shedding of blood.

Jesus shed his blood on the cross. His blood was for the remission of our sin.

“The law says that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can be forgiven unless blood is offered. (Hebrew 9:22)