Palm Sunday (of the Lord's Passion)

The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

(Matthew 21:1-11)

And when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village lying before you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you will say, 'The Lord needs them,' and at once he will send them." This was done to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying, "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, meek and sitting on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of an animal under the yoke.'" And the disciples went and did as Jesus had commanded them.
They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and He sat on them. And a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road; and some were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. And the crowds proceeding ahead of him and those following were shouting, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" And when he had come into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds would say, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee."(Mark 11:1-10)

And when they drew near Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sends two of His disciples and says to them, "Go to the village lying before you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there on which no one of men has ever sat; untie it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately'." And they went and found a colt tied by a door, outside in the street, and they are untying it. And some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" They spoke as Jesus had told them, and they allowed them.
And they bring the colt to Jesus and throw their cloaks on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others, branches cut from the fields. And those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting, "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!"

(Luke 19:29-40)

And it happened that when He drew near Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called 'of Olives,' He sent two of the disciples, saying, "Go into the village lying before you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied there on which no one of men has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' so you shall say to him: 'The Lord needs it.'" So those who were sent ahead went and found it just as He had told them. And as they were untying the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They said, "The Lord needs it."
And they brought it to Jesus, and they threw their cloaks on the colt, and had Jesus get on it. And as He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. As He drew near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the works of power they had seen, saying, "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!' Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." And answering, He said, "I tell you: if these keep silent, the stones would cry out!"

(John 12:12-19)

The next day the great crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him; and they were shouting, "Hosanna! 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD', even the King of Israel!" Jesus found a little donkey and sat on it, as it is written, "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion: behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!" (His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.) So the crowd that had been with Him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify. For this reason the people also met Him, for they heard that He had performed this sign. Therefore the Pharisees said among themselves, "You see that you can do nothing; look, the world has run off after Him!"

Now from an apocryphal Gospel:

(Gospel of Nicodemus, first Greek form, chapter 1:2-4)

...The Jews say to Pilate, "We beseech your excellency that He [Jesus] stand at your judgment-seat and to try Him." And Pilate having called them, says, "Tell me how can I, a governor, try a King?" They say to him, "We do not say that he is a king, but He says that He is." And Pilate having called the messenger, says to him, "Let Jesus be brought with gentleness." And the runner going out, and recognising Him, did Him reverence, and taking the kerchief which was in his hand, he spread it on the ground, and says to Him, "Sir, walk on this and go in, for the governor calls you." And the Jews seeing what the messenger had done, cried out against Pilate and said, "Why had you ordered him to come in by a messenger, and not by a herald? For as soon as he saw Him the messenger reverenced Him, and spread out his kerchief on the ground, and made Him walk on it like a king."

And Pilate having called the messenger, says to him, "Why have you done this, and spread your kerchief on the ground and made Jesus walk upon it?" The runner says to him, "Lord governor, when you sent me to Jerusalem to Alexander, I saw Him sitting upon a donkey, and the sons of the Hebrews held branches in their hands, and shouted; and others spread their cloaks under Him saying, 'Save now, you who are in the highest; 'blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"
The Jews cry out, and say to the messenger, "The sons of the Hebrews shouted in Hebrew; how do you know it in Greek?" The messenger says to them, "I asked one of the Jews, and said, 'What is it they are shouting in Hebrew?' And he interpreted it to me." Pilate says to them, "And what did they shout in Hebrew?" The Jews say to him, "HOSANNA MEMBROME BARUCHAMMA ADONAI*."
Pilate says to them, "And this 'Hosanna' and the rest, how is it interpreted?" The Jews say to him, "Save now in the highest; 'blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD.'"
Pilate says to them, "If you bear witness to the words spoken by the children, in what has the runner done wrong?" And they were silent. And the governor says to the messenger, "Go out, and bring him in whatever way you wish." And the messenger going out, did in the same manner as before, and says to Jesus, "Enter, the governor calls you."...

* Transliteration of the Hebrew הושיעה נא במרומים ברוך הבא בשם יהוה, Hoshiana bam'romim; Baruch haba (b'shem) Adonai.