Palm Sunday

I wanted to share the comments of Origen of Alexandria on John’s description of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He is described as riding on both a colt and an ass. Origen uses his vast knowledge of the Old Testament to unlock the deep spiritual meaning that John has hidden in his description. This is a good example of how Origen uses logic to separate the literal, moral and spiritual meaning in the bible. He shows that it is not possible to ride two animals simultaneously and comes to the conclusion that there must be a spiritual meaning to this symbol. I find his picture of Palm Sunday inspiring: Jesus entering our soul (Jerusalem) on the back of His Word (a young, unburdened colt) and on the apostle’s explanations of the Old Testament (loosening the restrains on a beast of burden).