Palm Sunday and Ad Orientem

 Mass of the Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord is preceded by blessing of palms and procession of presiding priest to the alter, while those who fill pews wave the blessed palm. Before this procession begins, Gospel narrative of Jesus’ triumphant entry in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11) is read. 

The way Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, from east, was to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy of the Davidic Messianic King’s coming (Zechariah 9:9). The fact that he entered from the east side of Jerusalem, as he was coming from Mt Olives, evokes Ezekiel22’s testimony of Yahweh’s coming to the post-exilic Temple as He returned to the restored Jerusalem and the Temple from east (Ezekiel 43:2). Before Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Babylonians, Yahweh left the Temple through east, upon promising of the new post-Exilic Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:23). Once Yahweh returns to the post-exilic Temple, the Second Temple, the city’s east gate was shut but His Son, the Prince, can enter through its portico and leave the same way for his priestly ministry such as fellowship offering (Leviticus 7:11-15) that priest consumes (Ezekiel 44:1-3). 

In fact, Jesus, the incarnated Christ, is not only the Messianic Davidic King (Luke 1:32-33; Isaiah 11:1-16;; Zechariah 9:9) and the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) but also the eternal High Priest of the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:1-10, 7:1-22), who comes to Jerusalem from east to offer himself as the ultimate Yom Kippur atonement sacrifice for us, sinners (Hebrews 7:27-28, 10:5-18; cf. ,Leviticus 16:1-33), as he is the merciful High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).

On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem from east as the Prince of Peace (i.e. Ezekiel 44:3; Isaiah 9:6) and the self-sacrificing High Priest (Hebrews 7:27-28, 10:9-12), riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:7-8; cf. Zechariah 9:9). So he offers himself on the Cross to complete his Priestly offering to save us. And when he returns to the Father in heaven, after his Resurrection, Jesus leaves Jerusalem from east, as his Ascension takes place on in the Bethany area, which is on the Mt. Olives (Luke 24:50), as Yahweh comes and goes (Ezekiel 11:23; 44:2) and the Prince comes and goes through east (Ezekiel 44:3).

The Palm Sunday procession, therefore, must be carried out from east to enter the sanctuary. This is why church buildings are to be built ad orientem, making their entrances face east. As Zechariah regarded the birth of Jesus as daybreak (Luke 1:78), he first came to us from east, figuratively speaking. So it is nice to let light of rising sun in the sanctuary everyday to remind Palm Sunday. and Nativity.