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Palm Sunday Reflection 2026: Joshua And Jesus*

Palm Sunday Reflection 2026: Joshua And Jesus*

Last updated on: March 29, 2026 at 1:15 am by Henry Karlson

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Palm Sunday Reflection 2026: Joshua And Jesus* 2026-03-29T01:15:02-05:00 Henry Karlson

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Unknown author: Jesus’ Entry Into Jerusalem / Wikimedia Commons

The Torah tells us Moses was not able to physically lead the people of Israel into the promised land; instead, that was left to his successor, Joshua, the son of Nun. However, they were prepared for this, as God had Joshua elevated and given a position of authority while Moses was still alive:

Moses said to the LORD, “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep which have no shepherd.” And the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him; cause him to stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD; at his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; he took Joshua and caused him to stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and he laid his hands upon him, and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses (Num. 27:15-23 RSV).

Joshua continued to follow Moses until Moses died. Then, it was Joshua’s time, and we are told he finished what Moses began, by taking the people into the land of Canaan:

So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Bethpeor; but no man knows the place of his burial to this day. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the people of Israel obeyed him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel (Deut. 34: 5-12 RSV).

After entering the land of Canaan, Joshua and the people of Israel began the process which would transform the land, taking it away from the Canaanites and making it their own. While it would take centuries for the takeover to be complete, we are told Joshua had many successes against the Canaanites, engaging them in ways which were nothing short of miraculous; they achieved their victories, not by possessing or using greater military, but through God, who worked in and through them while they appeared insignificant and powerless. From the stories of his victories, we should learn that true victory comes from God, not through arms and military strategy, and so, we must in our lives relying upon God, following God’s way of love, even if it makes us appear weak and insignificant.

It is difficult, like with Moses, to pinpoint Joshua in history. Once again, we have a mythic figure, and various legends which seem to connect to real world events. But, like Moses, it should not be difficult to believe there was a historical figure behind them. It should not be surprising that, at the end of the period in which the exodus happened, there would be someone chosen to succeed Moses, someone who would finish what Moses began. Joshua not only made sure there would be a place for them in the land of Canaan, he made sure, once they entered the land (and joined in with anyone already in the land willing to welcome them) that they would follow Moses and the revelation (and covenant) God established through him. It is likely many different peoples from the land of Canaan joined themselves to Joshua and his work, and in doing so, were brought into the Mosaic Covenant. But, as they did so, they would have found their religious ideas were changed, indeed, refined, for, like Moses, Joshua sought to purify the religious practices found in the land of Canaan (and those which the people had picked up in Egypt), taking up elements, purifying them from their worst aspects (such as human sacrifice, which the Mosaic tradition suggested should come to an end with the story of Abraham and his attempted sacrifice of Isaac).

From the Christian standpoint, the story of Joshua and his conquest over Canaan suggests an allegorical and/or typological interpretation. Joshua was the immediate prophet and successor of Moses, which means, what he did could (and should) serve as a type representing that the messiah, the successor “prophet like unto Moses” would do. In engaging typology (and allegory), Christians observe that Joshua and Jesus even have the same name (they are merely rendered different in English due to the fact Joshua reflects the Hebrew of the Torah and Jesus the Greek of the New Testament). Jesus, therefore, is the new Joshua; just as Joshua brought the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, the land of promise, Jesus, the messiah, the final and greatest prophet, brings the people of the world into the eschatological kingdom of God. The difference is that Joshua merely continued and helped develop what Moses started, while Jesus established a new, and eternal, covenant, not just for the people of Israel, but for all humanity (while doing so in such a way he continued and fulfilled the Mosaic covenant). Joshua’s triumphal entry into Canaan can be seen as type of Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem. Joshua began the conquest of Canaan, while Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem would lead him to deal with sin, freeing the world from its bondage.

Continuing with the allegorical way we are to understand Joshua and what he did, the peoples in Canaan whom he overcame should be seen representing the spiritual powers of darkness, the sins, which Christ overcomes. Though the historical Joshua likely used violence, the spiritual Joshua, Jesus, does not. Jesus did something much different; he embraced the way of humility and weakness. He allowed extreme violence and hate be cast upon him so that he could fulfill what was anticipated by the prophets. And so, once again, we find it is not by the way of arms, nor by the way of earthly might and violence, but by God’s greater glory, where true victory is found.

Jesus made his way into Jerusalem to fulfill his messianic mission. Many thought that meant he was about to wage war and elevate Israel to its rightful place in the world. He, however, did not. His victory over sin, with death as it has been touched by sin, would not be had by embracing military might, but rather, it would be won by his humility and love. He allowed those who thought they were powerful to do what they wanted to him, but, try as they might, they would find there is so much they could do before they became exhausted. Again, we get hints of this in what we see coming from Joshua, for it was when the people of Israel trusted God, and not their own might, they achieved miraculous success (such as when the walls of Jericho came down).

When Jesus made is his way into Jerusalem, he was surrounded by crowds singing his praises, crowds expecting him to continue what Joshua had begun, doing what the ancient people of Israel had done to the Canaanites to the Romans. They were right in thinking he was going to fulfill God’s plans, but he was going to do so in a way which they did not understand. They were right to cheer him on and praise him. They are properly remembered for that, even if they did not understand Jesus and what he was about to do. It is likely some of them would turn in Jesus, just like Judas, at the end of the week, when it was clear, he did not come to lead them into battle, though it is hard to believe everyone who cheered him on did so.

*Technically, Palm Sunday, as all Holy Week, falls outside of Lent in the Byzantine Calendar

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