Earlier in the week, I noticed in one of the news reports a scene of Iraqi people cheering the arrival of Coalition forces. About 10% of the crowd was holding and waving palms around in the air. I was reminded of the scene in Mark 11:1-10 where Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt.
I am not comparing the Coalition forces with Jesus (there is none), but the tradition of honoring heroes with palms still exists in the Middle East. Seeing that scene on TV just reinforced the triumphant welcoming Jerusalem gave Jesus on Sunday. And then on Friday, they crucified Him.