Bethpage

Mural in the Franciscan Church on the Mt. of Olives

The village of Bethphage is remembered as the starting point of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on the day Christians celebrate as Palm Sunday. In New Testament times, Bethpage, on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, was near Bethany, but its exact location is uncertain today.

Rabbinical writings indicate that it was the limit of a Sabbath day’s journey from Jerusalem, and the furthest point that bread could be baked for Temple use.

Its name means House of Unripe Figs—remembering the time Jesus cursed the fig tree, causing it to wither (Matthew 21:18-22).

The memory of the Triumphal Entry is kept in a Franciscan Church, built on the road that descends the Mt. of Olives between Bethany and Jerusalem. There is a beautiful mural (seen above) in the church above the altar, showing Jesus riding the donkey and receiving the acclaim of the crowds. Also on display is a large rock that the Crusaders regarded as the mounting-block Jesus used to get on the donkey.