It’s Palm Sunday, and on Palm Sunday Jesus was a huge hit with the crowds. Compare his popularity on that day with that of other prominent leaders, and Jesus wins hands down.

On the original Palm Sunday there was no doubt about where Jesus was “trending” (a contemporary term for growing social media popularity), at least among his followers. Coming up to Jerusalem from Jericho, Jesus and his disciples would have likely fallen in with hundreds of other pilgrims, increasing the population of the Holy City from about 40,000 to more than 200,000 for the celebration of Passover. It is significant and critical to remember that Passover was a time of celebration, but it was also a time of high tension in Jerusalem.

Last week I read a captivating article in the journal “Homiletics” about famous “exit lines.”

Asking what is the best “exit line” in recent history (the last 50 to 75 years), the article mentioned Richard M. Nixon's "You won't have me to kick around anymore" comment.

Although Nixon -- and much of America -- thought it was Nixon’s exit line, it was not. In a remarkable comeback, Nixon returned to politics and in 1968 was elected president.

It's a scenario straight out of a drama movie. You have been kidnapped and blindfolded. After some jostling and being moved from place to place, you finally rip off the blindfold and discover that you have been locked in a room with 10 other people. No, wait, there's an 11th "person" -- a zombie chained to the wall.

A voice over an intercom tells you that there is a key hidden in the room that will enable you to escape to freedom, but to find the key you must work with other people in the room to solve puzzles and put together clues to its whereabouts.