Debbie
Cato
Zechariah
9:4-9a and Mark 11:1-11
The
Way of the Cross –Week 6 (Palm Sunday)
Peace
Presbyterian Church
March
29, 2015
Follow
the Man on the Donkey
Today
begins Holy Week – the last week of Lent. I would say it is the
most important week in the Christian faith. I commend you to extra
prayer and vigil this week as we continue to walk the way of the
cross with Jesus. Plan to attend our Maundy Thursday service when we
will remember the last supper and Jesus’ arrest. Then on Friday –
Good Friday as it's called - spend extra time in prayer and
reflection as you remember Christ’s crucifixion. It is only after
walking all the way to the cross with Christ, that we can truly
rejoice on Easter morning.
Jesus
and his disciples have been heading to Jerusalem for quite some time.
One-third of Mark’s Gospel relates to Jesus entry into Jerusalem
and the last 7 days of Jesus’ life. Jerusalem and the events that
are about to transpire are the very definition of who Jesus is.
While traveling to the city, Jesus heals the blind, exorcises demons,
feeds the five thousand, speaks to the crowds and teaches his
disciples. And three times - three times, he explains to his
disciples that he is going to die and be resurrected.
And
now, after all the teaching, after all the healing, after all the
encouragement, after all the warnings, they
draw near to Jerusalem. Can
you feel the momentum gearing up? Can you feel that something is
about to happen?
As
they draw near to Jerusalem
– before they actually arrive, Jesus sends
two of his disciples into a village ahead of them. Jesus
sends his disciples telling them, "Go into the village opposite
you, and immediately as you enter, you will find a colt tied, on
which no one has ever sat; untie it and bring it. 3
If any one says to you, `Why are you doing this?' say, `The Lord has
need of it and will send it back here
immediately.'"
Notice
that
Jesus
is in control over every thing that is about to happen; over every
detail Divine knowledge brought him to Jerusalem thus far. This
same divine knowledge will take him all the way to the cross. Jesus
is in control. Everything happens according to plan. Jesus does not
enter Jerusalem as an unknowing victim.
The
disciples do as they are told. They
go away,
(into the village)
where they
find
a colt; a
young donkey
tied at the door out in the open street; and they untie it,
just as Jesus instructed them.
And
sure enough, people
standing there ask
the disciples,
"What are you doing, untying the colt?" 6
And they tell the
people exactly
what Jesus told
them to say. After hearing the explanation the
people let the
disciples take the colt and go on their way.
See
how everything happens just as Jesus says it will?
And
the disciples bring the colt to Jesus, and they
throw
their garments on it; and he sits upon it.
A
young donkey with a large passenger struggling down the steep road
that leads from the Mount of Olives to the eastern gate of Jerusalem
may seem a little ridiculous to us; a little under-stated for the
Savior of the world. But to the people gathering around to watch
Jesus’ arrival, his mode of transportation is symbolic. By riding
into Jerusalem on a humble donkey, Jesus is making a very specific
political statement He is making a messianic claim, echoing the
prophet’s imagery in Zechariah 9:9.
“Lo,
your king comes to you' triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Instead
of a display of power and might, Jesus the King of all kings comes in
“humble and riding on a donkey.” This is no ordinary man coming
into town. All the signs point to his kingship; to his Messiah-ship.
This is no ordinary king promoting
his own glory; flaunting his symbols of power. This is a king for
fishermen; for tax collectors; for prostitutes. This is a king for
you and for me.
And
the crowds of people? Those accompanying Jesus are as humble as his
entry — a ragtag collection of disciples and hanger-ons spreading
their cloaks in the road; the ancient equivalent of rolling out a red
carpet. And yet, what do those crowds do? Those
that lay their cloaks on the ground and shout Hosanna as Jesus enters
the city? Those that traveled with Jesus into Jerusalem, those that
considered themselves followers? Well, they disperse as mysteriously
as they assemble. The welcome, the celebration soon turns to
opposition and eventually to condemnation and death.
It
won’t be long – days actually, that these same people that
celebrate Jesus as he enters Jerusalem, the same people who shout
Hosanna on the Highest! - these same people will taunt Jesus. These
same people will mock him. They will turn on him. These will be the
same people who scream “crucify him, crucify him.” In a few
days, Jesus will stand alone, betrayed and forsaken.
This
passage is one of both triumph and suffering. Jesus enters the city
knowing, anticipating, and yes, even controlling every single detail
of his suffering and death. It begs us to ask questions to try to
understand. Why does Jesus decide to ride into Jerusalem in a way
that invites acclaim? Why at this point in his ministry does he make
an almost triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the stronghold of his
enemies? By this time, Jesus has no real doubt that he will meet a
violent death. Is this entry into Jerusalem a challenge to his
opponents? Is it part of a journey marked by deeper and deeper
letting go of all things, except the will of God? Is it a sign of
things to come, no matter what will happen to him in Jerusalem?1
Unlike
his followers, we know the ending. We know that when Jesus enters Jerusalem this
time, it will be his last time. We know he is traveling on the road
to his death. Three times he tried to tell his disciples that his
destiny is suffering and death. But they didn't want to hear; they
didn't understand.
Discipleship
is not only about the hosannas and the praises. Discipleship is not
about enthusiasm for some hyped-up faith. It is not about jumping
on the bandwagon
of whatever is popular at the time. It is not about following some charismatic
leader. It’s about following Jesus – the man on the donkey.
Jesus’ mission and revelation as the Son of God is not complete
until he suffers and dies on the cross, only to be resurrected from
the dead – defeating sin and death for once and for all. Jesus is
not confessed as Messiah in the pomp and circumstance, but only at
the cross. And so, it is there that we too must go.
Many
Bibles give today's passage the title, “Jesus
Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem.”
The word “triumphant” implies a victory; a conquering of sorts.
And that is certainly what Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is. A victory
of cosmic proportions. But certainly not the kind of victory the
people expected. It's not the kind of victory they were hoping for.
This whole narrative is a dramatic, yet puzzling event in the story
of Jesus' movement toward his destiny.
Honestly,
I don't know what to do with all of this. But God does. I don't
completely get it, but I don't have to because God does. I don't
want to figure this out. But, that's O.K. too. God has it figured
out.
When
I read this passage, I can see myself in that crowd at the entrance
into Jerusalem. I can feel the excitement of Jesus' appearance.
“He's here, He's here!” I can hear myself shout. I can see
myself waving my palm; taking off my robe and laying it on the ground
for him. I imagine myself weeping as I see this Jesus of Nazareth
for myself. “Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.”
But
if I'm honest, I also see myself hiding when the trouble starts; too
afraid to voice my opinion; too filled with fear to stand up for him.
I can see myself caught up in the crowd, the chaos – horrified at
what I see yet unable to turn away. Nervous that someone might
recognize me as one of them; as one of his followers. I recognize
myself denying him; too afraid for my own well-being. I can see
myself.
What
about you? Where do you see yourself in this story? Who are you?
Where are you? What do you see? How do you feel? What do you hear?
What do you do? Who do you see yourself as? Where are you in this
story?
Discipleship
means following the man on the donkey all the way to the cross. We
know the King is coming, are we ready?
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