Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Luke 19:28-40
In a small college town a tavern
frequented by students ran the following ad in the campus paper during the days
before Parent’s Weekend: “Bring your parents for lunch Saturday. We’ll pretend we don’t know you!” The ad was soon challenged by the college
chaplain, who posted a revised version on the campus bulletin board. It read: “Bring your parents to chapel
Sunday. We’ll pretend we know you!”
Our laughter in part, I think,
reflects our realization that our expectations for people can blind us to who
they really are. If we expect our child
to be the one bringing us to chapel, that is what we often will see. So it is with Jesus as well.
Today we read the
story we tell every Palm Sunday, the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into
Jerusalem. In a sense, this is the same story as the advent stories of Jesus’
coming. Or at least there are strong parallels. During advent we prepare for
Jesus’ coming as a baby. And we are reminded that his coming will not be what
we expect. He won’t be the king of the powerful and rich, he will be king of
the poor and outcast, not born in power and might, but born as a poor baby. He
won’t make things comfortable but will disrupt and disturb the status quo.
Today, he comes again: this time into Jerusalem at the end of his life. And
again, the people of the time are filled with expectations which will not be
met. In the Matthew, Mark and John versions of today’s scriptures, they shout
“Hosanna!” which means? It means, “Lord
save us!” or “Lord Help us!” And they had every expectation that this salvation
would come in the form of stopping the oppression of the Romans in a military
way.
We are again
called to look for Jesus in the unexpected, to look for God’s presence in new
ways. To look beyond the triumphal march into Jerusalem and instead focus on
Jesus’ message for us and his call for us to follow in his ways of love, peace,
sacrifice and hope.
Jesus was the lord
of the outcasts, the lord of the poor, the lord of the marginalized and
displaced. And this day, the day of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was his day. It
was also THEIR day. He entered Jerusalem
to the waving of palm branches, on a donkey’s colt (according to the other
gospels), with the multitude of his followers placing their cloaks on the
ground before him. He was surrounded by those who had been healed of their
afflictions, those he had empowered, those he had freed, those he had loved,
and they were so excited by his coming! Their king, their lord was entering
Jerusalem! They believed he would save them, that he would take back the city
and he would free Israel from the oppression of the Romans. He would lift high
the lowly and everything would be okay again. Can you imagine the excitement?
Jesus would make all their pain go away, he would make it good, he would bring
blessings, freedom and shalom, peace, wholeness to Israel. This was a day to rejoice indeed.
The Pharisees, the
righteous, those who still had some power and some wealth and some freedom,
even in the midst of Roman occupation were also present. But how differently
they must have seen things! Here was this carpenter’s son, this Jewish man on a
DONKEY - a sign of humility and poverty, not a grand royal horse, but a donkey.
And here he was surrounded by the outcasts, the poor, those who had no power or
resources, the “riff raff”. How could they really think this man would make a
difference in their lives? How could they really think he could help them? They
laid their cloaks on the ground before him - a gesture usually reserved for
royalty. But what cloaks! These were not
rich frocks covering the dirt to provide a clean and royal ride for a king.
Instead they were rags, used clothes, hand-me-downs, worn to threads - a
symbolic gesture for a clown king. What a joke!! How could this man be a king?
How could he do anything with this rag tag group of people to make their lives
acceptable?
In addition, the Pharisees
were undoubtedly more than a little nervous about the scene Jesus and the
disciples were making. The Romans did control Jerusalem. What if they felt
threatened by this man? Who would they punish? Probably all of Israel -
starting at the top. No, the Pharisees figured, it was important that this man
and this demonstration be stopped before there were violent repercussions and
more hardships inflicted on them from the Romans.
And then there is
Jesus’ perspective. This was Jesus’ day - the only day during his life time that
the work he had done and the message he brought were honored and supported and
uplifted in this grand way. For within a week the crowds would become
disappointed by his lack of military action. Within a week they would have
turned on him. Within a week he would be dead. And Jesus saw this. He knew that
he was not the kind of king they wanted. He was never going to be the military
man, come to overthrow the Roman rule. He was never going to be like our
mortal, human kings. Instead, he was a king of love. He was a king of peace.
And the difference he came to make was not military or violent. It was to
change people from inside, to heal, to empower, to teach them to see everyone
as brother and sister and to rejoice in that love. And if he could succeed in
teaching people to love each other, that would make a difference far greater
than any military or violent action possibly could. For Jesus, this was the day
to celebrate. It was also a day to grieve for the people still didn’t get it.
They still didn’t see him or his message. They were still expecting something
different.
What version of
Jesus do we see? What expectations for Jesus do we have? As we read today’s
story about his entry into Jerusalem do we see, like Jesus’ disciples, a king
who will rule the people and lead them in triumph? One who will return in glory
to take over and make everything fair and right? I think most of us would hope
for that. Most people, indeed most Christians, still expect a returning Jesus
to overthrow our current governments and rule with might and strength. But that
has never been the God Jesus has shown us. Do we, then, like the Pharisees, see
a weak fool who really will not be able to effect positive change but may
instead make things worse by creating fear in those who do have power? Or… can
we instead see the man of the marginalized who will confront us for our riches
and power and ask us to change our ways and serve the poor and marginalized? Can
we see and expect a man who will upset the status quo, upset our comfortable lives
by overturning the money changers in the temple – demanding a counter cultural
behavior instead, ask from us actions of love instead of simple work towards
making money, or friends or power? Who do we see? What do we expect?
“Lord Save us!”
the people cried. They cried it in trust that he would save them. They cried it
with hope and expectation. They cried it with joy and celebration. And the fact
is, if they had listened he would have saved them, but again, not in the way
they expected or wanted. When we can change our lives around from being fearful,
angry, and hating into being people whose lives are truly governed by LOVE
(which includes gratitude, faith, hope, trust, peace), then our lives ARE
saved, they become different, they are changed into lives of meaning, of
purpose, of “eternal life” in the sense of becoming so much bigger than
ourselves. But this is not the way people then, or now, want to be saved. We
want to be saved from our pain, from our grief. We want to be saved from
financial struggles and worries. We want to be rescued from anything that hurts
us or is oppressive, demeaning, unfair. We forget that we are called to be the
change we want to see, to be God’s hands and feet in the world. We forget and
instead want to be rescued – from ourselves perhaps most of all.
Palm Sunday is a
day of celebration. We celebrate the kingship of Jesus. But it is also a day of
reflection. We are called to reflect on the ways that kingship is different
from our expectations. We reflect on our call to look for God’s coming in
different and unexpected ways. We look to see God’s glory as it speaks to us
today. Open your heart to God’s coming. Open your soul to the new possibilities
present this day, here and now. And maybe, instead of “Lord, save us!” we need
to be shouting, “Show us how to save you through saving and loving one
another.” Amen.
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