Martha Hill Jamison

Matthew 21: 1-11 (The Message)
When they neared Jerusalem, having arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: “Go over to the village across from you. You’ll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you’re doing, say, ‘The Master needs them!’ He will send them with you.”

 This is the full story of what was sketched earlier by the prophet:
Tell Zion’s daughter,
“Look, your king’s on his way,
    poised and ready, mounted
On a donkey, on a colt,
    foal of a pack animal.”

The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They led the donkey and colt out, laid some of their clothes on them, and Jesus mounted. Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, “Hosanna to David’s son!” “Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!” “Hosanna in highest heaven!”

As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, “What’s going on here? Who is this?”

The parade crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Reflection:
My daughter and son-in-law had their “meet cute” at the parade for the World Champion Houston Astros in 2017. Their friend groups ended up in the same downtown parking garage, hanging over the low walls, straining to see the Astros players riding fire truck floats down Milam Street. They describe the electricity of the moment, including the rescue of a fan’s hat, dropped from the eighth level. Do you remember that? Astros fans tossed the hat back up the parking garage, one floor at a time, to its owner.

No wonder Meredith and Aaron fell in love!

I am not sure how many Astros regular-season games my daughter watched in 2017. I don’t know whether anyone in the World Series parade crowd rooted for the ‘Stros during the seasons of only 50 wins. Or whether they remained loyal fans after revelations of trash cans and sign-stealing.

Likewise, we don’t know what was in the hearts of the people who crowded the streets of Jerusalem to see Jesus on Palm Sunday. Some may not have known him, yet they were drawn in by the electricity of the moment. Some may have known only of his miracles, not his parables. Some may have wanted him to be king. Some would later curse him.

Jesus was not concerned that day about fair-weather fans. He wasn’t really concerned about the crowd at all. He already knew what the end of the week would bring. 

Jesus had a different mission in mind. He was fulfilling a prophecy. In the verses above, Matthew quoted Zechariah 9:9, a Messianic prophecy. Jesus was intentional about revealing God’s nature — One who keeps promises — down to the last detail of riding a colt, as Zechariah predicted. The King’s on his way.

Jesus gave very specific instructions to his disciples. His goal was not to win over the crowd or protect himself from enemies. He didn’t ask the disciples to fetch Mardi Gras beads. He did not ask for weapons of defense. His mission was to publicly declare that God sent him, the long-awaited Messiah, just as promised. That required only a donkey.

Even in a moment when the adulation of the crowd was palpable, Jesus remained the same. His head was not turned. At the end of the week, those in the crowd would hate him or forget him, but Jesus still would be the same.

When we remember the fickle crowd in Jerusalem, it’s instinctive to condemn them. But, they didn’t know who Jesus was. Not really. They only provided the palm leaves. We, on the other hand, do know him. This is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, through whom God has freed us of our sin and given us the gift of eternal life and salvation.

We know the procession is for our King. Hosanna in highest heaven!

Prayer:
Dearest God, let us not be the Palm Sunday crowd, waving our branches while asking “who is this?” Let us share the answer widely with resound: Jesus is King! Amen.