Palm Sunday

Liturgy of the Palms
  Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
  Gospel: Mark 11:1-11 or John 12:12-16


Today is Palm Sunday; I am sure that comes as no surprise to anybody. If your church is like most then you might be hosting some type of Easter Fest or EGGtravaganza to really get to the heart of what Easter is. Nothing celebrates Jesus suffering, death, and resurrection better than candy, eggs, bunnies and shopping! One doesn't have to look very far, much like Christmas, unfortunately, to see all the ways we have allowed the culture to influence what and how we do things. We allow the consumerism and concepts of beauty to determine that again we must buy things to be happy and that there is no way you can show up to church with a dress you have previously worn. But enough of that. Moving on to the Scriptures. This week we only have two scriptures to read and our Psalm is quoted in our reading from Mark.

This is one of those weeks where it is hard to disconnect from what I heard this morning in church from all the other Palm Sunday sermons I have heard. But I did learn one thing new today which interested me. Our pastor said that the words spoken by the crowd were spoken by a similar crowd during the Maccabean Revolt when the Maccabees were successful and entered Jerusalem as successful military victors. This is important because it is another piece to the puzzle of what the crowd was expecting. They wanted Jesus to be another Maccabaeus and overthrow the new oppressors. During the Maccabean Revolt, the Jews were under a foreign power that was so malicious they outlawed circumcision and the keeping of the Sabbath. They had also desecrated the Jerusalem temple with sacrifices to idols and prostitution. For a time, the Maccabees were successful and returned Jerusalem to Jewish power, but with the rise of Rome, the Jews were once again oppressed. Many hoped Jesus would be the solution and provide military victory.

But we know that Jesus rejected those desires and was altogether a different kind of Savior and King. He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. In the eyes of the Jews, and other ancient near civilizations, the donkey was a sign of peace and kings rode it when they were expressing peace. Naturally, the horse was the sign of war and power. There is a reason English has the word war-horse and not war-donkey. Horses can be big, powerful, and well-trained. They also place you at a level above everybody else.

By Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, he is signalling that his kingdom will be one of peace, not one of war. Whereas the Maccabees provided temporary relief for the Jews, Jesus was coming to provide eternal salvation for all who would accept it. Additionally, by riding a colt, Jesus also fulfills the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9. The coming Messiah will be "just and endowed with salvation" and humble. It is of note that Zechariah predicts the Messiah won't just be on a donkey, like a typical king in times of peace; he will ride a baby donkey. You can't get much more peaceful and humble and than that.

Briefly, just as a point of historical note, the Psalm this week is one of the "Hallel" or praise Psalms sung by the pilgrims as they celebrated Passover in Jerusalem each year. These words had been applied to the King of Israel and may have also been applied to those who were victorious with the king. Here the words are applied to Jesus. The crowd doesn't fully know what they are saying and are still hoping for Jesus to deliver them from the Roman oppressors, but their words are prophetic and usher in the King and the new Kingdom.

So, where does this leave us? Where are we in the story? And what does Jesus' Triumphal Entry say to our lives? Our part in the story is often with the crowd who misunderstands Jesus and wants to fashion him into the savior of our design. We want to co-opt and force God into doing exactly what we want. But Palm Sunday stands in contrast to that and says God's Kingdom will be how God wants it to be. Jesus' Kingdom is one of peace while we want vengeance. The Kingdom of God will be ruled by a humble King where love is the defining virtue. That is the vision we have to get a hold of. Palm Sunday invites us into the story of Holy Week as we move toward the cross. Will we be captured by God's Kingdom, or will we try and force God into ours? Let us seek first the Kingdom of God this week and be filled with Christ's Spirit.

Grace and Peace.