Join me on a journey to Jerusalem at
Passover in the year of our Lord 33. We see Jesus’ Triumphant Entry and how
people praised him as the king who came in the name of the Lord and spread
their cloaks and leafy branches along the road for him. All well and good, but
I want to suggest that as important as this was, it was not “the Triumphant Entry”
that actually took place on that day. I suggest that the “Triumphant Entry”
actually took place from the West and stared Pontius Pilate rather than Jesus.
Passover was an exciting, crowded and potentially volatile and dangerous time
in Jerusalem. Jews from all over the Mediterranean and Middle East gathered to make
their annual sacrifices, renew their faith and enjoy time with friends, old and
new.
The Emperor of Rome made sure that Jerusalem
was secured by legions of soldiers on foot and horseback. These soldiers along
with Pilate, most likely on a strong white stallion, made up the “Triumphant
Entry” into Jerusalem from the coast. Jesus and his motley crew, on the other
hand came in from the East, with Jesus, not on a mighty steed, but on a donkey.
Yes, on a donkey. I believe Jesus’ entry was, in fact, an act of protest, an
act of resistance against the worldly and religious forces which were exploiting
and oppressing the people of God. As the
people proclaimed “hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the
Lord,” they were proclaiming that Jesus is Lord. And, if Jesus is Lord, Caesar
is not. Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of
God, and if God is King, Caesar is not. The very next day, according to the
Gospel of Mark, Jesus enters the temple and drives out the Money Changers, the
sheep and the cows and those who sell them.
This is exactly the kind of
disturbance the empire did not want, and therefore the kind of disturbance the
Chief Priests wanted to avoid. This attracted too much attention and could
bring about persecution for all Jews. A plot was developed to have Jesus
betrayed and executed.
As I reflect on Jesus’ act of
resistance and his courage in his time, I reflect on resistance by some of his
followers in our day. Martin Luther King Jr.’s resistance by his work with the
Memphis Sanitation Workers in April 1968, and Archbishop Oscar Romero’s work
for the poor of El Salvador in 1980. And just the day before Palm Sunday, a
major act of resistance to bring changes to gun laws and save lives of
Americans, participated in by millions of, mostly young people and lead by
students from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida,.
Jesus warned his disciples that he
would be tortured and crucified by the powers of this world. Martin Luther
King, Jr. proclaimed that as desirable as longevity was that there were more
important things, and proclaimed, “I have been to the mountain top and have
seen the Promised Land; mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the
Lord.” Archbishop Romero worked tirelessly against poverty, social injustice, assassinations
and torture. All three were executed or assassinated.
So far the March for Our Lives
organizers have not been killed but they have been the subject of vicious lies,
made up stories and photo shopped posts on social media. Yet they have not
backed down.
Jesus was persecuted and executed
because he proclaimed by word and example that the kingdom of God was for all
people. He turned over tables and spoke truth to power. His church has been and
will continue to be persecuted when we do the same. And yet, do the same, we
must!
Blessed is he who comes in the Name
of the Lord! Blessed are we who follow him! Amen!
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