He said, “Go into the village opposite you,
and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered
on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
Jesus made his final approach to Jerusalem in order to claim his kingship in a way evocative of Solomon.
Take with you the royal officials. Mount my son Solomon upon my own mule and escort him down to Gihon (see First Kings 1:33).
This only added to the expectations of a crowd already familiar with "all the mighty deeds they had seen". Here, finally the rightful heir to the throne of David would conquer and begin his reign.
“Blessed is the king who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest.”
Though their understanding was imperfect Jesus refused to rebuke them, even knowing that they would not be able to maintain this enthusiasm in the face of his passion. Although events did not proceed as many probably anticipated this was not an accident or accommodation to circumstances. Paul taught that Jesus was exalted precisely because of the humility which would define the events in Jerusalem after this. Jesus did not cling to the adoration of the crowd, even though such adoration was his prerogative as one "in the form of God" and who possessed "equality with God". Rather, what truly qualified Jesus as the Messiah was the self-emptying love by which he took the form a slave, identifying thereby with all of humanity.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Paul taught about this attitude of Christ as one which he desired all of us to share. In the face of danger and death it is natural for fallen men and women to seek to assure their own self-preservation. This was the result even for the disciples of Jesus when "an argument broke out among them about which of them should be regarded as the greatest". Paul's hymn to Christ was based on the lesson Jesus himself taught in response to that argument, making himself an example when he said, "I am among you as the one who serves". It was this willingness that God honored by exalting the human nature of Jesus, bestowing on Christ a Kingdom, and because a Kingdom, also a title, the name above every name.
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Because Jesus was not the kind of king anyone expected many responded to him with mockery. Yet even in their mockery they could not help but implicitly acknowledge the truth of his identity.
Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him,
and after clothing him in resplendent garb,
he sent him back to Pilate.
..
Above him there was an inscription that read,
“This is the King of the Jews.”
On Palm Sunday we are reminded that we are called to follow in the footsteps of this King. It may often mean laying down what we consider to be our rights and prerogatives. If we hold our own self-interest too closely we will likely succumb to temptations similar to those of Peter and not confess Jesus as Lord when it seems too risky to do so. We will hide in the crowd rather than allow ourselves to be made to take the yoke of the cross together with Jesus as Simon the Cyrenian did. If we cling to our own rights even to the bitter end we may find ourselves reenacting the role of bad thief who was was only concerned about saving himself even to the last.
Even if we fail like Peter, as we likely will, the Lord desires to restore us. If we allow him to do so even our mistakes work for our good and can give us compassion and understanding as we learn to follow Jesus all the way to the cross just as Peter finally did. The good thief acknowledged that he had lived a life deserving of condemnation wherein he insisted on himself and his mortal life as the greatest good. But even so not all was lost. Even so there was hope. He was finally able to see his old way of life for the doomed enterprise that it was and open himself to God's mercy. In moments of powerlessness when we learn that our attempts to grasp equality with God have failed we are more fully open and able to come to him on his terms, not tempting him to come down from the cross, but rather asking to allow him to follow him on the final steps of his exodus and into Paradise.
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise.”
We are meant to want to be able to make the last moments of our own lives like that of Jesus, a sacrificial offering to the Father for the sake of the world and breathe our own spirits into the hands of Jesus as Stephen did, as Jesus himself breathed his own spirit into the hands of the Father.
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”;
and when he had said this he breathed his last.
It is here, in the darkest hour, the most unlikely place, that the glory of Jesus is on full display. It is here that there is hope for the world. The most unlikely witnesses were moved to validate his claim because of the obvious and overwhelming love evident in the way in which Jesus accepted the cross, by which he himself willed it as an offering for the those present, and for the whole world and all ages.
The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said,
“This man was innocent beyond doubt.”
When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened,
they returned home beating their breasts;
but all his acquaintances stood at a distance,
including the women who had followed him from Galilee
and saw these events.
Let us have this same attitude which was in Christ Jesus. Let us learn to take the entry point that the good thief discovered by seeking him not because of what we want or deserve but because of his mercy. Only he can teach us the obedience which made him unflinching faithful to the Father. Only in offering ourselves in accord with this obedience can our own suffering be transformed to glory, not by our efforts, but by the very grace poured forth from the cross.
Carl Tuttle - Hosanna (a different one from above)
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