Palm Sunday begins the Christian holy week by rehearsing Jesus’ entry in to Jerusalem in days that would end with his death and resurrection. It’s a familiar story. Jesus rode a young, never before ridden donkey into the city. Excited people shouted praises for the arrival of the hoped for messiah, paving the way with palms and cloaks.
It’s hard to know who the people were. Some were certainly disciples who had some sense that what they were witnessing had meaning far different from the crowd’s expectations. Many, I suspect, knew the passage from the prophet Zechariah that the messiah would come riding on a donkey. (Zech. 9.9) Whether they took Jesus seriously or were poking fun at him is hard to know. I imagine it was some of each, with a few hopeful that it might be true. In any case, the joy quickly faded when he did not meet expectations. Besides it was only prudent to keep some distance from a wonder working prophet who had riled up temple leaders, Herodian puppet kings, and their Roman overlords.
Consider the circumstances: it was a time of social and political disturbance teetering on the edge of total breakdown. Sadducees, Pharisees, the high priestly family, Herodians and Romans existed in an unstable relationship, each contending for authority and power. In many ways it was a time not so terribly unlike our own, especially in this peculiar presidential election year.
Jerusalem was awash with jostling for who and what was important, and how things ought to be. Into it rode Jesus on a donkey of all things, as if he was the true king, unimpressed with all that was going on about him, offering God’s blessing to all and healing those who sought it. I imagine the rich and powerful wondered who this country guy was who acted as if they, the truly important people, were of little consequence. He exuded an authority surpassing anything they could hope for and he did it as an expression of love for all. Nothing gets the goats of the rich and powerful than the presence of all encompassing, healing, reconciling love of godly integrity without guile. What’s worse, Jesus was unmindful of the deference due to his betters. Not hat he pretended not to care or even be better still, but that he seems beyond them, emitting a dangerous alien presence.
I don’t think it’s much different today. Social and news media go all day every day telling us who and what we should be paying attention to, following, deferring to, or fighting with. November will decide whether America remains a liberal democracy or becomes an autocracy of the few for the few. Discord is sown by encouraging people of different skin colors to distrust each other, labeling vulnerable groups as the sources of all our problems, and declaring every interest to be in non-negotiable conflict with all other interests. It’s a seductive melee that can suck us in. It’s easy to forget the hosannas and palms, leaving Jesus sitting alone on his donkey with a few disciples wondering what happened.
Palm Sunday is a time to choose. Shout Hosanna but go with the fickle crowd or stay with Jesus. It doesn’t mean avoiding the important social and political issues of the day. Jesus didn’t. It does mean engaging, as best we can, in the way of Jesus: frankly confronting injustice, bearing the presence of divine healing, reconciling love, forgiveness of sin, and fullness of life now and everlasting.
What will it get you to stay with Jesus? Could be into trouble, but as John Lewis said, it will be good trouble. As scripture says, the way of the cross is the way of life and peace.