The readings for today take us through the
whole range of emotions of Holy Week. We
begin with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, with
people cheering, laying their cloaks and palm branches on the road – that was
the equivalent of a red carpet in those days.
They welcomed him as king. Today
the paparazzi would be there clicking away, photographing the moment for
posterity. However, rather than looking
at a photograph we re-enact the triumphal entry, processing around our churches
and local community carrying palm branches, proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord of
All.
Jesus chose the humble donkey to make his
entrance into Jerusalem, he did not choose something grander as he was welcomed
into the city as King of the Jews.
Donkeys can still be seen today on the hillsides and in the towns of
Palestine. They have no choice in the
load they bear in their panniers. They
may carry heavy rocks from the quarry, or wheat from the miller, or peppers and
olives to the market. They bear their
load without question, carrying it with patience and fortitude. One donkey and her colt 2000yrs ago had the privilege
of carrying the son of God on her back as he made his grand entrance into
Jerusalem.
That moment of adulation and glorification
is short lived. Soon the crowd turn
against Jesus and they yell for him to be crucified. I thought that celebrity was something that
only existed in this day and age – the adulation of those who appear to have it
all. However, the same was true 2000 yrs
ago. The crowds who welcomed him into
Jerusalem thought he had all the answers, they thought he was going to rescue
them from the oppression of the Romans and ‘take his power, and reign.’ But Jesus was not that kind of Messiah, they
hadn’t realised his true nature or what he was really offering them. Not a here and now solution to their
problems, but a solution that would last for all eternity. Jesus bore his burden in more or less the
same way a donkey does, his human nature allowed him to question, he had his
time of doubt in the garden of Gethsemane, but nevertheless he bore his burden
with patience and fortitude, praying ‘not my will but yours be done.’ He carried the burden of his cross through
the streets of Jerusalem, sometimes falling under its weight. Then at Calvary, he bore the weight of the world’s
sin as he hung upon the cross. His
patience and fortitude held out even when he was abandoned by some of his
companions. Only those closest to him
remained at the foot of the cross.
Palm Sunday represents a beginning. The praise and adulation that greets Jesus as
he enters Jerusalem is short-lived, the love of the crowd is superficial, it
runs only skin deep. But God loves us so
much that he sent his only son into the world so that the world might be
saved. The true cost of loving is to see
something through to the bitter end, which is what Jesus does for us by dying
on the cross. However, even that is not
the end the result of God’s never ending love for us is brought to fruition
when Jesus rises from the dead. Through
his resurrection comes God’s glorification and with it the promise of eternal
life.
Today we begin our journey with Jesus to
the cross, let us follow him closely every step of the way, so that on Friday
we will stand close to the foot of the cross and look on him in love, not stood
at the back of the crowd ready to run away in fear. Then his name will be glorified again and
again, then next Sunday we will be ready to witness his resurrection in sure
and certain hope that we will share in the resurrection to eternal life.
1 comment:
Thank you Sarah!
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