Today is Sunday, April 5. Palm Sunday. The first day of Holy Week.
The gospel reading for today comes from Matthew, chapter 21, verses 1-11.
When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus gave two disciples a task. He said to them, “Go into the village over there. As soon as you enter, you will find a donkey tied up and a colt with it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that their master needs them.” He sent them off right away.
Now this happened to fulfill what the prophet said, Say to Daughter Zion, “Look, your king is coming to you, humble and riding on a donkey, and on a colt the donkey’s offspring.” The disciples went and did just as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their clothes on them. Then he sat on them.
Now a large crowd spread their clothes on the road. Others cut palm branches off the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds in front of him and behind him shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. “Who is this?” they asked. The crowds answered, “It’s the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Did you notice anything strange about this reading? Matthew says Jesus rode on a donkey and a colt. Now, I’m not that familiar with these kinds of things, but I can’t imagine how Jesus would ride a donkey and a colt at the same time.
But actually, what Matthew is doing is making a reference to Zechariah 9:9, which mentions the foal or colt of a donkey. So maybe Matthew got confused; or maybe those who transcribed the scriptures mixed things up; but really, only one animal is meant. A young foal, or colt, of a donkey.
And a donkey is not the most impressive looking beast. And it doesn’t make the most impressive sound. A donkey is a humble animal. Nobody is ever flattered by being compared to a donkey. Nobody is ever honored by being called a jackass.
No. The animal you’d really want, if you wanted to display your power, if you wanted to display your honor, was a stallion. A mighty warhorse!
And, as it so happened, on the day Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, there was another procession, coming in from the other side of town.
Herod’s procession.
And believe me, Herod’s procession did not have donkeys. Herod’s procession had mighty warhorses.
Herod was a ruler who ruled under Caesar. He had his headquarters at a place called Caesarea Phillipi, but he made occasional visits to Jerusalem; and when he did, he arrived with great pomp and circumstance.
He would arrive on a mighty warhorse, surrounded by many chariots. As he travelled, the road was lined with soldiers, who raised their spears and swords as he passed by. It was a great, grand, glorious procession; one that left a mark in the minds of all who lived under his rule. It was the power of Rome on display, in all its terrible fearsomeness. It was a way of proclaiming to the world that Herod was the king, and Caesar the king of kings. It was a way of proclaiming that Caesar was Lord and Savior of the people of Rome. It was a way of demanding allegiance to the kingdom of Rome.
Jesus proclaimed a very different kingdom. He and his followers called him the king of kings, the Lord and Savior of the world. These were very political statements.
These were very dangerous statements.
Many believed that Jesus was to be a king like Herod, like Caesar, one who would take over the throne and rule in Caesar’s place. So when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the most powerful city in that region, they expected him to make a grand entrance, just like the emperor would, or just like Herod would.
But how, exactly, would Jesus take the place of Herod or Caesar? Rome was not a democracy. You couldn’t vote Caesar out.
And armed rebellions didn’t really work. The roads were lined with dead men hanging on crosses to remind you what happened to those who tried to rebel against Rome.
But what if… What if the one leading the revolution was the son of God? What if the one leading the revolution had all of God’s power and might?
This was the hope of the people. This is why they cheered and waved their palm branches.
But they didn’t understand just how different the kingdom of God is from the kingdoms of this world. The fact that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey should have been a clue that Jesus didn’t intend to take power by force or violence. And the fact that he didn’t have any armed soldiers lining the roads as he made his way into Jerusalem should have been another clue.
All he had were crowds of poor people who had no weapons. Just branches cut down from the trees.
And this was exactly as it should have been - as it was meant to be. The son of God could have found a warhorse if that was what he wanted. But as Jesus himself says, the way of violence is not his way. If he had used violence to bring about God’s kingdom, then how would that be any better than the kingdom it was replacing?
But the people’s imagination was limited. Their imagination was limited! They couldn’t imagine a kingdom as different as God’s kingdom.
And when it became clear that Jesus was not going to succeed in taking Herod’s place or Caesar’s place… When it became clear that the power of Herod and Caesar would instead be used to crucify Jesus… the people deserted Jesus.
What they didn’t understand is that they could live in the kingdom of God even in the midst of Roman oppression. Life in the kingdom of God does not depend on who’s in charge of the empire. The kingdom of God does not depend on who’s on the throne. In the kingdom of God, there is freedom of a different sort.
Paul knew this freedom. Even when he was locked away in prison, Paul knew freedom in Christ. Paul was a free man in God’s kingdom, even while his body was bound in chains. His mind was free, his spirit was free, his heart was free.
And he was free to love.
We are always free to love. We can always choose to love. Always. No matter how hateful others may be. We can always choose nonviolence, no matter how violent our oppressors may be. No matter what’s going on.
And because we can always choose to love, we can always live in God’s kingdom.
Right now, in this present moment, it is not Rome that has us feeling oppressed, but a virus. A tiny, microscopic virus that has become more powerful than any human army.
And we want nothing more than to rid the world of this virus. We want to be free.
But no matter how long we are confined, trapped, imprisoned by this virus, our hearts and our minds will never be trapped or imprisoned.
And we still can choose to love.
So the kingdom of God is ours to claim, to possess, to live in. We can choose God’s kingdom right now. We can choose love right now. We can choose light and life right now.
There are a million ways to live in love and light, even in these difficult times. There are a million ways to spread love and light, even in the midst of a devastating pandemic.
But to do that - to live in God’s kingdom during very difficult times - we have to get creative. We have to use our imagination. Remember how creative Jesus and his followers were at their procession. They couldn’t possibly have a procession that matched the display of power that Herod’s procession had. Yet that didn’t matter. After all, which procession is most remembered today? Not the one with horses and chariots, but the one with a donkey. Not the one with soldiers holding weapons, but the one with poor people holding branches.
Right now, we aren’t able to do all we want to do. But we can get creative. We can use our imagination. We have no weapons to fight with, but we do have palm branches to wave. That may not seem like enough. What we have right now, and what we are able to do right now, may not seem like enough.
But we can use our imagination and find creative ways to live in love, to live in light, to live in God's kingdom, and show that even when our activities are restricted, we are free. And even in a world where people are dying, there is life. Because even on the path to crucifixion, there is resurrection.
Look closely. See the kingdom of God present, right now, in our midst. Believe the kingdom of God is present, right now, in our midst. Live in the kingdom of God, right now, right where you are.
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