April 1, 2007
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Expectation in the air
On Easter, 32 years ago, when I was a young student, I experienced the celebration of Palm Sunday in Jerusalem. Israel is the land, and Jerusalem the city where the stones shout out. The archeologists every year discover new testimonies about life at the time of Jesus, and from the Old Testament times, too. I felt that it was a particular privilege to celebrate Palm Sunday at the very place where the events of this special day took place. Two fellow students and I were part of a very long procession of people that moved from the village Bethphage, across the Mount of Olives, down the Kedron Valley, by the garden of Gethsemane. Further through Stephen’s Gate in the eastern wall around the Old City. It was a colorful pageant! I have kept the memories on a home video. There are girl scouts and young boys, there are the Fransiscan monks in their brown garments, nuns in black, youth in nice school uniforms and pilgrims from a lot of countries. There were Hosiana shouts. People were waving with palm branches in their hands, just like on the first Palm Sunday. The text for today starts by telling that Jesus sends two of his disciples to get a colt that they will find tied. Not a single person had ever sat upon it. We don’t know why. Perhaps it still was too young? Or maybe it is a point that the animal upon which the Lord was going to ride, should not have been profaned by being used for work? At least that was the case with the animals that pulled the Ark of the Covenent in the OT (1.Sam 6:7). The hidden presence of the Lord in the Covenent Ark, on Palm Sunday is replaced by his revealed presence in the Messiah. But back to the un-used donkey. Perhaps it was tied because it was so totally un-tame? That every time somebody tried to teach it to work, it kicked with its back legs and snorted through its muzzle.. Was it perhaps a young donkey on which the owner was just about to give up? That he didn’t know what to do with this hopeless animal? Eventually, that can explain why he lets the animal go so easily, as the disciples are untying it and and taking it away. That Jesus is sitting on the colt the long way from Bethphage to Jerusalem, a good mile, can tell us both that Jesus was hardly an overweight person. But even more it can tell us that our Master also was a master in handling animals, so that they became confident in him. That even an obstinate donkey turned friendly and obliging when meeting Him. So here starts the Easter story - with a donkey that is borrowed. This animal gets a role to play, when the big drama of salvation starts. As the Messiah enters the city, along the road pilgrims and local people are standing, children and adults, women and men. They are rejoicing and dancing, they shout, sing and praise God. It is springtime. It is festival time. And above all: Expectation is in the air! A man tears off his cloak and lays it on the road in front of the donkey that is carrying the prophet from Galilee. Others follow his example. Some run toward the palm trees close by and break branches off of them. Branches are put on the road in front of the one that comes riding, others are used for waving, as if they were flags. At the city gate, the Roman soldiers are watching the pageant that is approaching. They see that this is nothing to worry about. The shouting is in Aramaic they do not understand anything of. A bunch of kids, some pilgrims and a man riding a donkey is nothing to worry about. Soon, the pageant comes to the gate, and is absorbed by the multitude that fills the narrow streets. The following days, Jesus and his disciples are going in and out of the gates of Jerusalem many times. They are in the city during the days. They talk with people, discuss and teach. But before evening comes, they are on their way back to Bethany, where they have their accomodation. It was common that many homes in and around Jerusalem welcomed the crowds of pilgrims that came up to celebrate the Passover feast. Jerusalem was a hospitable city. That was needed, as the population tripled at every Passover, every Pentecost and at the Feast of the Tabernacles. Not unlikely, the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus is the place where they stay. Last Sunday we heard what happened in that home, as Mary anointed Jesus’ feet. That was her silent adoration. An adoration without words. But not without heart. Today the worship is loudly outspoken. But whether the hearts take part, one can just wonder about, when we see how quickly the mood turns. A few days later, the crowd cries: ”Crucify!” The glorious pageant with the donkey and the ovation from the crowd happens only once. It is like a prelude. It introduces the drama. It gives a fundamental interpretation of what is about to happen. People who were well aquainted with the Bible knew that it was exactly what the prophet Zecharia had predicted: The Messiah was going to ride on a donkey. Not a horse, the animal of battle, but the animal of peace was to carry the Prince of Peace. The one that will bring peace to the peoples.. The rumors had been going around- the rumors about Jesus. ”Imagine, the Rabbi from Nazareth raised a man from the dead!” ”Is it really true?” ”Yes, many witnesses saw it. Four days after Lazarus had been buried, Jesus came and called him out of the grave. Lazarus lives!” Yes, the rumors about Jesus spread. People were excited. Excitement was in the air on Palm Sunday. Luke tells that as he now was approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen (v.37). People had started to ask: Has the Messiah finally come? The one whom the Jews had awaited for hundreds of years? The one whom the prophets had talked about, that was to be the heir of the throne of David, and free the people from the Roman occupation, and rule the people with right and righteousness? Was he the Messiah? The answers were both yes and no. Many hoped. Some believed. Others doubted. Some denied. The Pharisee party said no. ”He is a seducer,” they said. But on Palm Sunday, the majority voted ”yes”, as Jesus came riding into the city. What the multitude didn’t know, was that Jesus came into the city for the purpose to suffer and die. Jesus, who loved life so much. Jesus, who was together with the Creator as heaven and earth came into being. The Son of God, who took part in creating life, now was on his way to death! He loved life so much that he died to save us mortals from everlasting death. The multitude on Palm Sunday didn’t understand what they were a part of. Not even the disciples understood, until afterwards, how great it was. He could use fishermen from the Sea of Galilee in his service. He could use a donkey. He could use the mouths of people that didn’t know what they were saying and what they were singing! He welcomed their praise! He welcomes our praise and worship, too. Even if we do not understand everything, we can take part and adore our Lord and Master. With him there is room, both for our doubt and our faith, our lament and our praise. But above all, he invites us to bring our mistakes and sins to him. There is nothing he loves more than that we leave our sins with him, so he can forgive. Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever.
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The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church · 924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 · (612)874-0716 |