We can only tell what we think we know about a person. And so, when the people asked, who is this man, entering Jerusalem to shouts of highest praise?, the crowds could only reply with what they thought they knew.

They shouted with excitement, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matt 21:11) They had some idea of his closeness to God, but only a week away, his divinity would shine through the darkness of the crucifixion.

How could the crowds praise him and honor him just a week before he was to be nailed to a cross, and then, suddenly desert him and allow him to die the brutal death of a crucifixion, though he had done nothing wrong? And is there, perhaps, a lesson in this superficial action of the crowds, that helps us to guard against those who would praise one moment, yet throw you under the bus, or in this case, on the cross, when it pleases them?

Part of the reluctance, I think, in our modern day lives of faith, to participate in the “passion” part of Holy Week, could be because we can’t bear to face the reality of betrayal as a central part of Christ’s crucifixion. Betrayal is painful. Most of us have suffered it at some level in our lives, and watching betrayal play out in the last days of Jesus Christ here on earth is just excruciating to witness. We want to turn away. We want to make excuses so that we don’t have to watch what we know to be a deep failing in humans, this ability to undercut a relationship built on trust and love when we don’t really mean to, when we know it is wrong, but we do it anyway, for any number of reasons, but usually, due to fear or desire.

As this day of praise for Jesus is described in the Gospel of Matthew, it all seems almost too easy. If a modern-day disciple was told to go and get a donkey and a colt at such and such a place, and if questioned, just lamely explain it away by saying, oh, the Lord needs them…well, those poor, obedient disciples would at the very least be constantly on the lookout for the police to pull over that donkey and ask a few pertinent questions! I’m not sure that the officer could have done anything, though, since God’s plan for Holy Week was already in motion, and no donkey cop was going to stop it! There is a prophecy to fulfill, and Zechariah’s words about the King of Israel riding on a donkey emphatically establishes Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem as messianic royalty.

The cries of the crowd, shouting “Hosanna!” which translates from the Aramaic, “O Save!” are words familiar to our 21st century ears, for we believers know Christ came to save us, to conquer death itself, to offer us new life in the Kingdom. The crowds did not fully know this yet, but they had a sense of it, surely – as surely as the Holy Spirit lives and moves and breathes across God’s good creation!

The crowd was probably somewhat confused by seeing Jesus riding a donkey. It was not to be expected of a powerful person in that time period. To use a conveyance example we might understand today, it might be like Jesus arriving in Jerusalem with his disciples in a dusty, rusty old VW bus, rather than a large, sleek, black Mercedes!

So why did Jesus go through with this parade? Jesus knew the path would lead to the crucifixion. But he also knew that people in dark places need a leader who invites them to grow closer to God. A leader who loves them, who shepherds them, who genuinely cares about their well-being and their future, who brings them peace and hope. The crowds had no real understanding of Christ’s divine leadership…even the disciples struggled to understand, no matter how many times Jesus tried to explain God’s plan to them. The crowds who had gathered…their understanding was limited to the crushing rule of the Roman Empire. And a hope that perhaps, just perhaps, this man on a donkey would bring them something better, something new… this prophet from Nazareth in Galilee spoke of something that sounded like a vastly better life than what the crowds were accustomed to, and they yearned for it.

Maybe this donkey is really the key to understanding the beauty of Palm Sunday, just a breath away from the pain and suffering to come. I’ve never ridden a donkey, but I imagine it’s hard to be in a hurry on a donkey! You have to take your time. And so, that’s exactly what Jesus does. In the slower pace that a donkey requires, Jesus enters Jerusalem, as the people wave palm branches and honor him by placing their coats in the dusty roadway, to make his journey through the city more comfortable.

Because Jesus chose to ride a donkey, the people can be up close to this wondrous person. He’s not seated way above them, on a mighty military steed, rushing past them, in a hurry to get somewhere away from the crowds. Imagine how approachable he is, on that donkey! Even the children can run along next to him, waving their palms with joy. The people in the crowds are so close, they can even look him in the eye, as the donkey saunters by, and when they do, what do they experience?

Imagine what it might be like, to be that close to Jesus! The peace of Christ is something not to be missed. Once you’ve encountered it, you never want to leave His calm and loving presence! Now, keep in mind, the crowds see Christ as human, certainly someone close to God, like a prophet, but still human. There is this theological matter, called the second person of the Trinity’s kenosis, which has to do with how Christ emptied himself of divinity to take on human nature. And we aren’t going to get into the thick of that today (we don’t want anyone to nod off!) but just enough to help us understand what the crowd experienced regarding his human nature, as Jesus and the donkey move slowly through the city.

We’ve seen Jesus’s human emotions described in scripture. Turning the tables over in the synagogue, showing his anger at the people’s disrespect for God in a house of worship. Weeping at the death of Lazarus. Compassion through the healing of a leper. And, here, in the parade with the donkey, love for God’s people, who just yearn to be free and at peace. Jesus understood that the crowds needed God’s abiding love, and “…the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding...” (Philippians 4:7)

So, Jesus celebrated with the crowds by simply loving them and loving that they desired to celebrate and honor him. I mean, what human, and apparently, divine being, too, doesn’t love a parade?! The peace of Christ, the love of God, and a donkey, taking its time, ambling through the crowds.

The parade is central to God’s plan. As our Creator, God put a bit of parade joy inside each one of our hearts, and the crowd just wanted to revel in that joy, with Jesus. But in the midst of this joyous parade moment, we cannot ignore the truth of verse 10, which indicates that people were “stirred up.” The Greek word is seio, and one of the closest English words is “seismic” or earth-shaking. I think this word resonates with us, even tho we are not students of Greek language. All around our world, all around God’s good creation, we are seeing things stirred up, earth-shaking changes, aren’t we? So, the people at the parade, they certainly want to celebrate, but at the same time, they sense that things are unsettled, and deeply so.

There are three other places in Matthew, where this “seio” word is used. Once when the Magi come to Herod, seeking baby Jesus, and the city experiences “earth-shaking” fear of Herod’s reaction. Second time use is the parade in Jerusalem, and third instance is Jesus’s death, when there is an actual earthquake…the soldiers see that Jesus’s body is gone, and they shake with fear.

But let us remember other words that are spoken, over and over and over again, throughout scripture. The angels speak these words, Jesus speaks these words: Be not afraid.

Jesus understands the human tendency to be paralyzed by fear, and so, he parades through Jerusalem, at a snail’s pace, or rather, a donkey’s pace, so that the people will meet him, greet him, sense his peace upon them, and not be afraid, even when seismic changes happen. For he came to reassure us all: God has a plan; a prophecy promise is fulfilled, as our King rides in on a donkey; and “…the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding…” has come to us, riding on a donkey! So, let us celebrate! Amen!

Pastor Elizabeth Bailey-Mitchell

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