On the morning after Mary anointed him by pouring a pint of pure nard on his feet, Jesus arose, put on his tunic and sandals, and set his face toward Jerusalem because he had work to do there. According to Mark and Matthew, he sent representatives to bring him a donkey from a nearby village and, as the Grand Marshall of his own parade, he sat upon it and rode it into Jerusalem. He rode it to fulfill Zechariah's prophecy (9:9): "Shout aloud, O daughter, Jerusalem. Lo, your King comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey." He rode it into Jerusalem to show that he was the promised king of Israel. There is little doubt about that, and although many of the people in Jerusalem didn't see his entry in this way, his followers did and the Pharisees did. Indeed, according to John, after they heard that Jesus was coming to town, his "fans" (many of whom had been awed by Lazarus' resurrection)... took palm branches- long since a symbol of goodness and triumph- and ran to meet him, waving their palm branches back and forth, and crying out. "Hosanna, Hosanna," which means "O save" or "please save." Yasha na, yasha na. "Hosanna, hosanna. Blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord." This was their chant, and it was a troubling chant... because it offended the Jewish rulers and the Roman rulers alike... and it put Jesus on a collision course with both of these powerful groups.
It was as if Jesus, who had avoided conflict up to this point because his "time had not yet come," was now saying, "Bring it on." Riding a donkey into Jerusalem was a threatening act. It was humble in the sense of being obedient to his Father... but the message to the world was anything but humble... which is why the people along his parade route spread palm branches and their outer garments on the road before him. Hosanna, they cried, and the Pharisees became nervous because they didn't want Rome to come down on them. "Tell your people to shut up," they said, but Jesus let them proclaim him king, noting that if they were silent, the very stones they were trodding on... would shout out. So, he rode his donkey and entered the city from the east... through the Golden Gate. It was a gala event, even though the crowd mistakingly thought that Jesus would lead a revolt against Rome, much like Judas "The Hammer" Macabbean had done a century before.
"Hosanna, Hosanna," they cried. They were excited, and who could blame them? We would've been excited too. Everyone loves a parade... and we wave our arms and yell out for much less reason that these hopeful Jews had. Every year people get a little crazy at St Patrick's Day parades, even though don't even know who St Patrick was... and the Mardi Gras is a rambunctious series of parades and parties. Everyone loves a parade, even small parades, like Dairy Days in Fredericksburg, Iowa, where their motto is "We owe it all to Udders," and Chicken Days Parade in Wayne, Ne., where they also feature a Chicken Clucking contest and sell "Cluctibles." Parades are fun... but this particular Palm/ Passion Sunday parade was deadly serious... because there was another parade... entering town from the west. Pontius Pilate was the Grand Marshall of this one, and there were no palm branches- just soldiers, and steeds, and symbols of power. Even though Jerusalem was the most important city in Israel, the Romans used Caeserea as their capital. Indeed it was named for Caesar, but during the Passover festival, the Roman Governor and all of his soldiers marched into Jerusalem to maintain order and secure the peace. Their annual parade was a show of power, and the people along their parade route didn't need hope... because they had the world, and everything it offers, in the palms of their hands. Who needs a palm branch when he has a saber? Who needs a prayer when they have power to crucify a man?
And so, each parade begged for an audience. The people cheering Jesus were quite ordinary, even lowly, but they had a deep-rooted hope in God... and they longed for a day when this broken and hurting world would be mended and healed, and what is more, they knew that they needed a Savior! This is why they cried out, "O save, please save. Please, please, save!" The people cheering Pilate, on the other hand, were mostly in, or wanted to be in... the "in-crowd." They believed that they had heaven right here on earth, and in a sadly ironic way, they were right, because things were as good as they were going to get for them. In the end, the Bible says, (Rev. 7:9) "people from every nation will raise palm branches" and praise Jesus as their Lord and Savior. These will be those who knew that they needed a Savior and who put their trust in Jesus. The world was never in their hands. Life may not have been easy for them. The parade of the rich and powerful was always more popular... but heaven will be theirs for eternity. On this Palm/Passion Sunday, in the year of our Lord, 2015, there are still two parades begging for an audience. Which one will you be attending?
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