Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light.Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.
29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
The plans were in place. The venue had been rented, the cake had been picked up, the food was on order, the gift bags to take home were ready, and the decorations were in place. A lot of work for a party but worth it. Until the noisy group of 5-year-olds ran in the door!
The planning for Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem was done. The parade was diagrammed down to every detail with the care of an event planner. The starting point would be at the Mt. of Olives, approximately two miles east of Jerusalem, just as Zechariah had prophesied. The colt was set apart for its sacred purpose, in a spot that would be easy for the disciples to find. They had been given a reply, like a prearranged code word, in case anyone asked why they were taking the colt. The timing for the spreading of the cloaks on the road was sit. Branches were on hand – they had to be cut from the fields, not next to the road, and brought in. The heralders at the head of the procession were ready to shout the selected verses from Psalm 118:
“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”
All was going according to plan for the perfect triumphal entry and celebration at the end of the parade.
The parade started and wound its way down the mountain. Then, an abrupt halt! At the outskirts of Jerusalem, Jesus gets off the colt and walks into the city alone. He walks into the Temple and then walks the streets, picking up a snack and making his plans for the next day. When it starts to get dark, he turns and heads back up the mountain to Bethany, to the starting point of the parade, with no sense of urgency. Life in Jerusalem went on as usual, the people barely noticed Jesus’ arrival. Jesus’ plan was not what the parade planners had put in place. He had control of the parade, its outcome, and the delay.
Jerusalem was not a city of triumph for Jesus as everyone thought it would be. Instead, it became a city of fear, anxiety, controversy, hostility, violence, and death. The peaceful Passover the residents and pilgrims had expected was not in the cards. This is the day, the turning point of Jesus’ life, but tomorrow was the beginning of his final mission.
In our world today, we focus on doing not on thinking. There are jobs that must be finished, lists to complete, appointments to go to, and deadlines to meet. None of these are likely to be world-changing tasks, but we see them as important. Looking around at what needs to be done and then calling it a night? No! Most of us would find it difficult to walk away from all the to-dos to go home, push all of that out of our minds, and put our feet up to relax.
Jesus is the un-triumphant Messiah. The pomp and circumstance of his entry into Jerusalem didn’t reflect his real identity.
For us, crafting our identities is important. How we present ourselves on social media matters. We want our posts to present us as someone who has it all put together, just as we read in other people’s posts. Clothes must be fashionable, stating that we are part of the in-crowd. Viewpoints match those of our friends so that we get along and fit in when we are with them. And those friends must be the right ones. Image matters.
Jesus was interested in managing how he was perceived. He was the Messiah who defied expectations of what people thought a Messiah should be. Jesus didn’t care about what others thought of him. He was the Messiah who was exactly who one should be.
How hard it is for human beings to insist on being known for who we are and not succumb to the pressure to become who others want us to be. It can be easier to fit in with the crowd, to wave branches along side others and to shout “Hosanna” along with everyone else. Even when we appear individualistic on the outside, the view is different on the inside. This disconnect between the outside self and the inside self leads to asking the question “Who are we, really?”
The example of Jesus, his way of being the same on the outside as inside can inspire us to live into the fullness of who we are. Jesus has shown us himself how that looks. Of course, we can never be completely the same on the outside as we are inside, we can seek to bring our two selves together as we follow Jesus more closely.
The triumphal entry was the day that the world changed forever. That same day, our lives changed forever.
This is the day our own transformation begins. Every day is a day of transformation as we follow Jesus.
Amen.
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