It was the time of the Passover Festival. As always, the Passover would bring great crowds of Jews into Jerusalem. This was a major event in the life of Israel. The Passover is the annual remembrance of how God freed the people of Israel from their centuries of enslavement in Egypt. The story of how God used Moses to lead the people out of bondage and into the land of promise. The directions God gave to Moses, if you recall, were surprisingly straightforward, and bold. To stand before the Pharaoh and say to him simply, “Let my people go.”
Certainly no one thought that Pharaoh would just say, Okay. And he didn’t. So there was a series of plagues sent to afflict Egypt, to encourage them to let the Israelites go. The plague of turning the river to blood, the frogs, gnats, pestilence, boils, hail and fire, locusts, and total eclipse of the sun. And the final plague was the death of every firstborn Egyptian boy.
The Lord instructed the Israelites to mark the doorways of their houses with lamb’s blood, so that the angel of death would know which houses to pass over. A mark on each door that would cry out, Save us, O God. Save us, we pray. Every year the people of Israel celebrate this mighty saving act of God.
So on this particular Passover, Jesus is coming to Jerusalem, along with so many others. Undoubtedly, he has been in Jerusalem for many Passovers before this one, but on this year it is a particularly touchy situation. As John tells the story, Jesus has only recently raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. People have been talking about it ever since. So much that, as John says, Jesus can no longer walk about openly. Such an extraordinary sign has attracted far too much attention. He has become too great a danger in the minds of the religious authorities. They put out a warrant for his arrest.
He does not hide, however. He returns to Bethany, to the home of Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. Bethany is only two miles outside Jerusalem, and when the people who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover hear that Jesus is in Bethany, they all rush out there to see him. They wish to see Jesus. And, of course, they also wish to see Lazarus, who is quite famous now, too.
The next day, they hear that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem, so the crowds who flocked to Bethany now rush back into the city, ready to give him a hero’s welcome. They take branches of palm trees and they go out shouting “Hosanna,” which means “save us!”
They give him a royal welcome. They call him the King of Israel. And Jesus does not run away from this. He lets them do it. Under the watchful, critical eye of the Chief Priests and the Pharisees, he lets them do it.
And while this little procession is going on around Jesus on the little donkey, entering the city gates, there is another processional on the other side of the city. Pontius Pilate always came to Jerusalem for the Passover – not to celebrate, though. His presence there was meant to be a show of force. No one should forget that the Empire is watching. No one should forget that the Empire will be quick and ruthless with their punishment, should there be any disturbance, any threat to the Empire’s power.
The force of the Empire in all their regalia, sitting up high on their war horses, parades through the city gates, prepared to stifle dissent. Keep everyone in their place. Remind them all who is in control and whom they should cower before. And then, the procession of palm branches and joyful praise surrounding the man sitting on a donkey; great crowds of people calling out, Hosanna, save us, O King of Israel! Save us, they cry out.
All of this made the Chief Priests and Pharisees very nervous. One way or another, they knew, this will have to come to an end, very soon.
One way or another.
The crowds are ecstatic, jubilant. The disciples are confused. The Pharisees look at one another and say, “You see? You can do nothing. The whole world has gone after him.”
And what they say is, in fact, true. Absolutely true.
In all of the signs Jesus has performed, all the healing and the feeding and the resurrection of Lazarus from the tomb; in all these things we are being shown who he is. In all of it; the lifting up of the poor, the preference for the powerless and downtrodden, the bold rejection of the powers of this world who would oppress and crush life; in all this Jesus shows us who God is.
No one could understand it, not even the ones who had been with him every step of the way, but each one of them who was present that day were playing their part in this. The crowds of people singing praises. The Pharisees and Chief Priests trying to stop him. Pilate, who will condemn him. And the disciples bearing witness to it all.
The question I will ask you to consider is this: Where are you in all of it?
It is a question worthy of asking ourselves every day. Where are we?
Are we fighting against him because we just don’t like what he says – which is often inconvenient and uncomfortable?
Are we trying to silence his voice out of our fear of the powers of this world, the ones who condemn all that he stands for? and we want to be on the safe side, on the side of power?
Are we denying him, because a grown man sitting on a humble little donkey colt, feet dragging on the ground, is just embarrassing? To a lot of the world our faith looks like foolishness, and who in the world wants to look foolish?
Are we ignoring him, which is what Pilate seemed to do, until he just couldn’t ignore him any longer? He had to make a choice.
Are we, like his beloved disciples, simply confused by him? Where are we?
Perhaps we are in all of these places at one time or another. But I hope we will be with the crowds of people, following him, calling out to be saved. Even though they didn’t understand it all, were probably confused as well, they professed their love for him, and they followed him right into Jerusalem. Followed him through the week to come. Followed him, perhaps, even up to Golgotha, to the cross. Will we?
Or will we run away? Will we avert our eyes? Will we find something else terribly important to do while his body is beaten and nailed to the cross to die?
When the authorities gather together to discuss this problem called Jesus, the High Priest Caiaphas says in a shrewd way, “It is better to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.”
And so it will be.
May we, too, sit up and take notice. May we each make a decision and follow Jesus to the cross this week. In the name of the One who saves. Amen.
Photo: Laura Snapp
