The palms, the palms......

Matthew 21.1-11   NIV    courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

 ¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
 ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
 ⁵ “Say to Daughter Zion,
   ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
   and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
 ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
   “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
   “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
   “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
 ¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
 ¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

A familiar story to most of us, this Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem (so it is thought of) appears with only slight variations in each of the four gospels.   It is one of the few scripture texts (probably the only one, but I don't want to go out on that limb) that we participate in liturgically through the re-enactment of the Procession of the Palms. 

My experience as a pastor has taught me that the children love the palms, although mostly as a weapon to use on their siblings, and the adults are reluctant, maybe even embarrassed to participate in the liturgical procession.  What a shame!  There is a different kind of learning that occurs when we are physically involved in the learning; the doing of the procession helps us identify with those in Jerusalem that day. 

Beyond that little issue (and the issue of whether we sing The Palms that day) and the issue of what kind of palms we use.......we can move to the heart of the story...."Who is this?"

The whole city was stirred.....   The word 'stirred' has the same root as the seismic phenomena of an earthquake.  I like the image of a deep rumbling - like far off thunder - but coming from under our feet.  The earth is about to be moved.  We can't rely on the very ground we are standing on....that kind of image.   The city was stirred....shaken.....found itself a bit off balance. 

And they asked, "Who is this?"  This question should catch our attention.  They don't know.  We are so impressed with this outpouring of adulation....[which we probably exaggerate in our minds.  The crowds entering Jerusalem at Passover would have been enormous and so only a small percentage of these folks would have been aware of this commotion.]... it is easy for us to overlook the reality that the truth of who Jesus was/is was veiled.

This goes beyond the confusion around the concept of the Messiah.  Jews were aware of long standing prophesies that a Messiah would come, God's anointed (that is what Messiah [Hebrew] and Christ [Greek] both mean).  There are pointers to a Son of Man - a poorly identified figure in the prophesies who would come on the Day of the Lord. 

Was this to be a political figure?  It was a reasonable expectation.  Israel was an occupied nation and if God was to rule (in any sense of that word) it was reasonable to expect that this anointed one would take away Rome's power.    Of course, there was a strong expectation that in deposing Rome, Israel would be lifted up to the position of power.

Was this Messiah to be a religious figure?  Of course, but of what nature isn't clear.  Israel was the chosen nation of God who held to the teachings of Torah and the prophets in faithfulness to God.  Now, of course, they weren't perfect in this and there was a fair share of corruption and self-interest just as we'd expect, but the ascendency of Israel was always a matter of worship of the right God, YHWH.

Was this Messiah to be the one, only, begotten, Son of God, God in the flesh, among us in the world?  Well, I doubt that anyone truly expected that to be the answer to the question 'Who is this?"  If you think that is a hard reality to hold to today, don't think it was any easier then. 

And furthermore, if the folks really believed that....they would never have anticipated the death that lie ahead for Jesus.  The cross is the most incomprehensible part of the Jesus story.

So the Procession of the Palms leads us to the pivotal questions of the Christian faith:  Who is Jesus?  [What does it means to be the Messiah of God?]   What are the benefits of Jesus for me and the world?

We must confront the cross before we can even begin to form an answer to that one.

The week of worship between Palm Sunday and Easter morn is a gift to believers.  The extra worship services, each focused on a particular portion of that historical week, give us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the presence of God, in the story of Jesus, and in our relationship with the divine.  It is too easy for us to jump from the Hosanna* of Palm Sunday to the Alleluias of Easter morn.    Take the long walk this year; you will be blessed.

*Hosanna, BTW, means Save Us, although several commentaries suggest that the cry had become sort of a pep rally religious shout out, thus diminishing it intrinsic meaning.