Ride on in Majesty—Lectionary Reflection for Palm Sunday, Year C (Luke 19:28-40)
Luke 19:28-40 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35 Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 Now as he was approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying,
“Blessed is the kingwho comes in the name of the Lord!Peace in heaven,and glory in the highest heaven!”39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”
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Triumphal
parades marked important moments in the life of an empire. Usually, emperors,
kings, and generals were feted with such events marking military victories. On
Palm Sunday we witness a different kind of triumphal parade. When Jesus entered
the city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, while the people shouted words of
praise and spread their cloaks before him, he hadn’t won a military victory (at
least not yet). However, the people seemed to sense that something momentous
was about to happen.
I will
confess that I have found Palm Sunday a bit challenging when it comes to
preaching. I already know how the story progresses. What we see taking place on
that Sunday ahead of the Passover celebration, didn’t work out quite the way at
least some of Jesus’ supporters anticipated. Crucifixion just a few days later
didn’t fit the scenario people had in mind. This year, preachers taking up this
story in preparation for Holy Week do so with political uncertainties on their
minds and hearts. How will massive tariffs placed on the nations of the world
by the President of the United States of America impact the lives of the people
sitting in the pews? Will there be a recession or worse? The last time the USA
did something like this was in 1930 (Smoot-Hawley) and that sent an already reeling
economy into a deeper depression. Will something like that happen this time? If
the economy crashes how will that affect church members and the churches they
support? In other words, this doesn’t seem to be a time for celebrating.
Nevertheless, the church calendar invites us to celebrate Jesus’s seemingly
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, even if the moment of celebration leads to Good
Friday. Of course, we can “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!”
The
reading begins with the words: “After he had said this, he went on ahead going
up to Jerusalem” (Luke 19:28). What was it he said before heading to Jerusalem?
If we look at the preceding verses, we find a parable that responded to
questions about whether God’s realm was about to appear since Jesus had come
near Jerusalem (Luke 19:11-27). The parable Jesus involves a nobleman who goes
off to a distant land to receive royal power. In preparation for that journey,
the nobleman entrusts ten slaves with funds to invest while he is gone. This
parable is similar to Matthew’s Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30). As
Jesus commends and condemns the slaves depending on how they used the funds, he
tells the audience that the enemies of the nobleman (he was hated by his
people), would be slaughtered. With that, the parable ends. All of this is
shared in response to the question of whether the kingdom of God was about to
appear. Was Jesus suggesting that those who would oppose him would suffer harsh
punishment? The tenor of the parable suggests that when the kingdom of God does
arrive in its fullness, the enemies of the realm will face judgment. With that
Jesus is ready to enter Jerusalem.
The
staging area for Jesus’ entrance is located in the villages of Bethphage and
Bethany. When they reached the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples
into a nearby village, where they were told they would find a colt that had
never been ridden. He directs the disciples to untie the animal and bring it to
Jesus. If anyone asked what they were doing, they were told to respond that the
master needed it. As we read this, we could think of this in miraculous terms
or, more likely, Jesus had already set this up and just needed to have the
animal picked up. Apparently, this worked okay because the next thing we know,
Jesus is mounted on the colt riding into Jerusalem. As the parade begins, the
people gather along the route, welcoming him into the city. The people threw
their cloaks on the road before him (no palms in this version) and shouted
words of praise to God, giving thanks joyfully for “all the deeds of power they
have seen.” Luke tells us that a multitude of Jesus’ disciples was welcoming
him, suggesting that Jesus had developed quite a following. The key to that
following was the many works of power the people had observed.
The
people shout “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in
heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” This chant is a modified version of
Psalm 118:26, which reads: Blessed is
the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of
the Lord” (Ps.
118:26). The people in this version of the story are expecting something to
happen. They are overjoyed that they get to be part of whatever Jesus is about
to do. They can sense that he will soon inaugurate the kingdom of God, which in
the minds of many would involve running the Romans out of the country. The
expectations were high for a messianic figure because the Roman rulers were
oppressive. The Pax Romana may have been good for business, but perhaps not for
the regular folks who had to deal with a foreign military force.
Not
everyone in the crowd was happy. There were critics present as well. Luke tells
us that some of the Pharisees who had joined the crowd to see what Jesus was
doing confronted Jesus. They told him to make his followers stop their
festivities. While the Pharisees might have been concerned about the
theological implications of this effort on the part of Jesus’ followers, they
may have also had valid concerns about how this looked to the Romans. Could
they use this as an excuse to clamp down on the Jewish people? After all, the
Romans did not welcome self-proclaimed monarchs. Jesus responded by telling
them that if he made his followers stop their celebration, the stones would
shout out. In other words, this was unstoppable.
I think
we might want to take note of the verses that follow Jesus’ dramatic, triumphal
entry. Luke tells us that as Jesus saw the city, he wept over it (Luke 19:41).
What a contrast between people shouting praise and Jesus weeping. I wonder if
we should keep these two in tension. While the people hoped Jesus would
inaugurate the realm of God, saving them from Roman rule, he foresaw the city’s
destruction (let us remember that Luke wrote this after the destruction of
Jerusalem). As for him, this seeming day of triumph would soon lead to his
death on a Roman cross. So, maybe we should treat this apparent day of triumph with
a bit of skepticism or at least a bit of caution. Jesus seems to have provoked
the response he got from the people (riding on a donkey would have resonated
with people who knew the words of Zechariah:
Luke doesn’t mention Zechariah, but Matthew does (Matt.
21:1-10). So the question is, what did Jesus know, and when did he know it?
Whatever
the nature of Jesus’ thinking when it comes to the events of Holy Week, they did
have political implications. You don’t gather a following who believes you
might be the Messiah without envisioning some kind of political impact. The
question is, what did Jesus intend with these provocations? Did he expect to
die in Jerusalem? Was he courting martyrdom? These are all questions that
remain unanswered, but Palm Sunday does raise them.
As we
gather for Palm Sunday, we do so with this sense of uncertainty about the world.
We wonder what Jesus would have us do. It is wise, when we gather for worship
on Palm Sunday to keep in mind the event of Good Friday. The Romans clearly saw
Jesus as a political provocateur. The Pharisees seem worried that Jesus’
actions might provoke a devastating encounter with Rome that would lead to a
fragile “peace.” So, once
again, what would Jesus have us do when it comes to our own situation when the
world seems to be in disarray?
For a
moment we are invited to join the crowd and welcome Jesus into the city,
bringing all our hopes and dreams for the future with us. As such we can sing:
through waving branches slowly ride,
O Savior, to be crucified.
2 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
O Christ, your triumph now begin
o'er captive death and conquered sin.
3 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
The angel armies of the sky
look down with sad and wondering eyes
to see the approaching sacrifice.
4 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Your last and fiercest foe defy;
bow your meek head to mortal pain,
then take, O God, your power and reign.
Ride
on, Ride on, in Majesty! By Henry Hart Milman (Chalice Hymnal)
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