Matthew 21:1-11

Jerusalem, Palestine, in the year 30 AD. Palestine, as the rest of the Near East from Egypt to Spain, is under Roman occupation. It is the beginning of the Passover week, the most sacred week, and the busiest time of the year in the Holy City. Nearly two hundred thousand pilgrims would visit Jerusalem on this feast. This time is a remembrance of liberation for the Jews, and as history has shown, many, moved by religious fervor and longing for freedom brought forth by God, would attempt riots and revolutions.

In a language we can all relate to, Rome was the greatest nation in the world. So in an attempt to remind the zealots among the Jews of who is in charge, every year, on the week of the Passover, the Roman governor representing the Emperor, would march into the city, in a power-demonstration with soldiers, horses, and weapons. You could imagine the fear, disgust and hatred that act may have attracted among the Jews. Jesus had something to say about that; about all of it. And so he proceeds from the other side of the city, in an obvious attempt to counter the imperial procession.

So imagine with me: on the one side, the Roman governor marching into the city with an army of fully-equipped and armed soldiers, ready to take down anyone who dares to threaten the “peace” of Rome. And then on the other side, there is Jesus, riding on a colt, a foal of a donkey, with supporters waving tree branches, laying down clothes and cheering with words from their scriptures.

Jesus’s act was both an ironic counter-action to the threatening procession of Rome, and a deliberate enactment of the Zechariah prophecy (9:9): “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout O daughter Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Let’s talk about the implication of that prophecy. The prophet Zechariah wrote in the time of rebuilding the temple after the return from the Babylonian exile. He describes God’s providential dealings with the Jews at a time of redress, peace, and prosperity under the leadership of the Savior Messiah.

So, by enacting the words of this particular prophet, Jesus declared that he was the awaited Messiah, the Savior who is to bring forth peace and restfulness to his people.

Those who followed Jesus knew their scriptures, obviously; they understood Jesus’s symbolic action as a reference to Zechariah, and understood that he was the awaited Savior. But they start shouting: “Blessed is the one coming in the name of the Lord.” This expression in fact is not part of the prophecy, so if you ever wondered where it comes from, it was all part of the imperial procession. It was an announcement made as the governor proceeded to the city in the name of Caesar, who, of course, was God, also commonly known as Lord or Savior. So, this time when Jesus followers shouted: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,” when they said: “Lord,” it was not Caesar, it was God!

You see, Jesus was asking for trouble, and he indeed got what he asked for. Of all the other things he had done previously and that irritated the authorities, the charge that got him killed and that was displayed on his cross was this: “This is the King of the Jews,” a reference to this very scene in which he challenged the Roman Emperor himself.

But friends, Jesus’s act was hardly a message to Rome; it was instead a message to his own people. And here is the message: no matter who thinks is in charge, no matter whose name they’re coming with, and no matter their power, God is king over the land, and God’s ruling, God’s kingdom is not obtained through weapons or battles. But here’s what God’s kingship looks like; and I am reading the rest of the quoted passage from Zechariah, the very following verse (10) reads as follows: “[the king] will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he [the king] shall command peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

The kingship Jesus demonstrated is one of a king who rules the whole earth with peace. Definitely not the salvation his followers had in mind. “Hoosha’na” they started shouting! “Save now! Won’t you save us Son of David?” Their reference to the powerful king David, the man of wars, proves all the more that they misinterpreted Jesus’s intentions. And little did they know they would be even more disappointed in just a few days when they see him being put to death.

As disappointing as the events of the last week of his life may have seemed, on that triumphant day of his entry to Jerusalem, Jesus restored identity to his deprived and impoverished people. He reminded them that they are children of the king. They are heirs of the kingdom.

He gave those who believed his message freedom that even the oppressive monster that is Rome cannot take away, and a hope beyond the misery of the past, and the despair of the present.

Friends, we are living similar times. It is hard to overlook the symbolism of this global crisis occurring during Lent. And today’s message of peace and hope is both timeless and timely.

So, here we are at the holiest time of the year. Like those believers from the year 30 AD, we too are witnessing a threatening procession, more so an invasion. And with all the power this or any nation has ever claimed, there is little we or anyone else can do about it at this moment. 

Like Jesus’s followers, we had plans and expectations but we were let down. That’s not how we expected we would be celebrating Holy Week. That’s not how we anticipated living for the next couple of weeks, months, or even year?… Yet, in the middle of this major disappointment, thirty eight days ago, we started a transformative walk towards the cross. And what a transformation it has been!

This same hope Jesus gave to his people on Palm Sunday, even when they were still under the fist of their oppressor, he continues to give to us today. The declaration of peace and hope we make to the world is this: God is king, and therefore God is in control. That did not prevent the cross, and it does not prevent the pandemic, but here it is; I say it again: God IS king. God will have the final word about this life, about our lives.

Today we take a bigger leap into the last stage of our Lenten journey, the last and holiest week in Lent. We know how it starts,    and we know how it ends.   So let’s say it, and let’s believe it: Hosanna to God! Hosanna! Amen.