What was missing from Luke’s description of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem that we heard in the first part of the service?
Palms.
There are no palms in his description.
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem – from his description would you call it triumphant?
I wouldn’t. What was normal for a king like Caesar, or even someone like Pontius Pilot, to do upon entering a city like Jerusalem was to find the finest, largest war horse and put on the finest armor and follow a parade of soldiers and chariots. The idea being that this is a triumphant king and no one would dare challenge him. Now Jesus – Jesus enters as a king of peace. He enters on a donkey, a work animal. And he enters just as he is.
The other thing missing from Luke’s description is the people who welcome him are not everybody in Jerusalem, but his disciples – the people that have followed him and the people who have heard of his great works and believe in him. And instead of palms, they lay before him their cloaks.
What’s so special about a cloak? According to Jay Cormier in the Lenten Reflection Not by Bread Alone that we’ve been reading this Lent, a cloak was the single most valuable item of clothing a person in that time had. You got one. You mended it and took care of it and for some, for the poor, it was more than just something to keep them warm, it was their home. So here the disciples are laying before Jesus their best.
What might Jesus have been thinking and feeling as he rode into Jerusalem, not just to give his best, but to give everything for us?
Peace,
The Rev. M.E. Eccles, LPC
No comments:
Post a Comment