Listen to the audio of today’s Reflection:
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Luke 19:28-40, 45-48
The Triumphal Entry
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Jesus at the Temple
45 Then he entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
This passage from Luke is actually made up of parts of the listed gospel readings for two days. But we’ve put them together because it seems to me they’re telling a story that’s meant to be thought of as one story.
This passage is obviously Luke’s account of the ‘Palm Sunday story’ – Jesus’ “triumphal entry” into the city of Jerusalem a few days before his arrest.
The way this story is told is meant to reinforce the understanding in us that in a sense, Jesus really was (and still is) a king. Even though his kingdom is not of this world, Jesus is a figure of surpassing power and authority. Of course, he was not the kind of warrior-king Messiah the Jews expected. And this story of his triumphal entry and his cleansing of the temple is meant to make that point – that the ultimate power in the universe does not conform to human customs and expectations.
We should remind ourselves that while this is the only ‘triumphal entry’ we think about much, triumphal entries were not that unusual in the ancient world. If a city surrendered to an approaching army, the king or general at the head of that army would often enter the city in a sort of parade. But there were other occasions for triumphal entries in the ancient world. For instance, if a city placed itself under the protection of a neighboring king, that king might pay a state visit and enter the city in this kind of procession. Or if a city sent out a general to fight a battle somewhere else and that general won a victory, he would enter the city triumphantly on his return. People would line up along the roads to cheer on the conquering hero, throw flowers, etc.
But as we said, Jesus’ triumphal entry was very different. He entered the city at the head of a crowd of peasants and fishermen and religious pilgrims, not an army. Jesus was riding a little donkey, which was a symbol of humility, instead of a prancing warhorse. It might almost have seemed like a parody of the typical triumphal entry.
And there’s another aspect of the typical triumphal entry that needs to be noted. The triumphant king or general would usually go to the main temple of the city and perform a sacrifice as a sign of respect for the city’s main god. But look what happens here: Jesus went to the temple of Jerusalem, but he went there to drive out the corrupt merchants, not to perform a sacrifice. The only place in this story where Jesus demonstrates a ‘warlike’ demeanor is when he sees the holiness of the temple being disrespected.
So this story we remember on Palm Sunday has all the elements of a typical triumphal entry, but they’re all dramatically changed so the story takes on a unique character.
The second thing we need to notice about this particular triumphal entry is that its details, including the little donkey, fulfilled a bunch of ancient prophesies – especially one found in the book of the prophet Zechariah. The crowds of people along the roadway were, after all, pilgrims in the city for the Passover. And they all seemed to sense the profound spiritual significance of Jesus’ entry. They started singing ancient psalms, and according to the other gospels, they began to shout out religious sayings like ‘Hosanna!’ which is a Hebrew word meaning ‘save us, please.’
It seems clear that this particular triumphal entry had a powerful impact on the people who witnessed it. The Holy Spirit seems to have unleashed a burst of spiritual energy through the gathered crowd.
Which leads to the third interesting aspect of this particular triumphal entry: the sense of irresistibility about it. The religious authorities were appalled – and probably threatened – by the things the crowd was shouting out to Jesus. The people were treating him as divine, as being on the level of God. (Which, of course, he was and is.) So the authorities tried to get Jesus to shut the people up. But Jesus clearly understood that these events were moving forward under that spiritual power, so it would be futile to try to stop them. That seems to be what Jesus meant when he talked about the very stones of the city crying out if the people were silenced.
No figure in human history has demonstrated more power than Jesus. This modest country rabbi riding into town on a little donkey has moved and transformed the world more than any warrior-king ever could. So we should probably take this story as a great sign of the power that God is still unleashing in the world, as well as evidence that Jesus’ followers don’t have to adopt the warlike ways of the world to bring his kingdom to fulfillment. Self-sacrificing love and humble service to others are the most powerful weapons of the army Jesus leads.
Let’s pray. Lord, we thank you for this striking illustration of the true nature of the power you manifest in this world. Move our hearts to follow our master in his humility, his service to others, and his reverence for your holiness. Amen.
Have a great weekend, and worship joyfully on Sunday!
Henry
(The other readings for today are Psalms 39 and 40; Song of Solomon 2:8-13 and 4:1-11; and II Corinthians 12:11– 21. Our readings come from the NIV Bible, as posted on Biblica.com, the website of the International Bible Society.)
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