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.
Our Reflection for today is based on a combination of yesterday’s listed reading from the gospel of Luke and part of today’s reading. The reason I’ve chosen to put them together is that it seems to me that together, they help us to understand how Jesus’ entry into the city of Jerusalem would have been perceived by people in the ancient world.
Luke has chosen to tell this story in a way that is meant to reinforce our understanding of Jesus as a king. Jesus said at the time of his trial before Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world. But Jesus is still a king – a figure of surpassing power and authority. As we know, he was not the kind of warrior-king Messiah the Jews expected. (And you could probably make the case that he’s not the warrior king that some of his followers still expect today.) So maybe this story of his triumphal entry and his cleansing of the temple is meant to make that point – that the ultimate king of the universe does not conform to human customs and expectations.
You might remember that we’ve said in the past 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 was compelled to surrender to an attacking army, the king or general at the head of that army would often enter the city in a sort of victory parade. And there were other occasions for triumphal entries in the ancient world. For instance, if a city made a treaty with a neighboring king, that king might pay a state visit and enter the city in this kind of procession to demonstrate that it was now under his protection. Or if a city sent out an army to fight a battle somewhere else and that army won a victory, it would enter the city triumphantly on its return. People would line up along the roads to cheer on the conquering heroes and throw flowers and such.
But the triumphal entry of Jesus was very different. Instead of an army, he entered the city at the head of a crowd of peasants and fishermen and religious pilgrims. Instead of a prancing War Horse, Jesus came riding a little donkey, a symbol of humility. When you think about it, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem might almost have seemed like a parody of the typical triumphal entry.
But there’s another odd way that this triumphal entry corresponded to the more common ones — and another striking difference. In the typical triumphal entry, the king or general in charge would usually go to the main temple of the city and perform a sacrifice. It was a goodwill gesture – a sign of respect for the city’s main god. And Jesus also goes to the temple of Jerusalem — but look what happens when he gets there. He drives out the corrupt merchants instead of performing the typical goodwill sacrifice. Ironically, the only place in this story where Jesus demonstrates a ‘warlike’ demeanor is when he sees the peace and holiness of the temple being disrespected.
So when you look at this story in the light of the customs of the time, it has all the elements of a typical triumphal entry. But those elements have all being changed so dramatically that the story takes on a unique character.
It’s important not to forget that the details of this triumphal entry, including the little donkey Jesus rode on, all fulfilled specific ancient prophesies – especially ones found in the book of the prophet Zechariah. That might have added to the spiritual power among the crowds of people along the roadway. They were, after all, pilgrims in the city for the Passover. And they all seemed to sense the profound spiritual significance of Jesus’ entry. The gospel accounts tell us that the crowds started singing ancient psalms, and 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.
There’s another interesting aspect of this particular triumphal entry, too: 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 one who came with the power and authority of God. That must have been like fingernails on a chalkboard to the religious leadership, who understood that only they had authority from God. So the authorities tried to get Jesus to shut the people up. But Jesus clearly understood that these events were moving forward under great spiritual power, so it would be futile to try to stop them. That seems to be what Jesus meant when he said that if the people were silenced, the very stones would cry out.
No figure in human history has demonstrated more power than Jesus. This modest 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
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