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Journey to the Cross: The Entry
Text: Luke 19:28-44
● This narrative inaugurates what the Christian tradition has identified as
the “Passion Week”.
Webster’s defines
“passion” as:
‘a strong inclination that moves the
mind and the will to action’. So, it can’t be reduced to an
‘emotion’ or ‘sentiment, but must be understood as something that captures
our heart and defines the way we live our lives.
● Honestly, we’ve never seen Jesus more determined; more focused. He seems
more intentional in his words and movements.
It’s how passion acts. When someone is ‘passionate’, they are not
easily distracted; they’re not easily fatigued--- in fact they are
energized; there’s increased clarity that seems to overcome any fear; they
often say and do things we would consider to be irrational.
● Having for so long warned his followers not to repeat their determination
that he was ‘the Messiah’, he now moves toward Jerusalem knowing full well
that this is the way that people will perceive him.
After all, he has made his way from Bethany where he has raised
someone from the dead (impressive display of supernatural ability), he’s
demonstrated that he’s willing to challenge even the religious hierarchy for
their abuses…
this guy’s got the goods!
● Historians suggest that there were actually (2) processionals entering
Jerusalem on that day during the week of Passover.
One included Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of that region, who
entered the city with an impressive display of imperial power and deadly
force. He was present for one reason:
to ‘keep the peace’.
The other processional was quite a contrast. It was a parade of
peasants, outcasts and losers, led by Jesus, not atop his trusty steed (as a
symbol of military conquest), but atop a donkey as a sign of humility. He
was present for one reason: to
‘offer’ peace.
● Those Jews present who were well-versed in the story would remember that
one of the prophets envisioned the rescuer making his appearance in such
fashion:
“Shout
in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is
righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey -- even on a
donkey's colt” (Zechariah 9:9).
● The environment/atmosphere at this time of year was ‘volatile’, to say the
least. The faithful masses are there to celebrate “Passover”,
which itself was a celebration of their deliverance from another oppressing
empire--- Egypt and an anticipation of another exodus (from the prevailing
empire).
They are waving branches, which was typical of welcoming royalty, but
more importantly, they are hailing him as “King” and shouting,
‘Hosanna’, which means “save
us now!”
Every year they end the Seder meal with this phrase:
“Next year in Jerusalem.”
They are tired of waiting until next year. Next year never seems to come. It
was time for the abuse to stop. It was time to be free.
● This is not the festive and subdued type of parade that is often depicted
for us. This is not the ‘pasty-white, bearded, British Jesus’, waving and
leading the parade like a
Tournament of Roses grand marshal--- this is a frenzied, mob-scene.
● These people are tired, frustrated, oppressed and ready to ‘ride Jesus
into Jerusalem’ to get this Kingdom established once and for all.
● I find that, too often, I’m a
‘branch-waver’. I’ll grab a
branch and cheer for Jesus, especially when it appears that he is about to
address the issues and start dealing with all of the people and
circumstances which are making my life unpleasant.
I love it when Jesus starts to exert
himself and finally starts acting like ‘God’.
But, when he fails to live up to my expectations, I stop cheering for
him. I may still be waving the branch, but in my heart, I’ve already
abandoned him.
It appears that sometimes the only way our expectations can be fulfilled is
as they are “shattered” so that we might be available to a new expectancy.
God has always desired that we live with expectancy, but, more
significantly, that we live with the proper expectations [it’s why Jesus
came after them, post-rez: couldn’t reconcile what had happened with their
expectations].
Our expectations are the reality that we create; the way that we
envision life working out for us. Those expectations often make us blind to
the very realities which should call into question the validity of our
hopes.
● Jesus’ expectation was always centered on the Kingdom of God. And it was
his deep-heart conviction that the
“glory of God” was the only
means through which a distorted and disorderly humanity might realize
restoration and healing… might be set right.
● It’s why the angelic Advent announcement was
‘glory to God… and peace on earth’:
the two are inextricably linked--- you can’t have peace on earth without
recognizing God’s rightful place among, within and over it.
It’s on the journey to Jerusalem that we hear and begin to feel the impact
of what it means to “come after Jesus”:
to “deny ourselves.”
They wanted a King who would take up their cause against the ‘evil empire’;
instead, they got a King who rather disturbingly addressed the evil resident
within them.
● To
deny yourself must mean, at
least on some level, to admit that the resources for the life that I desire
are not resident within me apart from God; it is to no longer see yourself
as he reference point of life
“If you had only known what would bring you
peace… but you didn’t recognize
the time of God’s coming to you.”
● The word Luke uses here for ‘know’
doesn’t mean that they weren’t aware, but that they refused to ‘accept or
approve’ of his way.
● Some call it happiness…
fulfillment…, life to work out the way we had planned. We’re often not
even sure how to define it, but, we all crave it. It’s in our DNA. Somewhere
in our history, humanity has experienced peace--- life as it was meant to be
experienced. Maybe it’s what Solomon called “eternity in our hearts”
(Ecclesiastes 3).
The truth is: Peace will forever elude us as long as we are resolved to life
on our own terms.
It means that, most often, our strategies for making life work merely
contribute to the disorder and dysfunction.
You don’t establish justice (things
set right) with more injustice.
Peace is actually the condition created by justice.
● Living ‘peaceably’ is not simply about passivity or serenity.
Peace is actually the more demanding
way. It requires more of us.
“If anyone wants you [outer
garment], give them your [inner garment] as well” (Matthew 5:40). In the
Greek, it’s the image of a peasant responding to the injustice, leaving him
standing naked in the courtroom. Our commitment to peace exposes and
overcomes the injustice (as well as: loving our enemies, forgiving those who
have offended us, etc.)
● Jesus says: the way of peace is
not the way of compromise with the prevailing systems that many had
chosen; it’s not the way of
segregating ourselves (distancing ourselves) or attempting to
forcefully depose the powers,
but it’s the way of engaging the world in transformational ways through
communities of people committed to love, forgiveness and mercy.
● It’s a way best described by Micah:
“…act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God” (6:8).
It means that we must be about setting things right in all of our
relationships; that we must expect justice, but love mercy- making
allowances for all of the ways that we fail to be fully human. It’s a
refusal withhold from others the mercy that I have freely received from God.
And, it means that we live (walk is a metaphor for how we actually live our
lives) with authenticity--- an honest evaluation of who we are and who God
is and his stubborn determination to love us despite all of the ways that we
‘fall short’ of the life he dreams for us.
The real test of our journey is not our willingness to follow him into the
city- where we are convinced that he will exert himself on our behalf
against all of the injustices we encounter, but our resolve to follow him
toward the cross so that we might experience the new life on the other side
of death.
Ironically, the resurrection offered us the ultimate hope--- but it
wasn’t what we expected! Death as the path to new life. |
