The Parade: Risking Reputation

NRSVUE  Matthew 6:1-11 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says  anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.* 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

INTRO

This Lenten season, we are embarking on a journey together. During the Sundays in Lent, we will “enter the passion of Jesus.” As Rev. Dr. Marcia McFee writes, “The events of Christ’s Passion, which take place during the last week of Jesus’ life, often don’t receive enough time in our worship and study. These stories are important to our faith journey and our identity as followers of Jesus. And yet, we often move too quickly from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday with little time to take in the dramatic story of that last week. Throughout the six weeks of Lent, we will “freeze-frame” moments in Holy Week so that we might put ourselves in the picture, thereby ‘Entering the Passion of Jesus.”  As we journey together, it is my hope that we might be drawn closer to God as we take time to understand Jesus’ passion at a deeper level.

On Ash Wednesday, I talked about our constant state of busyness. It doesn’t seem to matter whether one is younger, working, or retired. In fact, I have been told many times about the busyness that takes place after retirement.  Whether we are busy with work, children or grandchildren, doctor’s appointments, or life, we find the world and time are speeding right past us. Especially when we find ourselves in the life of our country, we get stuck thinking that life is happening around us rather than to us. Life happens around us rather than to us when we are stuck in a constant state of busyness. 

This morning, let’s take a moment to slow down. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and take another deep breath, now, picture for me the last time you saw a parade. What sights do you remember? What sounds? Maybe it is the sirens of the fire trucks, the loud mufflers of motorcycles, the sound of drums, and an array of musical instruments as the band marches down the street. The town is meeting to celebrate! Whether it be a hometown team that won some game or Christmas, we gather to celebrate. What were you celebrating? You may open your eyes…

I imagined the parades of these past few years, feelings of joy are invoked within my soul.  One of my favorite memories is of Samuel dancing to the beat of the music during the Christmas parade here in Danville, eagerly waiting with outstretched arms for candy. 

This  “triumphant entry,” as the subheading in our Bibles likes to call it…is quite different than the parades we just imagined. There are so many different elements at play that each of the Gospel writers gives us four different versions of Jesus’ entrance into the city of Jerusalem. Each has a different emphasis, specific details, and retellings that contribute to a fuller picture of what happened. No one gospel tells the full story and each makes a different point in their telling of the story. 

Yet, one consistent theme in the gospels is that Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem riding on a colt, and he does so to make a political statement. Tensions in the city are already high as the Jewish community gathers to celebrate the Passover, the feast of freedom from slavery and oppression. Thousands upon thousands are gathering from Jerusalem, Athens, Egypt, Babylon, Rome, Damascus, and Galilee to celebrate the end of slavery and the salvation narratives of the exodus from Egypt. Pontus Pilate also makes an appearance as he comes with his entourage of horses and soldiers in a display meant to remind those gathered of the Imperial power of Rome, a stark reminder that Rome is still in charge. 

Despite the popular beliefs, this is Jesus’ first time in Jerusalem. John’s gospel tells us that Jesus went into Jerusalem the week of the Shavuot, the holiday that celebrates the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. He also visited for the festival of dedication, also known as the holiday of Hanukkah. Jesus is familiar with Jerusalem and the people; the synagogue leaders know who Jesus is, and the people of the city know of him.

This time his visit to the holy city is different. Jesus and his disciples are on their way to the holy city when something strange happens. Jesus tells his followers to go into the village ahead you, and immediately, you will find a donkey tied to a colt….if anyone asks, tell them the Lord needs them.”

It is here, on the heels of this tension, that Jesus makes a political stand. Jesus’ entry into the city on a colt is planned. He has friends, such as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, who live 2 miles from Jerusalem, from whom he might have borrowed the donkey and colt. The point is that the symbolism is carefully staged and executed…if one is going to confront any powerful system, whether it be for poverty, sickness, colonialism, oppression, or even lack of compassion, one must have a plan. 

Unlike Pontus Pilate, Jesus comes riding into town as a humble king. The word humble does not mean meek or gentle. The connotation is that of being poor or afflicted. Jesus models this kind of kingdom. He does not exert authority over others but speaks of community, love, serving, and turning the other cheek. The king does not enter with a military parade but in a manner that all in Jerusalem would immediately recognize…he comes riding in like David.

One commentary notes, “In deliberately presenting himself before Jerusalem as its messianic king, Jesus has chosen an OT model which subverts any popular militaristic idea of kingship. The meek, peaceful donkey-rider of Zech 9:9 is not a potential leader of an anti-Roman insurrection….Jesus speaks of a type of leadership that is completely opposed to the world’s notions of kingship and authority, and now he models it in the “meekness” of his royal procession to the city.” 

This message is magnified as the crowds that follow Jesus respond in ways fitting for not just a king but a messiah. Matthew tells us that as Jesus enters the city, a huge crowd spread their cloaks on the road; others cut branches and spread them on the road. Another commentary notes, “By all appearances, the crowd gathered are not residents of the city, but Jesus’ “posse,” his own band of followers—those same folks who have been on the road with him all the way back to Galilee, together with those they have picked up along the way. Jesus is not hailed as the Messiah by strangers who have heard of his revolutionary reputation but only by the crowd of his own followers.”

These followers of Jesus come from rural areas surrounding the city. There is a division between the haves and the have-nots that ensues, much like the division in our own towns. 

In one town I lived in, the dividing line between the rich and the poor was stark. We had just moved into the parsonage when a member of the church looked at me and pointed towards the train tracks, and he said, “Don’t go past those train tracks; that’s where the crime happens.” I later found out that crime did happen, but the people across the tracks lived in poverty. They were the “Mexicans”, the chicken plant workers, and the road construction crew, where on my side of the tracks were the lawyers, the judges, and the store owners.

Those who gathered around Jesus and placed their cloaks on the ground and shouted Hosanna are those who live outside the city walls. They are the people who work to provide money and food for the city elites while becoming more and more aware of what little they have belonged to Rome. They are those who are impoverished, living in the spaces where “crime happens.”

We understand the crowd. It wants what all of us want.  Political reform, a meek king, compassion rather than a conquest, a balanced budget, affordable health care, clean water, peace in the streets, good educational systems, and lower taxes, it wants to know that those in power actually care about their wellbeing. This procession into the city demands justice, compassion, peace, and a vision of God’s kingdom here on earth. It demands to be heard as it praises a humble king and cries out, “Hosanna! - Save us.”

Only in Matthew’s gospel are the bystanders in Jerusalem puzzled. Of course, the city, the elites, those of us who live on the “right” side of the tracks are puzzled. We do not understand the plight of those who live on the other side of the tracks, those impoverished, those who are struggling to make ends meet, and those who look different than us. They are shocked by the division between Jerusalem and those outside its walls. Can you imagine our shock when the relatively poor, the outsiders, gathered and began shouting through the gates of the city, throwing their cloaks and branches down to make way for this man who was riding on a colt?

The city does not handle this well. They are shaken. Their initial response is not to step into the parade and follow Jesus. Rather, it is to stare on and ask, “What in the world is going on here?” They are in turmoil, disturbed, and worried about their security. Anyone challenging the empire is on their way to being executed. It scares those in power when their power is challenged. When influence is gained by someone other than the elite…after all, Herod killed John the Baptist out of fear that he was becoming too influential.

During COVID, I had a hard time working around all the mandates of the church, not because I didn’t believe in keeping people safe but because I struggled to hear with masks. You see, I rely not just on my hearing aids but body language and lip reading to understand what folks are saying. At the time, The Annual Conference’s position on wearing masks without exception hindered persons with hearing impairments and other disabilities from being able to communicate effectively. While the church affirms its full support of the implementation of the Americans with Disability Act, it does not leave room for reasonable accommodations. As a differently-abled person, I had to find ways to communicate more effectively while also living within the guidelines of the conference. I purchased multiple boxes of clear face masks and explained their purpose and why they were needed. Then, I offered them to the laity and clergy across the district. It helped to remove some barriers. Yet, as I listened to others, I found that this was not enough. I knew of other clergy and laity who, like me, were struggling because of this disability, so I began to advocate for changes in a new way.

The church often struggles to hear and receive feedback. For example, a church might start food banks with the intention of helping others in our community gain access to food…so it stocks up on canned goods, frozen meats, and boxed Mac and Cheese…but it doesn’t know that the community it desires to serve does not have a can opener, a microwave, or milk to make the Mac and Cheese. It doesn’t understand that the idea of making a meal from scratch is overwhelming. These things shock us. Yet, the stories need to be heard, and we ought to respond to address the needs. Interestingly, God’s storehouse now has a nutritionist on staff to help its community with meal prep, and they are there to answer questions about how to cook the foods given out. How do we move to address the needs of the community who are crying out Hosanna?

Jesus, knowing, risks his reputation and his life for the sake of the least, the lost and those on the other side of the tracks. He proceeds into the city in his own protest as he flips tables and makes his presence known in the temple…not just any part of the temple but the place where the Gentiles gather, the outsiders gather, and the impoverished gather. (To hear more about this, tune in Next week…). But, Jesus wants the temple and others in places of privilege to hear, receive, and know its community and their needs. He wants the temple to respond in ways that not self-benefiting but out of love for those whose voices has been heard shouting in the streets.

Jesus calls us to pick up our own cross, to be willing to accept hardships, loss, humiliation, imprisonment, even death, in order to proclaim a vision of a better world, to proclaim God’s kingdom come on Earth as it is in heaven, and to work to bring it about…our work towards justice as we continue our backpack program, teach about love and compassion to children, and strive to create a better world as we follow Jesus will turn heads, it will cause others to wonder, what are those people at Saint Luke’s or Smith Memorial doing? 

Jesus is about to enter into the Jerusalem and its temple. Where are we? Are we in the parade and shouting Hosanna? Or are we on the sidelines, afraid to take part in the work? Are we dipping our toes in the water or jumping in with both feet? This first Sunday of Lent provides us a space to pause. To consider our feelings, hopes, and longings for a more just world, it is a space to listen, hear, and receive what those who are different than us, whether it’s a different socioeconomic standpoint, a different race, or different abilities are crying out for to be saved from.

As we step back and look at this parade, we must ask ourselves: Where are we headed? To what or whom are we headed toward? And, who is headed with us? For in the kingdom of God all will be saved. May we continue the parade, standing up for the least, the last and the lost, fighting against evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves, and may we look around inviting all in until our parade looks like God’s parade. Hosanna! Save us Lord. Hosanna!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.