Matthew 21:1-11

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 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. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

‘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.’

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!’

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

Pay Attention
I’ve been spending a lot of time lately pondering those life experiences that seem to have a much deeper meaning as time goes by. Do you know what I’m talking about? Have you ever had an experience that you never really understood the full meaning of it until considerable time and perspective has taken place?

Sometimes, they are very insignificant moments that explode with meaning over time. Or, they could be moments that were really important for one reason at the time, but became even more important for another reason later in life. Then, there are those moments that really don’t make sense… that we really can’t understand… that we just have to sit with them and let them be until we can understand later.

At our bible study this past Thursday, we got into a heated discussion... as we often do... over just such a point. Different perspectives bounced around the table with increasing animation and conviction. Finally, someone piped up, “But, can someone explain to me why it happened that way?”

Different attempts at answering the question bounced around the table, but the energy seemed to fizzle out. We finally got to the point where we realized we were unable to answer the question. We couldn’t explain God’s reasoning. Sooner or later, in this journey of faith, we come to a point of mystery beyond our understanding.

Friends, these moments of mystery... of not understanding... are really pregnant moments of faith. The impulse is to find simple answers… something familiar that makes sense. Or, we might just want to walk away and forget about it. But, the best thing we can do is pay attention to what God will surely bring to life. If we pay attention, these pregnant, mysterious moments are just the type of moments that God uses to redeem us.

Action of Palm Sunday
Whenever I come to Palm Sunday, I can’t help but be drawn into the action... the drama... the heightened tension as we head into Jesus’ final week before his death. And, it seems as though the crowds were wrapped up in the drama, as well.

Who can blame them? From the very beginning, the action in the story is saturated with meaning and hope. They couldn’t help but be drawn into the drama.

Allusions to the Coming One
The story begins with Jesus at the Mount of Olives. And, any good Jew who knew the prophets would remember that Zechariah’s vision of the great day of the coming of the Lord started there.

“On that day the feet of the Lord shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east,” Zechariah proclaims, “Then the Lord my God will come... And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one … and Jerusalem never again shall it be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security.”

If that wasn’t enough to get the expectation of the people going, what Jesus does next is even more symbolic. He sends the disciples to get a donkey and her colt for him to ride in on.

When they saw the people saw him coming on the donkey, their suspicions from the prophet Zechariah would have been confirmed, because it was the same prophet who said the words that were referred to in our gospel reading:

‘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.’

What is not included is the rest of Zechariah’s prophecy, which the people surely would have known:

He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the warhorse from Jerusalem;

That is, he will remove these violent intrusions on the people of Israel... these occupations by foreign forces. Zechariah continues:

and the battle-bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

We can imagine the buzz in Jerusalem, as they heard of this Jesus of Nazareth gathered with his followers on the Mt. of Olives, just outside the city. Could he be the One? He’s at the Mt. of Olives. And, he’s coming on a colt... just like the great King Solomon did... just like Zechariah said the coming One would. Maybe it’s him. Maybe he’s finally come!

The donkey and her colt
But, before we get to hoopla of palm branches and shouting and cloaks on the ground, there are a few verbs that I noticed. There are a few, key verbs that caught my attention as I re-read this text that I would like to invite you to pay attention to... especially how they got the donkey and her colt.

When Jesus sent his two disciples, he said: Go into the village. Find a donkey tied and her colt. Untie them. Bring them to me. Go. Find. Untie...set free. Bring to me.

I confess that I never really noticed this before. But, isn’t that what God did for us in Jesus? Didn’t Jesus go to us and find us... where ever we were and wherever we are? Doesn’t Jesus unbind us? Doesn’t Jesus set us free? And, doesn’t Jesus bring us to God?

While those disciples and all the people in Jerusalem were wrapped up in the vision of the past... the vision of the coming One who would kick out the occupiers... the vision of the king riding on a donkey...
If we pay attention, we begin to sense that Jesus is coming for a much different purpose. If we pay attention, we begin to sense that the freedom ushered in by Jesus is entirely different than a political liberation. If we pay attention, we begin to sense that the triumph of God has little to do with victory.

Hard to Pay Attention
But, it’s hard to pay attention... what with all the crowds. They threw their cloaks on the ground as a humble self-offering for this coming king. They cut palm branches and waved them just like their ancestors had done a couple hundred years before when those brave Maccabbeans had revolted against and expelled their Greek occupiers.

But that was so long ago that no one could remember what it was like to be free. They had lived their entire lives under the Roman rule. They were so accustomed to the Roman processions into the city... riding on warhorses... those symbols of power and intimidation.

So, when Jesus rode in on that prophesied donkey from that prophesied Mt., they couldn’t help but shout out to Jesus, “Hosanna! Save us! Son of David Save us! This is the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Bless him. Save us! Heaven, save us!”

And, who can blame them for placing their hopes for freedom on him? Who can blame them for hoping that he would restore their shattered kingdom? Who can blame them for hoping that he would clean up their tarnished religion?

What’s to come
But, as we know now, it didn’t turn out anything like they expected. The next thing Jesus did was cause a ruckus in the Temple and denounce the religious leaders. He even dared to say that the Temple would be torn down... and he would teach these confusing parables that seemed to turn their faith expectations totally upside down. Is it really him? The messiah wouldn’t do such things.

He would also share a last meal with his friends and be denied by one of his most beloved disciples. He would spend a night of agony before being betrayed by Judas and handed over to the religious authorities. He would be condemned to death for blasphemy, and he would carry his cross to that awful hill called Golgotha, the place of the skull. He would be hung on that same cross and die there. He would be wrapped in linen and placed in a cold tomb carved out of a rock.

And then, something amazing happened.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Right now, we’re wrapped up in the shouting and the waving.

Lord, help us to pay attention.

May it be so. Amen.