Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Lent Bible Reading Challenge Day 32

The Entry into Jerusalem

Matthew 21:1-11

The story of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is the story that essential frames and shapes the celebration of what we now call Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week in the Christian Perspective. Jesus arrives (not for the first time) in Jerusalem, the capital city of his homeland - capital in terms of Politics, Economics, Culture and Religion. For our country Jerusalem would be like combining Chicago, Manhattan, DC, Seattle, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Nashville, and Houston. How is it that historians don't make much notice of this triumphal entry? Most likely it wasn't hundreds of thousands that threw their cloaks to the ground madly waving palm branches like over-caffeinated fans at the Super Bowl as Jesus passed by on a never-ridden donkey. More likely it was his disciples and the closest members of his "fan club" that cheered him on, acclaiminig him as the true king, the king of kings, the promised Messiah as he arrived in the capital city. They proclaimed and anticipated his greatness in ways different than he. They wanted him to storm the capital, and set up a new faith-based goverment by throwing down the Romans, turning out Herod and his minions, and overthrowing the centralized power of the Sadducees. They wanted a true government for the people, of the people, and by the Messiah. Yet Jesus comes as the king, but his kingdom doesn't come. For him it's more about relationship than political revolution, more about prophecy than politics, more about the left-outs than the left-overs to share with those riding his coat-tails to power. Is there any wonder that Judas - and others - were confused, feeling let-down, seeking to force Jesus to be the leader that they wanted as opposed that he sought to be. How do we see Jesus today? How do I? Is it in the authentic way he strove to be in his words, actions, presence, and relationships? Or is it in the ways that I think he should be or want him to be?