Matthew 21:1-11 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 21:1-11 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 21When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, Verse 2saying 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. Verse 3If anyone says anything to you, just say this, 'The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately." Verse 4This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, Verse 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." Verse 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; Verse 7they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. Verse 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Verse 9The 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!" Verse 10When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" Verse 11The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."
Devotion
I've always seen Palm Sunday as a "calm before the storm" in Lent. After many chapters of conniving Pharisees, demonic forces and ignorant disciples, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, greeted with glorious fanfare. For this short time, at least, it seems that all is well. But it is precisely that calm that confuses me. How, in the span of one short week, does the crowd's shouting turn from "hosanna!" to "crucify!"?
Perhaps that tension is exactly the point. Once again we are given a dissonant juxtaposition of humility and exaltation. Matthew quotes the prophet Zechariah, "Look, your king is coming to you, humble." And indeed Jesus enters Jerusalem in humility on a donkey. But the crowds exalt Jesus, willing this prophet to become a mighty king, a valiant warrior. They cannot understand that Jesus' exaltation can only result from his future humiliation. And so as Jesus fails to be the warrior-king the crowds expect, their exaltation dissolves into hate. Underneath the shouts of "hosanna!" lie the powerful shouts of "crucify!" that bring Jesus to his ultimate humiliation. But through that humiliation Jesus also receives the true exaltation, that is, resurrection.
Prayer
Lord, as we prepare to enter Holy Week, let us be like your Christ, seeking not empty exaltation, but holy humility. Amen.