Are we ready to
journey with Jesus into death and beyond?
Everything about
Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem is a sign of his messiahship. Pilgrims normally entered Jerusalem on foot;
Jesus distinguishes himself by calling for a
colt tethered on which no one has ever sat – a colt unprofaned by human
ridership, born for this purpose and this purpose alone, to carry the Messiah
on his journey of triumph into the city. Moreover, only a king had the right to claim
use of another’s possessions without question.
The Master has need of it, the
disciples are to explain. Cloaks were not normally spread upon the road, but
Mark’s Gospel tells us that Many people
spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had
cut from the fields.
As Jesus enters
the city of Jerusalem, those preceding
him as well as those following kept crying out:
Hosanna! Why? It is a prayer, a request: help us, save us! The people are looking for a Messiah, someone
to shift the oppressive political structure under which they live. Jesus will instead shift the power structure
of their faith and devotion so that they might embrace a deep and meaningful
relationship with God as their king.
Once inside the
city walls, Jesus will prove to be the suffering servant foreseen in Isaiah,
whose crucifixion will fulfill so much of Psalm 22, but who will pray that
psalm on the cross not only as a lament but also with an element of praise for
deliverance. Having emptied himself, he will obedient
to the point of death, and yet ultimately, as the hymn in Philippians makes
clear, God will greatly exalt him. May we keep
Jesus’ journey in mind through this Holy Week, meditating on that parabolic
descent and ascent, following him without question, without reserve, as he
takes humanity to the cross and raises us up with him on Easter Sunday!
This post is based
on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordle.net
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