And so it begins. 

A group comprised mainly of Galileans followed a man perched upon a donkey as he made his way from Mount Olivet down to Jerusalem. As they came closer, a rapidly growing crowd began to gather in the city. 

The church around the world remembers this as Palm Sunday, in a sense, reaching across time to join with the celebration. 

But there is much more happening here.

Roman leaders entered the city through the main gate on a white steed, signifying Rome’s power and dominance over all aspects of this occupied nation’s life. 

Jesus came in through the back way, on a simple beast of burden. 

In a sense, this was parody and theatre. 

The Jews had anticipated a messianic king who would set them free from their oppressors; when they cried, “Hosanna to the son of David”, they were expressing what was a nearly universal expectation. 

Instead, Matthew quotes the prophet Zechariah:

“Tell the people of Jerusalem, Look, your King is coming to you.He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt."

We see the contrast between the Jews’ desire for the power of self-determination that would come through a messiah who triumphs over the oppressive political, economic and religious forces that dominate their lives, and Jesus, who declares a whole new kingdom defined by self-emptying, serving, love for others in the midst of being exploited and abused. 

This humble entry into Jerusalem is antithetical to the political and religious powers that rule, so it must be opposed. 

Over the following five days we will witness the sheer force of that opposition, perhaps no more clearly exposed that in the religious leaders’ cry, “Give us Barabbas! We have no king but Caesar.”

Jesus comes to Israel that day as the Prince of Peace, the one who had declared, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”  

He declares and demonstrates a Gospel of peace that both confronts all systemic violence and injustice and that will ultimately bow to the greater order of the Kingdom of God.

This a Kingdom that is quietly and steadily advancing, irresistible because it is the expression and the actualization of the unwavering purposes of God. 

The prophets of the Old and New Testaments understood this and so never lost hope. 

P.S.  If this article has triggered any thoughts or questions, I would love to hear from you. 

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