Hosanna to the Son of David! Blesssed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

- Matthew 21:1-11

On Saturday, we read that as Jesus and His disciples went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet, but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  My study bible notes that in Matthew's Gospel, there is a second animal reported here -- not just a donkey but her colt also.  My study bible suggests that this second animal, the colt, may possibly symbolize the Gentiles "who will advance from infidelity to faith."   Jesus' prescience here not only suggests His divinity but also His unfailing willingness to follow through with what is to happen here at Jerusalem, His divine understanding of what is to come.

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  My study bible explains of today's entire reading:  "The Triumphal Entry is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday.  By Jesus' time, Jewish nationalism had begun to rise, leading to the expectation of a political Messiah.  Jewish leaders looked for a national king who would deliver them from the Roman yoke and reestablish David's kingdom.  Many Jews wanted a king like Jehu (2 Kings 9), who shed much blood and who would not hesitate to use the sword for the realization of nationalistic dreams.  Others, responding to the messianic signs of Jesus -- especially the raising of Lazarus (John 12:9-11) -- expected more.  In humility, Jesus shows He has not come to reestablish the earthly kingdom of David.  He does not ride in a chariot but upon a donkey, an animal of peace.  This is no mere earthly king, but the King of Glory who has come to reveal the Kingdom of God.  Thus, the Church sees the Son of God entering His reign and His Kingdom (see Mark 11:10; Luke 19:38).  He is taking the New Jerusalem to Himself as a pure bride, and the children celebrate His entrance as if it were a marriage (v. 15)."

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  My study bible explains, "As He enters Jerusalem, Jesus is hailed as Messiah with the words of Ps. 118:25-26.  The people knew this psalm well.  Associated with messianic expectation, it was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles, and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means "Save [we] pray."

As Advent begins, this season of time counting up to the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, so we begin to think about the coming of the Kingdom in our readings.  In Saturday's reading and commentary, we spoke about the prayer, "Lord have mercy," and the vision of what this promised land is like that Jesus is journeying toward.  In today's vision as given us by my study bible, we note that the heavenly Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, is the new Kingdom into which Jesus is entering.  He is on His way toward the temple, but more importantly, on a journey toward His Passion, and death, and Resurrection -- on the journey that will result for the disciples in the events of Pentecost, and the coming of the Spirit that will lead us further into His truth and understanding of His words.  This promised land is not a land to be conquered fully in a material sense, because it relies so strongly on a sense of ourselves as much more than merely material.  Jesus comes in triumph today, welcomed into Jerusalem by the crowds waving branches, hailing Him as Messiah.  But, as my study bible points out, He's sitting not in a chariot, but upon a donkey, a humble animal.  And, in Matthew's Gospel, rather than leading an army with its great weapons and show of might, He's leading the colt of the donkey, the humblest of the humble in its symbolism.  There's an important counterpoint to this humility of its symbolism, an important way to view what is "missing" from the picture.  Because the humility itself invites us into a picture, an icon.  What is missing for an earthly king is a question here:  it invites us to think about what is there that cannot be seen, about what is hidden in plain sight here that the people cannot see.  To ask that question is to gain insight about this Kingdom that Jesus is here for; it is the place of our hearts and souls; it is the spiritual Kingdom that is with us and within us.  It is the place where we find who we really are, the substance of true being, the one that defines what is truly of essence and value.  It is the Kingdom that assigns all meanings to everything else:  even to a gruesome crucifixion.  It is the Kingdom of transcendence of all things that we know, even of death.  Jesus is here, not only to fully realize His Kingdom over all of this reality, but to bring it near, to include us, so that we, too, may enter.  We may find transcendence with Him, we may find value and meaning with Him, we may be liberated from the bounds of a purely materialistic perspective via His ransom and liberation.  It is a Kingdom of triumph over all things, precisely because of what is missing here -- that empty space of a king's retinue that invites us to wonder what else we don't see, and to open our minds to how it will be filled with the true Kingdom in which we are all invited to partake.  How are you filled with the good things He brings to this picture?  What does the donkey and its colt teach us?  How does the "emptiness" in this picture invite you to triumph over your circumstances?