Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

"Hosanna!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'
The King of Israel!"

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

"Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey's colt."

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.    The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

- John 12:9-19

Yesterday we read that the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.  Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  John deepens our understanding of the mood of the time; the seventh sign of raising Lazarus from the dead has had its great impact.  Lazarus is someone all wish to see at the Passover feast, but the chief priests also want to be rid of Lazarus for the same reason:  his life is the reason many even from Jerusalem and among the classes of the leadership come to believe in Jesus.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'  The King of Israel!"
Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  This is Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is celebrated on Palm Sunday.  The people greet Him as the Messiah, the King of Israel.  Their initial greeting comes from Psalm 118:25-26, verses associated with messianic expectation.  These verses were recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"  In order to understand this event, and in particular the attitudes of the ruling members of the Council and the chief priests toward Jesus, we have to see it in political terms.  By the time of Jesus, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah, who would deliver them from Roman control and reestablish David's kingdom.  Therefore the response of the rulers is a political response, because they see this event as the declaration of the people that they wish Christ as king and ruler.  But Jesus gives a conflicting signal here:  He doesn't ride on a horse nor in a chariot like a national warrior or triumphal war hero.  Rather, He rides on a donkey's colt (Zechariah 9:9).   This is a sign of humility and peace.  My study  bible says that this entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  We may also view this scene as a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers, and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.    The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"  Here is an interesting juxtaposition.  The disciples did not understand these things at first.  As is true for so much of Jesus' ministry, it is only later that Jesus' disciples remembered these things written about Him and that the people had done these things to Him.  They come to reconcile the birth of the kingdom of God with Jesus' ministry and teachings (John 3:3-5).  But the Pharisees can see these things only on political terms, and the growing power of Jesus among the people who wish to make Him king and ruler of Israel.

Clearly the people who welcome Jesus see Him as King and successor to King David.  A man who can raise one from the dead?  He must be the prophesied King and Messiah, the one who will restore the fortunes of the kingdom of Israel.  The Council takes this political perspective and chooses to act against it, fearing losing their places and also to the Romans.  They will turn to the Romans to give them a charge against Jesus that He sought to be King of Israel.  But Jesus' life and ministry point to a reality that is something entirely "other" than what people expect or understanding.  His is not a political ministry.  His disciples are not military soldiers, and He hasn't amassed an army as a man who would be king would do.  But the perceptions that are around Him, and the fears that stoke those perceptions, indeed tell us something important.  Revelation that is of God, of something holy, will always ask us to stretch ourselves to understand, to comprehend, to take it in.  Christ's ministry is precisely that, all of it -- it is a revelation of God.  It offers new alternatives to everyone for thinking about life and the possibilities of what life in our world can hold, and what meanings may be present for us.  For those who cannot receive Jesus' startling teachings that open up those new possibilities as revelation, misunderstanding alone is possible.  Suspicion based on one's own assumptions and possibilities is the result.  Jesus is revealing the Father in His ministry, His healings, and the signs of the presence of the Kingdom of God.  But for those who do not seek to understand Him, only fear and suspicion are possible.  Even the people who welcome Him to Jerusalem do not quite know what they are doing; their expectations are political, but no doubt there are those in this same crowd who will turn against Him at the Crucifixion.   In our own lives as faithful, we, too, will be challenged to stretch our perceptions and expectations.  A life of faith will ask us to open up to new ways to handle difficult situations and circumstances.  A reliance on God will teach us to be alert and awake, to be flexible, to be able to stretch our hearts and minds to receive Christ in new ways -- whether that will be strengths to survive hard challenges and circumstances, or ways to move forward and expand our faith through all things, or to learn ever more deeply to allow God's love to transform who we think we are.  We may find our own good motivations questioned when we seek to help others.  God's work in the world does not cease to work in the ways that these people in today's reading are and will be challenged.  Their expectations are of a worldly Messiah, and the ones who cannot accept the truth of Christ fear and live a purely political world.  Let us not be those who are only capable of looking with a limited perspective, of assuming that we have already learned everything we need to learn.  Let us live with our hearts open in prayer for where God wants us to go in following and living that Kingdom that Christ brings to the world, in whatever ways that we are called to grow.  When we can say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," we must also remember that our assumptions about what He has to teach us may be entirely too limited.