Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord!

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "God into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it.' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David
That comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!"

And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

- Mark 11:1-11

On Satuday, we read that Jesus and the disciples came to Jericho, as they make their way on the road to Jerusalem.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "God into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it.' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.   In today's reading is the story of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is the event which the Church celebrates on Palm Sunday.  At Jesus' time, Jewish nationalism has looked toward a political Messiah to deliver the nation from Roman control, and to reestablish the kingdom of David.  Christ enters the city in humility; by His actions and choices He shows that He does not come to establish a worldly kingdom.  This is signaled by the choice of a donkey's colt, a humble animal, which my study bible says is a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9).  Conventional kings and conquering rulers would be riding on a horse or chariot, sign of power and might.  The entrance into the Holy City, my study bible tells us, declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is, in addition, 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).  So in this event is contained layers of meaning and also reflection of the ultimate authority of Judgment belonging to Christ, the final cosmic victory.

Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The people spread their clothes before Jesus, as if paying reverence to a King.  My study bible says that this action is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, and even our very lives, for Christ.

Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!"  And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.  The people's cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26, verses in Scripture which are associated with messianic expectation.  This was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"  The first thing Jesus does after entry into Jerusalem is to go into the temple, which is the house of God, His Father's house.

Jesus enters into Jerusalem with all the popular expectations of the masses desiring Him to rule over them as king.  They have seen and heard about the miracles He's performed, and so they know that God is clearly with Him.  The things He has done are associated with messianic expectation, the time of the Messiah -- such as healing a man blind from birth, as He did with Bartimaeus outside of Jericho on the road toward Jerusalem (see Saturday's reading, above).  With Jesus, we see the overlapping of the worldly and the holy -- the events of His ministry are frequently those that have been prophesied, reflective of the Old Testament Scriptures.  Jesus enters into Jerusalem from the East, as expected of the Messiah.  The Psalm verses recited by the people are those associated with the coming of the Lord's Kingdom, as is their use at the festival of Sukkot, known as the Feast of Tabernacles or that of the Coming Kingdom, commemorating the time the people wandered in the wilderness following Moses to the Promised Land.  But this overlapping of the divine and the worldly is precisely the paradox that we find in our faith in Christ, that which leads us to deeper realities and into the mysteries of the true kingdom of God.  Christ is both divine and human; in Jewish expectation, this was not the case.  The Messiah was to be a supremely God-like man, a great king who would restore the kingdom of David.  But to know Christ requires a different set of expectations, and to come to terms with quite a different reality.  In worldly terms, a human being who is also divine might be expected to be so supremely powerful that no worldly or human army or military might could stand against Him.  But our King comes in a humble human package, and so does His ministry, as do His teachings.  Nothing in Scripture is an accident, and it's not merely a coincidence that our readings over the past week, as we have read of the preparation for this moment of entry into Jerusalem, have included numerous teachings about the importance of humility and sacrifice, the use of power and authority with the greatest love and grace.  The disciples have repeatedly been told that he who would be first shall be last, and that those among them who desire to be the greatest shall be last and servant of all.  They have been told that to receive even a little child in the name of Christ is to receive Christ Himself, and even the Father who sent Him.  Jesus chooses for His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem the colt of a donkey.  He rides not in a chariot or on a horse like a conquering king, and He has no army with Him, no display of worldly power and might.  No, this is not a Messiah who will meet the worldly expectations of nationalism and power, and lord it over the rest of the world.  He does not use manipulation and coercive force.  His is a kingdom of hearts and minds which are won over only through a free will choice, because it is a kingdom of reciprocal love.  You can't really fake faith.  You can't really feign loyalty, because Christ is the "heart-knower."  What He is after is something that is deep inside of us, that perhaps He sees that we don't even understand.  Somewhere within ourselves we have the capacity to cooperate with grace, to say "yes" to spiritual calls and prompting.  Christ shows us the way, with His identity and ministry of divine/human synergy.  He teaches us that there are hidden things within us which are found in the identity that He has for us in His Kingdom, if we but choose to follow in faith, and if we are prepared to do so His way.   He defies all expectations, to the contempt and consternation of some -- and to the heights of beauty, truth, and goodness the world can grasp, if we but know how to see and to receive as a little child.