Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey

 

 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 the disciples went out of Jericho on the road toward Jerusalem, 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."  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.'"  Today's reading covers the events of what we commemorate as Palm Sunday; it is known as Christ's Triumphal Entry into the Holy City of Jerusalem.  My study Bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah who would deliver them from Roman control, and reestablish David's kingdom.  In humility, Jesus shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom through His deliberate instructions to the disciples here.  Rather than riding into Jerusalem on a horse or chariot, as earthly kings would do to show their power and glory, Jesus rides on a donkey, which is a sign of humility and peace, as shown in St. Matthew's quotation of Zechariah 9:9.  My study Bible notes also that St. Matthew reports a colt as well as a donkey.  In the writings of Church Fathers, these two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  At Orthodox Vespers of Palm Sunday, it is sung, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from unbelief to faith."

 

 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.  These people who spread their clothes before Jesus on the road do so as paying reverence to a King.  My study Bible says that this is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, even our very lives, for Christ. 

 

 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."  The people's cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26, a refrain associated with messianic expectation.  It as recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (which is also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as ranches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!" an appropriate prayer to one known as Deliverer, or Savior. 

 

As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, we are given a few things to think about.  First of all, let us consider how many times Jesus has avoided this particular day.  For until now the Christ's identity as Messiah has been kept secret in some sense (this is referred to as the Messianic Secret).  He has not openly declared it in a public way, as a king would.  But this entrance into the Holy City proclaims that day, and He boldly lives that claim, as we will see in particular in the reading that follows, when His first act is to cleanse the temple.  He is openly living, and therefore, declaring that identity.  His entrance into Jerusalem, as He has also warned the disciples three times, means that His open and final confrontation with the religious authorities will now take place, and it will culminate in the Cross (and thereafter Resurrection on the third day).  But before now, there have been times when His life was threatened through confrontation of one sort or another, but He avoided this outcome, and eluded those who were after Him, such as when He went into Gentile territory (in this reading) after one such confrontation.  This entrance into Jerusalem is deliberately meant for this time, after an estimated three years of public ministry and preparation for it in the teaching of His disciples, now apostles, and all the signs and teaching of His ministry.  In St. John's Gospel Jesus repeatedly speaks of this time as "His hour," such as when He told His mother, "My hour has not yet come," and said to His brothers, "My time has not yet come but your time is always ready."  St. John also writes before Christ's washing of the disciples' feet at the Last Supper, "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end."  (See John 2:4; 7:6; 13:1.)   While this event of the Triumphal Entry is also understood to us as imaging God's eternal kingdom, and Christ's rule as Lord, prefiguring the fullness of Christ's wedding as Bridegroom to His Bride the Church in the heavenly Jerusalem, so we must also understand on earthly terms how important timing and boundaries are to the living of our spiritual lives in this world.  There is a discreet time and place for all that Jesus does, as He follows the Father in all that He does.  In other words, although the event we read of in today's reading is publicly declaring who He is, and speaks to us of true eternal realities, so we must also realize that Jesus does things in His earthly ministry for a particular purpose, at particular and deliberate times.  It helps us to think about our own need for discernment and prudence in our own spiritual lives, as we seek to follow Christ in the living of our faith as well.  Most of all, it helps us to consider what a prayerful approach to life looks like.  It is not one in which we rush in as fools who rush in "where angels fear to tread," so to speak.  Rather, we look to our spiritual lives, and our growth in such, as those things which unfold in God's sight, as the work of faith, engaging us in our choices at particular times and in particular ways.  Spiritual struggle is not that of bold declarations and hasty choices, but rather prayerful discernment.  Before sending out the disciples in their first apostolic mission, Jesus taught them, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and gentle as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  We also are to remember that we live in this world that is still a battleground.  Just as in Jesus' life He led the way for us in a world beset by the influence of spiritual evil and its outcomes (see Matthew 4:1-11), so we enter into this battleground with Him as our Lord, our King who enters into Jerusalem on this day we read about in today's reading.  His words still stand for us, and we remain as spiritual sheep in midst of wolves.  Let us remember as we are impatient for outcomes or signs that God's timing is not our timing, God's ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8), and we need prayer and discernment to guide us, and all the collective experience of the Church which we are a part of.  Jesus boldly proceeds to the Cross, but does so fully knowing what He is doing, and with all prudence and wisdom, and the power of God.  For this also is a lesson in humility and service to God.  Let us take His yoke and learn from Him (Matthew 11:29-30).

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus (and the 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."  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.'"  Today's reading concerns the events of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday.  My study Bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom.  But in humility, Jesus shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  Here He tells His disciples to bring Him not a horse nor a chariot, but a donkey to ride into Jerusalem, which is a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9, quoted here in the text).  My study Bible notes here that Matthew reports a colt as well as a donkey.  It notes that in patristic commentary these two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and the Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  At Vespers of Palm Sunday, an Orthodox hymn declares, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from unbelief to faith."

 

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 that the people who spread their clothes before Jesus do so as paying reverence to a King.  There is also a spiritual interpretation to this, that it shows also our need to lay down our flesh, and our very lives -- as we are called to in ways small and great -- for Christ.

 

 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."  The people's cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26, associated with messianic expectation.  This was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, or the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"   My study Bible further explains that Christ's entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is, additionally, 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).  

There is a sense in which we are mistaken if we understand the events recorded in the Bible as simply things that happened once upon a time in history, for which we need to search to find relevance to our own lives today.  But the events of Christ's life are not given to us as a mere history book or story of the past, or of "once upon a time."  Neither are they in the realm purely of imagination.  Scripture overlaps in many ways many types of literature, but it is its own unique form of literature, which also borders on what we might call the poetic.  Its meanings echo through many other events, through the times of our own lives, and perhaps most importantly, they have a timeless quality.  Christ coming into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday has historically been understood in the Church in the terms my study Bible describes, as parallel to, and overlapping in a sense, Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride.  So, in a sense, this is always happening, and He is always with us.  Just as His Crucifixion, Passion, and Resurrection are not merely one-time events in history, but realities that are present to us in our lives of faith, so is this entrance into the Holy City, which is also an entrance into our hearts as well, where these spiritual realities may be perceived and dwell, and through which we take and live our faith.  Are we, like the people, going to accept or reject Him?  Do we welcome Him as Savior, as they do, shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"  And if we do so, how do we understand what "Savior" means to us?  Is He saving us one time in our lives, or is this an ongoing kind of plan of salvation, living with us and dwelling within our hearts as we seek daily to live our faith?  The mysteries of Christ and His life, His public ministry for us, are those things that are lived sacramentally in our lives.  They take the substance of our experience right now and live within us as we are called to account to understand how we are to "work" within our faith, and how these events have meaning for us now.  Will we be like those who seemingly accept Christ one day as a hailed hero, and a week later will cheer for His conviction and death, riled up by the religious leaders who wish to rid themselves of Him?  And how does He live in our hearts, as a heavenly King, who asks of us a spiritual loyalty that is comprised of all our heart, and soul, and mind?  Christ's ministry was not simply private or personal, nor are the events of His life given for us purely historical events.  They are imbued with a kind of timeless property that means they live in us and for us, they are present to us, and through faith we can always experience them for ourselves.  The Triumphal Entry in this sense is always happening, just as Christ is always gathering His Bride to Himself, to live in the New and heavenly Jerusalem.

 

 

Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho, on their way to Jerusalem, 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."  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.   Today's reading gives us the event which the Church celebrates on Palm Sunday.  This is called the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  By Jesus' time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom, my study Bible explains.  In humility, Jesus shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He does not ride on a horse nor in a chariot, but rather on a donkey -- a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9).  This entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  My study Bible adds that it is also 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).  My study Bible also notes that, specific to Matthew, there is a colt as well as a donkey.  Some patristic interpretations see the two animals as representing the faithful Jews and the Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  An Orthodox Vespers hymn for Palm Sunday declares, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from unbelief to faith."  Those who spread their clothes before Jesus do so as if paying reverence to  King.  Again, there is a spiritual interpretation to this, in which it  is understood as indicating our need to lay down our flesh, and even our very lives, for Christ.

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."  The cry of the multitudes comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which was 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!"

Jesus comes into the Holy City of Jerusalem, from east, as prophesied Messiah, in the image foretold by Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9).  We see the powerful meanings of images and symbols, this one given to Zechariah centuries before in a vision of this event.  Zechariah was born during the Babylonian exile, and returned to Judah in 537 BC, encouraging the returning captives to rebuild the temple.  His prophecies, as characterized by my study Bible, are messianic, apocalyptic, and eschatological -- powerful and rich in symbol, and telling us many things about Christ which inform our own understanding of things to come.  Among many other things in the context of apocalyptic and eschatological understanding of Christ, Zechariah foretold His coming in lowliness and humility (Zechariah 6:12, 13:7), His rejection and betrayal for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13), and His crucifixion (Zechariah 13:5-6).  Jesus affirms the prophecy Himself when He quotes from Zechariah 13:7 in Matthew 26:31.  In this kind of vision, Zechariah was given an understanding that works through symbols and images which not only foretell something that is to happen, as in Christ's Triumphal Entry, but also does so outside of time, in compressed images that convey both symbolic meaning in what we might call "heavenly" terms, as well as the worldly reality of Christ's earthly life.  This is the nature of vision.  But Christ shows His own understanding of the prophesies about Himself in today's reading (and in His quotation of Zechariah to the disciples which will come in chapter 26).  So we accept both the affirmation of Christ's understanding and the meanings in these images of the lowly colt of a donkey and the Prince of Peace (from the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6).  That is, He who does not meet the people's expectations and hope for a political Messiah who will free them from the Romans and establish a magnificent earthly kingdom for Israel, but who nevertheless fulfills the prophecies and expectations given by God.  How can one be what God calls one to be, and yet disappoint and anger so many?  This is a question for all the prophets and saints that have come before us, for the disciples and immediate followers of Christ, and -- of course -- for Christ Himself who already understands this all too well.  For "success" in the eyes of the world and the earthly goals of life is often a far different picture (indeed, radically and totally different) than the picture of a life which is successful in God's terms, and which "successfully" fulfills God's will for that holy person.  There is no greater example than Jesus Christ, and He is the One whom we follow above all, and who sets the pattern for all the rest.  Can we follow our Prince of Peace, the Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep who will be scattered?  How well do we understand the things of God as opposed to the things of men (Matthew 16:23)?  How brave are we when it comes to carrying the cross He asks of us?   With what courage could we accept a mission which calls us out of the world (John 15:19)?

 

 

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

 

 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 the disciples went out of Jericho on the road toward Jerusalem, 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."  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.'"  Today's reading describes the events of what is called Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  This day is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday.  By Christ's time, my study Bible explains, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom.  In humility, Christ shows that He hasn't come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He does not ride on a horse nor in a chariot, but on a donkey, which is a sign of humility and peace, as in Zechariah 9:9, which is quoted here by Matthew.  My study Bible teaches that this entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is also 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).   Let us note that in contrast to the other Gospels, Matthew reports both a colt and a donkey.  In Patristic commentary, the two animals are viewed as representing the faithful Jews and Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  In the Palm Sunday Vespers of the Orthodox Church, it is sung, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from unbelief to faith."

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.  The people who spread their clothes on the road do so before Jesus as paying reverence to a King.  My study Bible says that it is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, even our very lives, for Christ.  As His faithful, we seek His will in all that we do.

 

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."  The cry of the people comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation.  At the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), also understood as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, it was recited daily for six days and seven times on the seventh day, as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

The story of Palm Sunday, or Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, is really almost a sadly strange, paradoxical story.  This is because we all know that this is the start of a week in which Christ will meet His death by crucifixion, the method of punishment by the Roman state reserved for the worst criminals.  Even as He is welcomed by the people into Jerusalem, and hailed as what they expect will be a worldly king, the Messiah who will deliver them from Roman rule, the religious leaders had already begun to plot against Him and will continue to do so this week.  It is they who will, instead, deliver Him to the Romans with an accusation that demands His death as penalty.  There are many themes and ironies here.  Possibly first and foremost, as Christians, our concern is with the misunderstanding of the role of the Messiah.  Christ did not come into the world to be a worldly or earthly Messiah which the people are expecting.  His Kingdom is something entirely different from what they believe will manifest.  His will not be the restored kingdom of Israel of King David, but it will be a kingdom, nevertheless, that exists among us and within us.  He has taught us to pray to Our Father in heaven, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  At Pentecost He will send the Holy Spirit, and Christ's disciples will go out to all the world.  But for now, we witness the people who receive Him into Jerusalem, and we can read in the words of my study Bible that the Church understands this image of the Triumphal Entry as one that is fulfilled in the heavenly Jerusalem and at the same time announces the fullness of His earthly ministry and its manifestation in the Kingdom of God in the Church, the living Body of Christ.  The people, both ironically and correctly, cry out the verses of the Feast of Tabernacles, commemorating the time when the Israelites dwelt in tents (or tabernacles) and God was present to them and dwelt among them, for Christ has brought a kingdom into the world which we understand as believers and in which we also participate in His life, sacrifice, and Resurrection through the Church and through our prayer lives as believers in communion with Him.  But for today, as we are in the midst of a world seemingly ever more complex, permeated with problems, in need of a Reconciler like Christ, we remain suspended in this place where He has come into the world, His Kingdom has been declared, and yet we await His ultimate return and reconciliation in what is to come.  And as we await in faith, and it is now Advent and we anticipate the season and commemoration of Christ's birth into the world as incarnate human being, we have a chance today to contemplate what it means spiritually for each one of us to think of Christ riding triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey, and especially the emphasis on the peacefulness of a donkey's colt.  For this is how Christ rides into our hearts, not as conqueror with weapons that simply strike down anything that gets in His way or compels obedience through force and domination or slavery, but as the Lord God who is love, and it is through love that we really become citizens of this His kingdom.  For it is His love that really conquers us, it is His love that compels us to love Him, and it is His love that makes of us the type of citizens of this Kingdom that He seeks.  It is love that transforms and has patience with our failings and nevertheless meets us at every turn to teach, to shape us, to guide us into the fullness of what is possible in us through Him.  It is love that asks our cooperation and synergy in order to manifest this process of transformation.  When we think about the Triumphal Entry, we need to think about the Christ who enters into our hearts, who will come in and live with us and dine with us and be with us, making us His disciples just like the Twelve.  Let us contemplate what it is that is happening here, both the misunderstandings and wrong expectations, and the true fulfillment of His promise, which takes place first in us and among us (Luke 17:21, Revelation 3:20).  He is truly the Son of David the psalmist, prophet, deliverer, and good shepherd who so loved God; He is truly the one who comes in the name of the LORD.  He is the One for whom we lay down our lives, even in the deepest spiritual sense, as He makes us into His own through love and grace and mercy.

 

 

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 

 

On Saturday we read that when Martha had finished speaking with Jesus, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."   Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"   Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there has been a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

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 lectionary has skipped over John 11:45-57, in which the plot to put Jesus to death unfolded as a result of the raising of Lazarus, and also John 12:1-8, which gave us the story of Mary's anointing of Christ's feet, and the objections of Lazarus, plus the rebuke by Jesus to those who criticized Mary.  The latter took place at the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Bethany, thus is the setting for the beginning of today's reading, which notes that a great many of the Jews knew that He was there.  In John's Gospel, we remember that the term "the Jews" is used as a political term, to denote the members of the ruling Council of the religious leadership in the temple.  Bethany is close to Jerusalem, and there had been those also from Jerusalem who had come to mourn Lazarus' death with Martha and Mary, so the story of the resurrection of Lazarus was very well-known.  In these verses, Lazarus sums up the effect of that seventh and final sign in this Gospel:  that the chief priests now plot to kill both Jesus and Lazarus because of the profound effect of this miracle  and the faith in Jesus it engendered.

 

 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."   Today's reading describes Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, celebrated as Palm Sunday, which most Churches of the West (and the Armenian Apostolic Church. a branch of the Oriental Orthodox) celebrated yesterday.  My study bible comments that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah, who would delivers the Jews from Roman control, and reestablish David's kingdom.  By riding on a young donkey, Jesus expresses that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  A donkey's colt is a sign of humility and peace (see Zechariah 9:9, from John quotes here).  This entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God, my study bible adds.  It's also a promise of the final entrance by Christ into the heavenly Jerusalem, with all believers and His acceptance of the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).   The people's cry, "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!" was associated with messianic expectation.  It was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"   See Psalm 118:25-26.

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 links the final sign given in the Gospel, the raising of Lazarus, directly to this event of Palm Sunday (Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and the people's reception of Him as Messiah).   Note that the people from Jerusalem who had come to mourn with Mary and Martha are mentioned here by John as those who bore witness, and therefore the people also met Him.  But the Pharisees respond with their own concern:  "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!" 

John's Gospel has expressed to us the growing separation within the Jewish population regarding Jesus and people's opinions about Jesus.  This hasn't simply been an easy "black-and-white" division between those who think Jesus is Messiah and those who don't.  There have been a variety of opinions shown to be held among the people regarding Jesus, which developed as His ministry expanded, and as the people become also gradually more aware of the growing hostility of the religious leaders to Christ.  We can see this expressed through the events of the various religious festivals in Jerusalem attended by Jesus, and the controversies that surround His teaching and the miracles such as healings that He performs, the objections of the religious leaders, and the opinions of the people.  But all of these events, these divisions, and the growing hostility of the religious leaders coupled with the responses of both the people and the leaders to Jesus' signs or miracles culminates here, at the beginning of what we call Holy Week.  After having seen the stupendous sign of raising Lazarus from the dead -- and of Lazarus' death, which came four days before this event, there was no doubt possible -- clear divisions are drawn.  The people welcome Jesus to Jerusalem as those who were with Mary and Martha who came from Jerusalem witnessed the raising of Lazarus, and in turn they witnessed to the people in Jerusalem.  As at the Feast of Tabernacles, the people wave palm branches to welcome the Messiah, and what they no doubt expect will be a revival of the kingdom of David and the good fortunes of Israel.  But the contradictory opinion of the religious leaders is now set in stone, so to speak.  That is, of those who oppose Jesus, which we're told includes the most influential among the Pharisees, although there are those Pharisees who follow Christ, such as Nicodemus (see John 3:1-21, 7:45-52).  This powerful single unifying event, the raising of Lazarus, marks the final separation of the people who believe Jesus is the Christ from those who implacably oppose Him, and His threat to their places of power and authority.  What that does for those of us who read or hear the Gospel is to give us an important picture of reality that is not sugar-coated or sanitized.  It allows us to observe human nature in response to the unexpected, even to the things of God, and in continuation of the Old Testament Scriptures that came before.  As with the people of the Old Testament, the people demand kings of a certain kind, they want a life of a certain kind, they reject the word of God, they reject those who bear that word into the world.  Elsewhere we read Jesus' lament over Jerusalem:   "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" (Matthew 23:37), and the parables we're given that speak of the repeated rejection of those who were sent by God, especially the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers, given in Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19.  But in John's Gospel, we're given the more complete sense of the unfolding of the responses to Jesus, including the many misunderstandings, the confusion at the use of the language with which Jesus illustrates the concepts He gives, drawn from every day experience, but meant to illumine the mysteries He brings into the world to give to human beings.  All through these many conflicts, confusions, and misunderstandings, the Pharisees have stuck steadfastly with accusations of violating the Sabbath rule, with various other ways by which they've rejected Jesus (such as mistakenly claiming that no prophet ever came from Galilee in John 7:52), through vilifying His signs as being performed through the power of demons, and condemning and casting out the man blind from birth who received his sight (see this reading), and now, in today's reading, seeking also to put Lazarus to death as witness to Jesus' final sign.  Through all of these parts of the stories given in the text, we have also the responses of Christ's disciples, who most often really do not fully understand what is happening, and yet they continue in faith.  After many of Jesus' disciples deserted Him over His teaching on eating His body and drinking His blood, Jesus asked the Twelve whether they would leave also.  Peter responded, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."  In today's reading, we're told of these events of this day that 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.   So the Gospel gives us the full panoply of responses to Christ.  They're not at all uniform; some understand better than others.  Often people begin in some faith but must continue in order to grow in that faith and come to fuller understanding.  The religious leadership among the Pharisees become more and more implacably bound against Christ to the point of deciding to destroy Him and plotting crucifixion.  The people are baffled, wearied, afraid to talk in front of the leaders, and they dispute among themselves.  There is nowhere we can find an absolute clear and pure response, except through faith, and that remains a faith that wavers, builds, shares doubts, even denials.  Nevertheless, the Gospel affirms Christ's identity for us right from the beginning, that He is the Logos, the Son.  Let us take into account the wisdom that can put on display for us all of the responses and opinions, and all of the confusion -- even the confusion and paradox of this day when the people are certain that Jesus is the Messiah who will reestablish David's kingdom and restore the worldly fortunes of the kingdom of Israel.  Let us remember that the Gospel gives us the fullness of the responses of the people, the fullness of the response of the religious leaders, the fullness of the truth of Christ.  Nothing is left out or merely alluded.  Nothing is made merely easy or simple.   There is no "clean up" of unfortunate facts and misunderstandings.  We are invited into this story for all that it is worth, and more -- for what we ourselves will find in it for ourselves.   And with all of that, we will say as well, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!"

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"

 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

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho, headed toward Jerusalem, 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 tow 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.'"  The event described in today's reading is called Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  The Church celebrates this day on Palm Sunday.  At this point in history, Jewish nationalism was extremely high.  Centuries of warfare and kingdoms fighting against kingdoms, finally culminating in Roman occupation, had left the people thirsting for a deliverer and a restoration of their nation.  This nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah, someone who would deliver them from Roman control and who would re-establish David's kingdom.  Jesus' deliberate display of humility shows what kind of deliverer He is, what kind of Messiah He is.  It's not an earthly kingdom He is after.  He rides on a donkey, not a horse, and not with an army with Him.  This is a sign of humility and peace.  The Gospel quotes from Zechariah 9:9.  Matthew's Gospel, in common with the "doubling" we've noticed in other stories (such as in yesterday's reading about the two blind men), reports both a colt and a donkey.  Traditional interpretation sees both animals as representing the faithful Jews and Gentiles who are brought together in Christ, in His kingdom.

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."  The people spread their clothes in a manner of reverence to a King.  Spiritually, says my study bible, this is interpreted as the need to lay down our flesh, even our lives, for Christ.  Here the people quote from Psalm 118, associated with messianic expectation.  These are words recited daily for six days during the Feat of Tabernacles (the feast of the coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means "Save, we pray!"  The people call Jesus a prophet.  Until John the Baptist, who proclaimed the coming of a Messiah and the Kingdom, there had been no prophets in Israel for centuries.  One can only imagine the expectations of the people here.

Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem as king and liberator.  The expectations of the crowd run very high.  He is the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee, an almost-impossible thing in terms of how Galilee was popularly viewed here in Jerusalem among the religious hierarchy, and particularly the view of Nazareth itself.  But welcomed He is.  It's overwhelming to consider the events Jesus has come to, the crisis point here, the meeting of expectations placed upon Him and the ways in which He is going to end His ministry.  His Kingdom is not a worldly one.  He doesn't come as military fighter or liberator.  He's not a deliverer with an army.  And on the other hand, neither is He merely a prophet.  This Messiah is also Lord, He is God.  How on earth to proclaim the truth about His life, His ministry, His mission, into this field of expectations placed upon Him? How to do so in Jerusalem with the religious authorities who are already His enemies and plot against Him?  Could God really be incarnate as a man, as Jesus, this  man from Galilee?  Who can recognize the person who is Truth itself?  He will fulfill neither the expectations of a worldly king and warrior, nor conventional understanding of the Messiah as an exalted man.  This is something quite, and completely, different.  He comes into Jerusalem to defy all expectations, bearing a gospel message of the good news of God's Incarnation and the inauguration of a spiritual kingdom that lives in each one through faith.  How will it all come about?  One might well consider these circumstances and reflect on Jesus' words from a recent reading:  "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."   This is a seemingly impossible, improbable task.  And yet it is His, and it is ours.  The reality of this Kingdom and its message for us is always going to defy expectations.  We may now have had two millenia of establishment of the Church as worldly institution, but the reality of the Kingdom is always something 'different' in our expectations and understanding.  Insight and inspiration comes to us despite our understanding, and despite what we expect.  The working of the Spirit can be surprising in our lives.  The message of the Gospel can still take us by surprise, no matter how many times we may have read or heard.  This is the truth of the spiritual Kingdom that permeates our reality, our consciousness, even our awareness of who we are within ourselves.  It's the wind that "blows where it wishes, and we hear its sound, but we can't tell where it's come from nor where it's going" (John 3:8).  It is the 'other' that yet works in our world, shaping and giving meaning and form and even definition to us, and yet we cannot fully contain it.  Jesus is the ultimate improbability, and yet He was prophesied from ancient times,  and is the One who "was foreordained before the foundation of the world" (1 Peter 1:20), the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).   The reality of this Kingdom, the Paradise He's come to restore, is outside of time and space as we understand it.  Our laws and rules and expectations don't necessarily apply.  So Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, the same way He has come into the world through the Virgin and the Holy Spirit, in the humblest of settings, as an outsider, looking for room for His message to be born into this world of great expectations and boundless speculation.  He will defy each one of them.  At the same time, He will establish a kind of hope that lasts through centuries of lifetimes, and in innumerable hearts and souls, as the light of the world.   When things really look to be utterly impossible, let us remember this scene of Jesus riding into Jerusalem, and put our faith in this Kingdom and the working of the Spirit in our midst, within us and among us.  It's not at all about our expectations, but it is all about our faith, and endurance. 

Behold, your King is coming to you

 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 tied 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 the disciples went out of Jericho, heading toward Jerusalem, 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 tied 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."  Today we read of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  In the Church, this event is celebrated on Palm Sunday.  At this time, says my study bible, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control, and to reestablish the kingdom of David.  Jesus enters but not as conquering king with a mighty army.  He requests His disciples to find a donkey with a colt.  These two animals, found in Matthew's Gospel, are traditionally seen as representing faithful Jews and Gentiles who are brought together in Christ's Kingdom.  

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.' "   The daughter of Zion is the Bride of Christ, Jerusalem prefiguring the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers.   The New Jerusalem is His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  This entrance into the Holy City, says my study bible, declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.   The prophecy is taken from Zechariah 9:9.   Christ enters as Prince of Peace, not warrior king.  He is displaying His word that as King He is gentle and lowly of heart, that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:29).

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."   The people spread their clothes did so as paying reverence to a King.  My study bible tells us that the spiritual interpretation of this is the need to lay down our flesh, our very lives, for Christ -- the deepest humility.  The cry of the people is from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation.  It is the recitation repeated daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of the Coming Kingdom, Sukkot), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

How does Christ enter His Kingdom?  Today's scene of crowds waving palm branches and spreading their clothes teaches us about the welcoming of a King.  The spiritual interpretation of Christ coming into our hearts is an important one, as we come to understand that no matter what else is portrayed here, the King who comes to our hearts is the Bridegroom of the soul, before whom we lay down all that makes up our lives, all that we think we are, and hope to be.  The heavenly Jerusalem is prefigured here, too, as this is the inauguration of a Kingdom that is fulfilled at the end of the age, upon His return, the Second Coming.  His Kingdom, we know, lives within us and among us in this world.  It is present in His Church, His Bride, present in the work of the Spirit, which is "everywhere present and filling all things" (from the Orthodox prayer to the Holy Spirit).  It is important to remember that all of this is in fulfillment of Jewish spiritual heritage, the true search for the Kingdom, the expectations of Messiah.  Today, many of us are tempted to think that liberation is only political, only philosophical, only in an abstract sense.  But none of this understands the power Christ brings into the world as a spiritual force, spiritual realm and reality.  Jesus has told us, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth," and that "the Father is seeking such to worship Him"  (John 4:23-24).  To worship in spirit and truth, and to acknowledge God as Spirit, isn't just to consider our faith some sort of abstraction of philosophical ideal.  The ancients who welcomed Christ into their hearts and minds were well-steeped in philosophy and abstraction, and political theory!  The Fathers of the Church, those who gave birth to theology, were all trained in the highest educational standards of the classical Hellenistic world, fully knowledgeable of all philosophical schools up until their time, and Christianity shone as a way beyond such thought.  To worship in spirit and in truth is to include all that is true and that serves truth, including philosophy -- but there is more.  There is the reality of spirit -- and the reality of the spiritual kingdom to which we belong.  We enter with our hearts.  The currency of this kingdom is love, the softening of hearts, something that can't happen based only upon ideological or philosophical abstraction.  To stay purely in intellectual capacity is to remain in danger of a hardened heart, or perhaps to find an easy sentimentalism that substitutes for honesty, for seeing what is, including the evil in the world.  To enter into this kingdom we have to be at full capacity:  heart, mind, soul, strength, spirit all engaged.   This consciousness is sometimes called "the mind in the heart," meaning the whole person, more in fact than just emotion and intellect.   There is no substitute.  In this marriage, there is nothing reserved.   There can be no real repentance without this level of engagement:  all "clothes" off, laid at His feet, for a total transformation of all that we are.  Can we engage with the fullness of the heart and find His Spirit that leads us?