Blessed is He who 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, "Go 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 him 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 the 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 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples came to Jericho, as they traveled on the road toward 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 hard 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, "Go 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 him go.  The event described in today's reading is what is known as Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is celebrated in the Church on Palm Sunday.  My study Bible comments 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.  Here we are told of Christ's careful preparation and instruction for how He will make this entry.  It will be in humility on a donkey's colt.  My study Bible says this is a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9), as opposed to the way that conventional kings make an entry at Christ's time:  on a horse or in a chariot, displaying signs of military power.  

 

 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 the 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.  Christ's entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the kingdom of God, my study Bible says.  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).  The people who spread their clothes before Jesus 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.  The cry of the people comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation (Hosanna! means "Save, we pray").  These verses were recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles, known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Jesus enters the temple now in this spirit of messianic authority.  

 

The people wave branches and spread their clothes, reciting the verses repeated so often at the Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot).   There is a connection which runs as a thread between the Feast of Tabernacles, as suggested in these verses from Psalm 118, and the Transfiguration.  At the Transfiguration, St. Peter seemingly confusedly suggested that tabernacles (or booths, or tents) be made for the Lord, Moses, and Elijah, as was done at the Feast of Tabernacles.  The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated the time when Israel dwelt in tents as they wandered in the wilderness following the signs of the Lord toward the Promised Land.  It was the time when God moved with them, in the pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day.  This showed that God is Spirit (John 4:24), and does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24), but dwells with human beings and within them (Luke 17:20-21).  But where Christ is, there His kingdom is too, and He comes into the world as a human being to dwell with us, to be with us, and to bring this Kingdom and presence of God more fully to us.  The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, then, is a sign for all, not a fiat or a coup, not the establishment of a worldly kingdom, but rather -- as my study Bible says -- the image of the fullness of that Kingdom as a promise at the end of the age, and union with Christ's Bride, the Church.  This entrance into Jerusalem is a kind of promise and image to be fulfilled, but it initiates the true events that define Christ's mission for us and our salvation.  This is the beginning of Holy Week, in which Christ will suffer and die, and rise again on the third day, defeating death for all of us.  In all of these things, He is the heavenly King whose kingdom will find its fullness through faith, and whose throne is in our hearts.  The people who welcome Jesus into Jerusalem do so with all expectation of the Messiah desired for Israel at the time, with faith and hope.  But Christ will preach, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36), explaining how the kingdom of God originates not from the worldly sense of what a kingdom is, but from God.  It operates on different rules, will manifest in different ways.  The Incarnation, at the same time, teaches us that the power and spirit of God can also work through material things, that holiness can permeate the material world, for holiness is what the world was made for.  When we take the Eucharist, we must understand this.  If we use holy water, we must understand this.  When we ask that our food may be blessed, or any other thing, we must understand this.  Christ's kingdom is not "of" the world, but it is for the world -- even for the life of the world.  Unlike an earthly king, He will give His life for all, and He will take it up again so that we may follow (John 10:17-18).  When we worship, when we pray, when we enter into any of the holy practices and sacraments of the Church, so we help to make manifest that Kingdom here, we work for its full realization, we work the work of God.  Let us recall His Triumphal Entry, and know that it is the icon of our hearts, its fullness to be manifest through His work and the faith that persists and endures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hosanna in the highest!

 

 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, "Go 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 Saturday, we read that Jesus and the disciples came to Jericho.  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, "Go 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.  The events in today's reading mark the day we commemorate as Palm Sunday, one week before Easter, and beginning the final week of Christ's earthly life.  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 here that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  Note the careful preparations so that Jesus rides, not on a horse nor in a chariot, but on a donkey.  This is a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9), as my study Bible notes.  It adds 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.  

 

 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.   My study Bible comments that the people who spread their clothes before Jesus do so as paying reverence to a King.  There is a spiritual interpretation to this gesture, also:  that we have need to lay down our flesh, even our lives, for Christ.  The leafy branches signify this event as Palm Sunday.

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!"   The people's cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26.  These verses were associated with messianic expectation.  During the Feast of Tabernacles (or the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), they were recited daily for six days, and seven times on the seventh day.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

 

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.  As befits the One who is Messiah, the first thing Christ did upon entering the Holy City, the Bride Jerusalem, was to go into the temple, and He looked around at all things.  

 

In a certain sense, there are two parallel realities happening in today's reading.  The first is the Incarnate Jesus, the God-Man, (or as He often refers to Himself, the Son of Man), who comes finally into Jerusalem in this last week of His earthly life.  He has evaded the religious leaders after having various skirmishes with them throughout the second half of His ministry in the Gospel, at times going into Gentile territory, at other times passing through Galilee but not wanting anyone to know He was there.  But this entry into Jerusalem marks the time for direct confrontation, and His "hour" that is to come soon (John 2:4; 12:27).  In this sense, He is the Incarnate Jesus walking toward the confrontation that will lead to His Passion and Resurrection, marked by the Crucifixion to come after a few days and toward the end of the week that begins on this day, Palm Sunday.  But in the other sense, He is the Son of God fulfilling His mission as Son of Man, Incarnate as human being, but at the same time entering into the patterns upon which an infinite reality of God and final outcome of a universe hinge:  He is the Bridegroom going in to His Bride, the heavenly Jerusalem, and establishing the events in which we may also participate in both the worldly and mystical realities enacted and depicted in the Gospels.   The human Jesus goes into Jerusalem on a donkey, and is hailed as the Messiah, welcomed by the crowds who expected a worldly kind of Savior, a king who can liberate them from the Romans and all other foreign invading powers, empires, and armies.  The fully human Jesus will die a fully human death, neither becoming king in the earthly sense, nor will He fulfill the expectations of a "savior" who can permanently restore Israel's good fortunes and worldly power.  But the parallel reality of the Son is the one that happens through these very earthly events:  the completion of His mission as Incarnate human being, His ghastly death and suffering on the Cross, and the Resurrection, bringing all of human life with Him, including our suffering to be transfigured in the light of the Cross.   We step into the transcendent realities even of the heavenly Jerusalem to which He will ascend as He makes it possible for us through His life and mission, inviting us in through the Eucharist and the faith He teaches to us.  Let us see both His worldly life, and the fullness of His mission, for we are invited in to participate in both, and to be raised with Him.  For even as we live our lives in this world, He prepares the ground for our own experience of carrying our crosses and living in the image and teachings He gives us to fulfill our own places in His Kingdom.  As we prepare to enter into the Lenten and Easter cycle this year, let us consider our participation in the fullness of His life through our faith and worship, even the temporal and absolute realities into which we are invited by Christ.  Therefore, by the same token of the life of Christ, we also walk these realities through our own lives.  As human beings, we are soul and body, corporal and spiritual, temporal and eternal.  We make choices for our faith in this life, building values in the world which are not imply worldly but also eternal.  Let us consider the power in the life of Christ, and how that power might be at work also in ours.

And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple

 

 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, "Go 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 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples came to Jericho, on the road toward 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, "Go 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.  As Jesus approaches Jerusalem, He instructs the two disciples to prepare for what is understood as Christ's Triumphal Entry into the holy city.  The colt is a young donkey, never before ridden (on which no one has sat).  It is an animal symbolic of peace and humility, and contrasted with a conquering king who would enter with full military and chariots drawn by horses.  As the text shows, Jesus clearly picks this animal for a specific purpose.

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.  Christ's followers welcome Him to Jerusalem.  My study Bible tells us that the people who spread their clothes before Jesus do so as paying reverence to a King.  This is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, even our lives, for Christ.  The leafy branches are related to the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom; see the following verses and comment).

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!"  The cry of the people comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation and the coming of the Kingdom.  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!"

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.  Jesus' first act shows a messianic intent -- He goes directly into the temple as He enters the city, and looked around at all things.

The events in today's reading are called Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  Jerusalem is the holy city, the place of the great temple, and that is His first destination as He enters.  He clearly enters as Messiah and is welcomes as Messiah.  We celebrate this day in the Church as Palm Sunday, named for the branches that are waved and spread before Him as He enters.  There are many ways in which the Church thinks of this day and this event.  Christ comes into Jerusalem as the Bridegroom claiming His Bride, the holy city, the temple, and His people.  It is considered to be an event that mirrors the eventual union with the New Jerusalem, a cosmic event reflecting the risen Christ as Lord Almighty, an eternal "future" toward which we all look.  (See 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.)  We mustn't forget that the true mystical realities of Christ are always with us; they exist outside of time as we understand it.  Jesus' Triumphal Entry may mirror the fullness of a cosmic Kingdom, one that is not simply worldly or earthly, as my study Bible might put it.  We know the events that are coming in this final week of Christ's earthly life, and they will open us to the power of the Cross and Resurrection.  They will give us the fullness of God's love for us in Christ's willingness to suffer and die so that we are liberated through His life as Jesus.  Let us keep in mind that as Jesus draws into the city, riding on the donkey's colt, He knows full well what is going to happen, what He is coming into.  He has already warned the disciples three times of the Passion to come, and He comes willingly into the city and into the temple.  I wonder if we can understand the courage this takes, and draw upon the strength of Christ facing what He knows He must do, and on His faith and love and trust of the Father.  For it is here that we find ourselves at times:  knowing there are things we're called upon to do, sacrifices we might need to make in life, and drawing upon the strength of the faith Christ has given to us.  There are times we know we will be rejected or suffer for doing what must be done for a bigger picture:  dealing with the death of a loved one, or nursing an ill person, taking on responsibility for someone who can no longer be responsible for themselves, or helping one less fortunate because they are unable to help themselves.  There are times when it is our faith that becomes our strength, gives us capability for sacrifice, for enduring suffering even for others, and it is Christ upon whom we draw for our image of strength and faith, and our faith in the Resurrection to follow.  Those who lack such faith are lacking indeed in the fullness of what life can be for human beings, for Christ has shown us what we are capable of, the strength and greatness met in humility before the Cross and service to God who is love.  Let us remember this picture when we go through or own times of the Cross, even the moments of temporary celebration when we know something difficult is in front of us.  For it is here where we meet our Lord, our Messiah, and He goes into Jerusalem for us.  For we are His true Bride, His Church.  And He claims us and loves us even when no one else does (Psalm 27).

 

 

The Lord has need of it

 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, "Go 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 and 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

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples came to Jericho.  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, "Go 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 and 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.   Today's reading marks the event known as the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is celebrated in the Church on Palm Sunday.  My study bible notes 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 the kingdom of David.  But Christ's ministry has throughout its three year duration always expressed a surprising nature, expressive in His mission of God's loving and saving nature.  Additionally, Jesus has been teaching the disciples all about how power and authority are to be used in His Church, emphasizing humility and service -- and occasions for these teachings have been found throughout the readings that deal with Jesus' travels as He left Galilee for the last time and began what is now understood as His approach to Jerusalem.  The expectations for a political Messiah who would become a great king would be for one with a vast army of horses and chariots, himself riding atop one or the other, symbolic of military might.  But Jesus chooses a the colt of a donkey, humblest of animals, on which to ride into Jerusalem.  My study bible says that this shows He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  The donkey is a sign of humility and peace (see Zechariah 9:9).  It is an animal used for every day work and for common travel.  My study bible says that this entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  Moreover it is a promise of Christ's final entry into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers, and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  

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.   My study bible notes that the people spread their clothes before Jesus as paying reverence to a King.  The spiritual interpretation of these acts is that it expresses our need to lay down our flesh, and even the whole of our lives, for Christ.  See also yesterday's reading (above), in which Bartimaeus throws off his garment as he approaches 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!"  The shout of the people is taken from Psalm 118:25-26, and was associated with messianic expectation.  At the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of the Coming Kingdom) it was recited daily for six days, and then seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  So, we can easily see all the symbolism the people understand in what they do.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

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 first thing Jesus does is to go into Jerusalem and directly into the temple.   Like a king and heir who has ascended a throne entering His Father's house, He looked around at all things.  

What are we to make of Jesus' humility, entering in Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey?   It's a very humble travel or pack animal, used for daily tasks and the travel of the common people.  It's as if He is truly going to work, and is being about His Father's business (Luke 2:49).  This is Jesus' outward show, just as He appears to the world as a humbly born human being, when His true nature we know is also divine, as the Son of God.  Nothing about Jesus is a declaration of human greatness.  And yet, His manner is always one of the greatest authority.  So much so, that it always astonishes people when He teaches.  The scribes don't dare assume that authority or primary voice when they teach about Scripture (Mark 1:21-22).  When Jesus opens His mouth, He speaks with authority, His voice issues forth commands of authority, as when, in yesterday's reading (above), He commanded that Bartimaeus be called.  This voice of authority is the unmistakable Logos that Christ is.  It is "the Word" (see John 1:1-5, 14-16).  It is this Word (or Logos in the Greek) that spoke all of creation into existence, this voice of whom we read in Genesis that "God said" (see, for example, Genesis 1:3).  Christ is the Word, and His commands are unmistakable.  What He utters even with His human voice is the call and command of authority, the voice that teaches us what is what: what is good, and what is not good.   He is the Teacher, and those who can recognize what is uttered with His voice hear the voice of God and will eventually recognize Him as Lord, the Son of God, the Christ (Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27-30).  Perhaps there is a clue to our own lives when we come to understand how appearances can fool us and things can be not as they seem, and that we have to listen with particular ears to hear God speaking to us, and to recognize God's intervention in our lives.  Why does God come disguised as a humble human?  Moreover, He instructs those who will be His servants that theirs, too, is a mission of humility, obedience, servitude.  They are not to "lord it over" others as do the "great ones" of the Gentiles.  And yet, it is His Church against which the gates of Hades will not prevail (Matthew 16:17-19).   2,000 years later, despite heresy of every king, division, corruption, foolishness of all sorts, the Church still stands and still contains her truth.  We can read it in the Scripture, and the holy things still dwell among us, His Kingdom present.  The Holy Trinity is present to us, and the Spirit still "blows where it wishes" in newborn saints and martyrs, and in the conversion of believers, even in each of us as in the disciples, an ongoing process of salvation (John 3:5-8).  Let us consider God's great mystery, hidden behind human flesh, hidden in the presence of believers (Matthew 18:20), hidden among us and within us (Luke 17:21), hidden in our worship services, and in and among those objects through which we may find a contact with this Presence that is yet with us and the holiness of prayer -- even of everyday saints of whom we have no knowledge.  This life continues to live among us and within us -- but it is here in the Triumphal Entry that He reveals His presence most clearly and explicitly.  It is up to us, as believers, to know and recognize the truth He offers, the authority He purveys, the commands we must follow.  And that is the deepest mystery of all, hidden in us, where even the Father reveals truths in our hearts (Matthew 16:17).