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, on their way toward Jerusalem.  As Jesus went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blilnd 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.  The events described in today's reading are understood as Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It 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.  Let's note Jesus' careful preparation for this event, and the specific directions given, making them very significant in the Scripture.  Jesus specifies a young colt, on which no one has sat.  Note also that He has allowed His disciples to refer publicly to Himself as the Lord.  

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.  Jesus rides into Jerusalem in His Triumphal Entry on a donkey's colt, a sign which my study Bible calls one of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9).  The people spread their clothes in such a way as to pay reverence to a King.  My study Bible says that this is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, and even our lives, for Christ.  

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

My study Bible comments on today's reading that this entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God, and this is the way we, as followers of Christ, should view it.  It's 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).  Jesus walking into the temple as His first act after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is an act of the Messiah, surveilling His heavenly Kingdom.  As we will see, this will be followed by acts which could only be done by the Messiah, in response to which Jesus will continually be questioned as to His authority to do so by the religious leaders.  Tradition asks us to understand the acts of Jesus on many levels at once, as whatever He does is both temporally and eternally true.  That is, as Jesus goes triumphally into Jerusalem, we must also see this -- as my study Bible noted -- as parallel to the promise of entry into the heavenly Jerusalem, and the fullness of the wedding feast unified to His pure Bride, the Church.  Not only do we read about events that happened two thousand years ago in today's text, but we must also understand the promise of this event (which is ongoing, and whose signs are with us, such as the continual growth of the Church around the world), its fulfillment through time, and its ultimate fulfillment at the end of the age which is yet to come. So, therefore, this event exists and is fulfilled at many levels, and its promise ongoing, which is our hope.  Moreover, we know that the events of Christ's eventual suffering, death on the Cross, and Resurrection will also be a part of His experience at Jerusalem, the response of the religious leaders, and even His glory.  For His time on the Cross, paradoxically in worldly terms, will be what He calls His hour of glory, when He will glorify His Father's name (see John 12:30-36).   In Hebrews 13:8, we read, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  In Revelation 1:8, we read, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."  Revelation 4:8 tells us the four living creatures, the seraphim around the Lord's throne, continually praise, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"  Taking all of these things together means that should we choose to dispute whether or not we should look at this event as only something that historically happened once in the past, or as an event of promise continually unfolding, or even as one with an eternal horizon of fulfillment (whose time we don't know), the correct answer to this question is that all of these things are true at once.  And this is our reality as believers, we hold all of these things at once, for they are all true of our Lord, who was and is and is to come. 

 

 

 

 

 

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 brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

 

 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'  Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of 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 brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

 

- Luke 13:31–35 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches." And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."   

 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'  Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of 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 brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"  My study Bible comments here that today's passage shows first, Christ voluntarily going to His Passion.  Secondly, it displays His great love for Jerusalem in spite of its continual state of rebellion.  Finally, He reveals His foreknowledge of how He will be received on the first Palm Sunday.  

 

Let us note that Jesus' cry, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem" is a lament made with love and sadness, and Jesus also shows His commitment to the mission entrusted in Him, remaining in Jerusalem, "for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem."  It's quite interesting to think of this image that Jesus has given, of Himself as a would-be mother hen gathering her brood under her wings.  This is a striking maternal image of Jesus that He gives to us directly.  We might take a close look at some historical architecture of Churches to see how it reflects Christ's image here.  Looking at the beautiful and majestic dome of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Church, built in what was then Constantinople (532-537), and minus the minarets added later, we see a very rounded maternal image which reflects Christ's desire to embrace His children as a hen would under her wings.  (See this architectural drawing of the structure.)   This Church was the largest cathedral built in the world for nearly a thousand years, but nonetheless its shape manages to convey the sheltering in the wings of a mother hen, a rounded image with a brilliantly illumined dome that seemed to float above the people.  Interestingly the name Hagia Sophia, "Holy Wisdom," is also feminine in its Greek form, although it refers to Christ Himself.  Why is it important that Christ gives us this picture?  Because it teaches us how our faith works in so many balanced and powerful ways.  Those who would suggest that our faith is merely one of patriarchy would be entirely mistaken, because in Christ's language and practice during His ministry the feminine plays a great role as well.  His love for Jerusalem -- the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! -- is clearly stated here in maternal terms.  It is little wonder that for the Orthodox world, perhaps the greatest image of protector is that of the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, or "Mother of God."  She is, additionally, considered to be the greatest of the saints, and exalted as the one who exemplifies our faith among human beings.  She bore possible shame and humiliation in her acceptance of her role given by God, protected and sheltered our Lord, and in humility bore the pain that would come as well.  Of course, the whole of the Church and all the faithful is necessary to the faith, and no one is left out. But Christ gives us one of the greatest images we have of what it is to love and care for one's lost children in this image of the mother hen and her brood, and the great desire to protect.  In chapter 15, Luke will also give us the parable of the Prodigal Son, with its image of the father who runs to the returning prodigal.  But let us for today be grateful for Christ's portrayal of His love as that of a hen who longs to protect her lost children, and who will nonetheless stay for the sacrifice He must make at their hands, although they will leave their home desolate.

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

 

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

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

"Hosanna!

'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

The King of Israel!"

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

"Fear not, daughter of Zion; 

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey's colt."

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  

 

Therefore the people who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!" 

 

- John 12:9–19 

 

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

 

 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.   Once again, we note that the term the Jews is most often used in John's Gospel to indicate the religious leadership.   Some comment that it might be better translated as "Judeans," and indicating people from this region, as juxtaposed against Galilee, where Jesus is from.  But it seems quite possible that, given those who had come to grieve with Martha and Mary, and so witnessed the raising of Lazarus, this term here indicates people from Jerusalem and so those connected with the ruling classes of the temple.  All of the people in our reading are Jews, including Jesus and His disciples, which included the author of this Gospel.   Clearly what the Gospel describes here is a falling away to Christ of even those in Jerusalem and perhaps among the families connected to the ruling Council, in a very real sense rejecting the opposition of the religious leaders to 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!"  This day is known as Palm Sunday, for the branches of palm trees the people carried as went out to meet Him.  It is the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Christ's earthly life.  The scenes in today's reading mark what is called Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  This cry of the people comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation.  It was recited daily during the Feast of Tabernacles, my study Bible tells us, and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  The Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot in Hebrew) commemorates the time Israel wandered in the wilderness following Moses toward the promised land, and is also called the Feast of the Coming Kingdom.  Hosanna means "Save, we pray!"

 

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.  These verses, recognized later by the disciples as fulfilled in Christ's riding on a young donkey in His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, come from the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.  

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!"  The raising of Lazarus from the dead, the seventh and final sign performed by Christ in John's Gospel, becomes a sword which separates people.  Let us note the details mentioned here.  John speaks of "the people who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead," and it is to these details they bore witness.   On the one hand there are these faithful witnesses who testify to the truth of this event, and the people go to meet Jesus because of the testimony of these witnesses.  But on the other hand, the Pharisees can only think that Christ is in their opposition; they haven't vanquished Him, but the people follow Him.  Therefore they are "accomplishing nothing."

One thing is clear to see in today's text:  the people are waiting for a Savior, the Messiah.  That is, someone who will deliver them from Roman rule, and establish Israel as a sovereign and prosperous state.  The people's shout, "Hosannah!" sets the tone for this plea.  And so, as the people welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, it is clear that the raising of Lazarus -- spread through the testimony of the witnesses to this final sign of John's Gospel -- has had the effect of convincing people that Jesus has to be the one.  But expectations are tricky and possibly devious things.  While in our faith, we understand that Christ is indeed, the Messiah (this is what the word "Christ" means in Greek, the "Anointed One"), the expectations of just what the Messiah will do are not necessarily fitting to what He is and who He is.  He is a Deliverer, and a Savior, but what does that deliverance look like, and what is salvation?  All of these meanings, essential to Christianity, taught in His ministry, will have to be understood and apprehended by the faith and trust people put in Him, and through the revelation of the Holy Spirit in the evolution of the Church.  In the gospel of St. Matthew, when Jesus cleanses the temple, the children shout "Hosannah to the Son of David!" (Matthew 21:14-16).  This "Hosennah" again suggests the cry for a Savior, a Deliverer, and the title Son of David is a messianic title.  But we understand it as akin to the words of welcome to Jesus in today's reading, "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!"  The King of Israel would have to be the Son of David, as the true King and Messiah, one from the lineage of David, and that is Christ.  But what are the expectations of this king? What do the people want?  In commentary on the passage from Matthew, my study Bible notes that in the eyes of the Church, the children's praise is perfect (and we know Christ's own response to the criticism of the children by the chief priests and scribes: "Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?").  But by contrast, the expectations of the adults are different and earthly in nature; when these are left unfulfilled, my study Bible says, they would be led to rebel against Jesus just five days later.  In John's chapter 6, we read that, after feeding the multitudes with bread in the wilderness while still in Galilee, the people tried to take Him by force to make Him king (John 6:15).  But Jesus responded, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  And so, Jesus' ministry has been filled with His efforts to teach the people what His messiahship means, what kind of King He really is, and what sort of Kingdom He brings into the world.  He asks for faith, but what does this faith look like?  Is it the same as obedience to Caesar?  Is it different?  How do we worship Him; most importantly, how do we trust in Him?  The people's improper expectations of Him have been a concern expressed through Christ's ministry all along.  What do we expect from Him?  How do we trust Him?    At this time, lots of people seem to be searching for a Deliverer or a Savior, as perhaps people always have.  What does He teach us about that?  How does He teach us to live our faith in Him even when we cry out to Him?  In whom or what do we place our trust?  The chief priests and scribes complain, "Look, the world has gone after Him!"  What does the world go after today? These matters are still with us, and we need to consider them carefully, and ponder how He answers to us all. 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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

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

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

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

- Mark 11:1-11

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

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "God into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it.' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.   In today's reading is the story of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is the event which the Church celebrates on Palm Sunday.  At Jesus' time, Jewish nationalism has looked toward a political Messiah to deliver the nation from Roman control, and to reestablish the kingdom of David.  Christ enters the city in humility; by His actions and choices He shows that He does not come to establish a worldly kingdom.  This is signaled by the choice of a donkey's colt, a humble animal, which my study bible says is a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9).  Conventional kings and conquering rulers would be riding on a horse or chariot, sign of power and might.  The entrance into the Holy City, my study bible tells us, declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is, in addition, a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers, and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  So in this event is contained layers of meaning and also reflection of the ultimate authority of Judgment belonging to Christ, the final cosmic victory.

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

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

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

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 into Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

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

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

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

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

- John 12:9-19

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

 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  This is the third and final Passover recorded in John's Gospel, and it is the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Jesus' earthly ministry.  His final and seventh sign has been done, the raising of Lazarus (see readings from Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of last week).  The Jews refers to members of the religious establishment from Jerusalem.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming into 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."   Jesus is greeted as King and Messiah.  John's Gospel puts it clearly to us that it is the raising of Lazarus that has capped this ministry as its final sign, and created such a reception into Jerusalem.  We're told that the day before He was in Bethany to the East on the Mount of Olives; this entrance into Jerusalem is the one prophesied of the Messiah.   The people shout verses from Scripture welcoming the King of Zion:  Zechariah 9:9, Psalm 118:26 (it's worth reading the full psalm to get a sense of what it proclaims).

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.  John includes the sense in which the Holy Spirit will affect all of the disciples, and the Church.  He gives us to understand the comprehension the disciples found later of this moment, and even the sayings of the people as they greeted Jesus in Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.

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 reinforces the effect of the sign of the raising of Lazarus from death.  And we see the result among the rulers in the temple:  they are simply dead set against Him in some sort of engagement of political struggle.   They feel they are accomplishing nothing, and the world has gone after Him!

John's Gospel gives us a sense of a political struggle happening among the leadership that really has very little to do with faith.  Surely they criticize Jesus for healing on the Sabbath (they accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath) and they accuse Him of blasphemy (making Himself equal with God in clear statements, such as "I and the Father are one" in this reading).  But the sign of the raising of Lazarus is so stupendous and so clear that even many among the leadership come to believe that Jesus is really the Christ -- not a man who is beside Himself, or who has a demon.  The terms here indicate much more of a political fight for the leadership positions, one which demands to know by what authority Jesus does what He does as He is not a member of the recognized establishment, not the pupil of a famous rabbi, nor a member of the elite classes and parties which rule in the temple.  This becomes all about a struggle for power in the viewpoint of John.  Even the term "the Jews" is used as a political term, not a religious or ethnic one.  We can view John's Gospel as that which gives us a taste of the great struggle in the world, between what we could term the "sacred" and the "profane."  God comes into the world and is at work in the world.  All kinds of marvelous wonders and good works happen that are meant to glorify God.  But there is a way of looking and seeing, a particular viewpoint, that works out of envy, jealous of place, and cannot see these things for itself.  There is a perspective that is immune to the work of God both internally and externally, neither perceiving nor understanding the things of God which happen before them nor the work of the Spirit which would give them sight and hearing.  But the disciples understand, and we're told they grow in understanding later on after He is glorified.  And so we have a picture of a struggle, between a "worldly" point of view and one transfigured by grace and growing in that light.  One becomes more blind, and the other more illumined.  For those who simply envy, everything is a power struggle.  It is the opinions of the world that count, not the opinion of God (12:43).  Beyond the immediate story of Christ, we must recognize the world we live in, the circumstances into which we are born and in which we live our lives and our faith.  There are those who just don't see; there are those who don't want to see.  What remains is the struggle to live a life of faith in a world that won't understand it or can't see it.  There will be those who simply see life as a struggle for power, occasion for envy.   The leaders say, "The world has gone after Him!" and that's what they really care about.  Even people in the crowd who welcome Christ in today's reading may be among those stirred by the leadership at the end of the week to call for His crucifixion.  Where is grace for you?  What is your experience of your faith?  How does the light shine for you, and in you?