Palm Sunday – 10th April
After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” Luke 19 28-40
Just have a read of that bible story – the one about Jesus entering Jerusalem as its king, riding on a donkey! It shows how well Holy Week began for Jesus and the disciples and the future was looking good for them. But by the end of the week… well. you know the story better than I do and if you’re in any doubt about it, why not come to one of out three Good Friday services and find out more? Every year I’m left puzzling how it is that a crowd which was going wild with excitement and welcoming Jesus as Messiah and proclaiming a great time of peace, by Friday is crying out for the death of Jesus and shouting words of bitterness and hate at him. Why?
There are plenty of answers and over the years we’ve explored them on Palm Sunday over and over again. But one which I haven’t thought much of before is simply that the people weren’t ready for Jesus. Oh yes, they were longing for a Messiah, and certainly they had been caught up in the celebration of his reputation as a teacher and preacher and healer. They were even happy to shout about the new reign of peace to which his entry into Jerusalem seemed to promise.
But in spite of all that they’d heard about him and the things they’d heard and seen him do, they were not ready for this moment which now required their response… their response to live in that shockingly self-giving, amazingly sacrificial, totally peaceful, utterly forgiving and earth-shatteringly accepting way he lived. They’d seen it, heard it and wanted it but… ‘Not yet Mr Jesus, if you don’t mind, please Sir!’
Good Friday and the Cross happen because he has to show all this in the most effective and public way he can, for the whole world to see, and to see that it demands a response NOW, a change – now, a new life now, his new life to grasped and lived in now, in this present moment.
It prompts the question – are we ready for him? Or are we like St Peter and the legend of him escaping from Rome when he meets Jesus and asks where he’s going; Jesus replies that he’s going back to Rome to be crucified AGAIN! How much more does Jesus have to do until we finally get his message of Grace, Mercy and Peace? He died on the Cross in front of our eyes – surely we get the message…
