BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY:
Second Day of the Last Week: Monday of Holy Week
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to Daughter Zion, / See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, / and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Matthew 21:1-5)
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!" "
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"
"Hosanna in the highest heaven!" (Mark 11:4-10)
Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" (John 12:17-19)
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." (Luke 19:39-40)
THOUGHT: This scene reminds me of the classic movie entrance scene... kind of like in Remember the Titans when the Titans enter onto the field with their dance and song (a little strange, and maybe somewhat foolish-- kind of like riding a donkey while being hailed as a king...) to great cheers from a crowd that loves them. But since they're doing something that wasn't always so popular at the time (they're messing with the status quo of racism in our country... much like Jesus was messing with the status quo of power and religious status during his time), the coaches and parents on the other side are going "Who do they think they are?", perplexed, a little afraid, and certainly not feeling friendly towards our heroic team.
Jesus' victorious final entrance refuses to play the game of violent power struggle that the rulers of his time were playing. Much like the Titans chose to sing, dance, and stand together instead of respond to racism with more anger or fear, Jesus chose to neither violently resist nor flee in fear... instead he made a joke out of the power games being played around him. This is what Shane Claiborne writes about this moment in Jesus' life:
"Jesus rode a donkey into Passover. Remember that Passover was the anti-imperial Jewish festival during which the Jews celebrated their ancestors' coming out of Egyptian slavery. With [the occupying] Roman soldiers lining the street, Jews gathered and waved palm branches, symbols of resistance to the empire. Passover was a volatile time, often marked by riots and bloodshed. (Recall that Antipas killed thousands of Jews in the streets at the festival.) When Jesus rode a donkey into this festival, it was a lampoon, like street theater at a protest. Scholars call it the anti-triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Imagine the president riding a unicycle in the Fourth of July parade. Kings did not ride donkeys. They rode mighty war horses accompanied by an entourage of soldiers. So here is Jesus making a spectacle of violence and power, riding in on the back of an ass. (And a borrowed one at that!)"
But I don't think it's just about politics and resistance. One of my favorite moments of this passage is when Jesus is told to silence those praising him and he says that he can't, because even if he succeeded in hushing this crowd, the very stones of the streets and buildings around him would cry out as well in praise. Everybody needs a hero, and the people praising Jesus finally have found theirs-- he works miracles, he defends the poor and marginalized, he teaches in such a way that even the religious leaders of the time are amazed, he's utterly charming, very popular, loves kids, he seems to love and know deeply already every person who meets him, and is totally humble and unconcerned with riches, titles, and status.
But we all know that sometimes people can misplace praise-- just think of the idolization of celebrities in this country, or how quickly masses of people follow each other after silly things like Rebecca Black's newest youtube video (jk jk)... so Jesus points out that this is not just a popular fad. And when the religious leaders of the time (the Pharisees) who are so afraid of a sort of mass riot getting out of control tell him to stop the demonstration, he basically seems to say, Look, this demonstration of praise and resistance to the status quo and desire for change, it's not just a bunch of rabble-rousing. Even if all the people were to be quiet and you were to terrorize them into going back home and letting me enter here alone, the very earth and rocks that my father created would carry on their cries. This praise is rooted much more deeply than mere popularity and fad-thinking.
CHALLENGE: I think that the Pharisees can teach me a lot about what it means to make decisions of faith and how to handle our fears, because they do a lot of the same things that I find myself doing in arguments and sticky situations.
First of all, they create a specific narrative that pits two sides against each other. Jesus certainly had pointed out some hard truths to the Pharisees before, but he never took sides against them. The Pharisees, on the other hand, made it into a competition: Jesus and his followers against the Pharisees and their followers. And the Pharisees wanted to get as many followers on their side as possible, and they wanted Jesus' followers to be quiet, and they wanted their side to win. The only thing is, it was never a competition, so Jesus wouldn't play-- or play by their rules.
Second of all, the Pharisees both acted and reacted out of fear. Because the Pharisees were in power, and religion to them was a way of maintaining that power, they had a lot to lose-- in wealth, in power, in status. And when you have a lot to lose, you start to act out of fear that you're going to lose it all.
It seems though, that a worldview of faith can combat this fear. Jesus doesn't seem to be afraid at all, despite the fact that he's responsible for a whole crowd of people who are out on the streets with the Roman guard and could be all slaughtered at any time by the Romans for imperial resistance. It seems to me that this is because Jesus is of the opinion that he is a steward-- he stewards the life he's been given, the relationships with people he's been given, the certain power and authority he's been given, all in faith that God is in charge. Somehow his faith makes him fearless.
So the Pharisees begged Jesus to make his crowd quiet, and when he refused they got really frustrated, because they saw things as a competition. They thought he didn't get it, they were terrified of the possible revolt. Jesus seemed like a foolish rabble-rouser, his popularity a threat to their power.
But this passage seems to say that it's actually the Pharisees who didn't get it. The passage shows that they were so afraid of losing what they had that they didn't listen to see what there was to gain. They didn't see that even the stones would cry out if the people were silent. They didn't see that there was another way to view the world, to live.
Fear and pride blinded the Pharisees to good things around them, and kept them from even considering making choices of faith or love(and trust) toward Jesus and his followers. Today, take the time to consider the most recent 1-3 times that you let fear or pride decide your actions for you. Consider lifestyle choices, choices of time management, choices of reaction and interaction with people-- especially in difficult situations, and choices of faith/interaction with God. Write these out, along with the narrative you created in your head to justify what you chose to do. See if you can see another narrative that is more true that would have allowed you to make a different choice. Try praying and see what other ways of thinking and viewing these situations might come to mind (often in prayer new ideas or relevant memories will be brought up-- just write them down as they come).
