Shaken: Palm Sunday
My reflection on the first of the Palm Sunday Gospels (not the Passion) - the entrance Gospel, Matthew 21:1-11.
The whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?”
And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
The whole city was shaken.
Shaken awake by this joyful noise –
this triumphal procession.
Shaken awake with wonder and awe –
and somehow, the crowds knew Jesus’ identity – as prophet.
In a few days – this city would be shaken again.
This time by an earthquake.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem – you who stone the prophets!
murdered the Son of God.
I come to bring division – not peace…
the sword of Truth dividing soul and spirit,
joint and marrow…
moving all in Jerusalem from points of hysteria:
the manic celebration of what they don’t know…
to bloodthirsty cries – for what they don’t know…
to a moment of decision: Who do you say I am?
Who do you choose?
Which side will you be on?
For Palm Sunday, I always picture myself as part of the crowd. Why wouldn’t you?
Why wouldn’t you join in the triumphal entry – singing, shouting in acclaim with thousands of others? Imagine the joy! The hysteria! Why wouldn’t you sing the praises of this good man? Why wouldn’t you want to be counted as one of the Miracle Worker’s? I mean – maybe you could see him! Maybe you could touch him – and confirm that he’s real? Maybe you could get in on the action, too.
In all these years of being part of the crowd, I’ve never noticed how they described him to others: Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galillee.
The last few weeks of the Gospels have been revealing to us that, no, Jesus is more than a prophet. Jesus has revealed his divinity in each scene in more powerful ways each week…yet the crowds don’t know. The crowd doesn’t know Jesus. They know about him. They’ve heard things. This is why they can “so easily” turn against him by Friday. After all, it’s part of their heritage, isn’t it? To stone the prophets? To shun the righteous? Without an encounter — without a personal encounter where Jesus looks at us – in all my sin and all of my good potential – and calls me, “good” – what small seed of misinformation could sway me?
All I hear Jesus say is, “Father, forgive them – for they don’t know what they are doing,” and I know he means the crowd, too. Even at the moment of triumphal entry, I think Jesus looks out at the crowds and prays for us, saying, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”
I don’t know about you, but I find great peace in being forgiven of my ignorance; forgiven for my ‘crowd mentality’; forgiven for my fear of acceptance/rejection; forgiven before I even knew I was in need. Because the God we love and serve loves us so much to never leave us in our ignorance or fear that when He turns on the light so we can see clearly our wrongs and misgivings – He’s already there, arms outstretched on the cross: forgiving us.
