Lent: With One VoiceSample

WHAT PARADE DO WE FOLLOW?

Most of our Bibles have the title of this passage as ‘The triumphal entry’. Jesus however comes on a borrowed donkey; a symbol of peace for His rule will be one of humility, serving and gentleness. There is irony in the title, for Jesus begins His final ascent to the cross. Hailed as the Messiah now, He would soon be the victim of the same crowd’s hateful cries, ‘Crucify Him!’

This day is the beginning of the week in which Passover will be celebrated. Then, as now, people recall the journey from oppression to freedom, from corruption to purity, from unjust violence to just non-violence. A journey uncompleted.

So on this Palm Sunday, they believe that all will change. Listen to their shouts: ‘Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming of the Kingdom of our ancestor David!’ Pilate would have paraded into the city on a war horse with his troops. The Bible doesn’t tell us about that parade or what they shouted, but you can probably bet it wasn’t, ‘Blessed is the coming of the Kingdom of our ancestor David.’

FOR REFLECTION
• One parade comes in power and force, using position, influence, wealth and reputation to move people.
• The other parade comes in meekness, humility, gentleness and grace to serve people. One parade ‘controls’, the other parade ‘serves’. What does it mean for us to serve?
• What would it mean to welcome Jesus into our city? What would we need to cry out to enable this to happen?

PRAYER
Father, we thank You that You gave Your Son for us as a model of what the Christian life should be like. We thank You that He comes in gentle peace and yet gracious power. Teach what is needed to welcome Jesus to our home, our lives, our city.