Blessed Is the One

Palm Sunday is a radical celebration! Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of that colt that had never before been ridden, was subversive and seditious. The air was electric with anticipation and defiant hope.

The crowd was aware of several things that it is good for us to be reminded of:

First, Jesus and his disciples had been keeping a low profile ever since he raised Lazarus. Some of the Jews who were there the day he raised Lazarus, who knew that Lazarus had been dead 4 days and then was alive, went and told the news to leaders of the Temple, who called a meeting of the Sanhedrin, the supreme council overseeing the religious, civil, and criminal matters of the Jewish people, at which they determined “this man [is] performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” 49 Then one of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, spoke up, “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” From that day on, the Jewish Council was plotting to take Jesus’s life.

Second, faithful Jews from across the Roman world were streaming into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. Most historians of the time put the population of Jerusalem normally at less than 50,000 people, but during Passover there could be 200,000 or more there for the festival.
Biblical scholar and Payne Theological Seminary President, Dr. Michael Joseph Brown, writes about the response of Rome to the festival. “The Romans distrusted associations, crowds, and gatherings such as the one we find in Jerusalem. For example, in his letter to Pliny the Younger, the emperor Trajan (c. 111 CE) wrote, ‘When people gather together for a common purpose — whatever name we may give them and whatever function we may assign them — they soon become political groups.’ Put bluntly, give people enough time and space and they will soon turn against you.”

The third thing that the crowd knew that we have to be reminded of is their political situation. Tiberius was the Emperor of Rome; he was reclusive and particularly cruel. He built rooms for torture and places for execution in his palaces. His reign was marked by suspicion and paranoia and terror. So, no leader wanted to find themselves accused of allowing an insurrection or revolt. Yet, the Jewish people were disgruntled at Pax Romana, peace achieved by power, sporadic uprisings and violence were occurring with increasing frequency against Rome’s efforts to oppress and suppress.

Now, hundreds of thousands of these oppressed people have crowded into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, to remember God liberating their ancestors from slavery and oppression in Egypt, as they hope to be liberated from Rome. The Roman Governor, Pontious Pilate is not going to be responsible to Tiberius for some uprising. So, he has also traveled from his palace in Casarea Maritima to ensure that no one forgets Rome’s authority.

It is into this gathering crowd – politically charged, religiously hopeful – that Jesus enters riding on a colt that has never before been ridden. The crowd knew the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The crowd knows exactly what is happening; King Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, is riding into town! The roar of the crowd is like being in a stadium for a big game – think Final Four or SEC rivalry. People are chanting – you can hear “Hosanna! Save us! Hosanna in the highest heaven! The King of Israel!” Some were quoting the angels’ announcement of his birth, “Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Some were shouting out his connection to King David, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!” Everyone was quoting Psalm 118 and some were editing it a bit, “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!” or “the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The crowd is drawing attention. Some Pharisees who are there – maybe because they want the kingdom to come, too – maybe because they have been sent to spy – maybe they are supporters, or curious. The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him, perhaps they were there looking for an opportunity to curry a little favor with the Temple establishment. We don’t know their motive for being there, and we don’t know their motive for telling Jesus to command the crowd to be quiet. Were they trying to keep Pax Romana and placate the forces of Rome, or were they trying to reestablish the Temple Court’s authorities over the people, or were they trying to keep him alive?
We don’t know. What we do know is that silence would not be heard. If the crowd had quieted, the earth would have cried out! Luke literally says, “The rocks would have crowed!” The crow of a raven in Greek is “Krazo” the rocks would have joined in singing the psalm, “Krazo, krazo, krazo! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

We have talked about before that “blessed” in Greek does not mean “fortunate.” “We’ve just been SO blessed” is not a phrase the disciples would have used. “Blessed” in Greek means “praised.” The person who comes in the name of the Lord is praised, not lucky. And to come “in the name of the Lord” means to come by proxy of someone more powerful, or greater than, you are. When you come “in the name of someone,” you’ve been sent by them or are acting on their authority. Jesus is to be praised because he comes with the authority of God, acting as God would act.

Presbyterian pastor John Buchanan said in his 2004 Palm Sunday sermon, “What I love best about this day is that picture: Jesus, on up ahead, his lonely courage, his strong decision to do it, his brave determination to follow, where he believed God was leading him, in the face of very real risks and danger. What I love best about Palm Sunday is that it was the existential moment for Jesus, the decision to be what he believed God called him to be, a moment that comes to all of us at one time or another when we decide who we are and what we will do.”

Praised are those who decide to say “yes” to the invitation to be proxy for God, to be prophets and speak God’s often uncomfortable Word, to follow Jesus’s example, surrendering self to gain abundant, meaningful life.

We tend to think of famous people: Dietrich Bonoheffer, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Oscar Romero,…people who spoke up and acted for justice and for the oppressed and paid a heavy price.

But most of us are more like Larry. Larry is a sheriff’s deputy. One night, Larry responded to a call on the highway, single car, roll-over. The driver was the only one in the car, and he died on the scene. But when the car rolled, it crossed the median and landed right in the middle of the road. Marissa had barely avoided being hit. She had been the one to call 911, to try to help the driver, now she was shaky and pale and wanted to go home. But, the state patrol hadn’t gotten to the scene yet, and they would need a statement. Larry stood with her as she leaned up against his patrol car, making conversation. She noticed the teddy bear he had in the passenger seat, with his teddy bear sheriff’s hat.

“We give them to kids to hold onto,” Larry explained, “the department actually issues us one when we take the job. Course that one’s gone in no time. You can’t take the bear back from a scared child. That must be my 300th bear.”

Marissa just could not imagine. “Why do you do this job?” she asked.

Larry shared that he quit for a while and got a job as a local store manager. He made more money. But one night his son was in a car wreck. He jumped in his truck and went to the scene. Larry recalled, “He was ok, but the next week, I told my wife that out on that highway I realized where I belong. I had to go back to law enforcement. She had known all along, it’s who I am.”

They kept talking. Marissa asked for his card; she would send him a box of teddy bears. Then he got another call and had to leave. Marissa watched as he drove away and heard herself say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Story adapted from Storyteller’s Companion to the Bible Vol. 9, told by Pam McGrath)

Praised are those who decide to say “yes” to the invitation to be what God made and called them to be, surrendering self to gain abundant, meaningful life. The crowd was quoting a psalm about all of us, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praised is the one doing what God sent them to do!”

Jesus seemed to know when he threw his leg over that colt that this was not a happy parade. He received the cheers of the crowd, knowing they did not understand the true meaning of what they were shouting. Hosanna! Yes, he would save them. Jesus knew the truth. So did the very creation. Sent by God to free the whole world from its bondage to death and darkness. Even the rocks wanted to cry out!