EXPECTATION AND IDENTITY (Palm Sunday 2012)
Text: Mark 11:1 – 11
Mark 11:1-11 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, (2) And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. (3) And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. (4) And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. (5) And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? (6) And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. (7) And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. (8) And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. (9) And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: (10) Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. (11) And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve (KJV).
EXPECTATION AND IDENTITY
Text: Mark 11:1 – 11
When we think of Palm Sunday, what do we think of? The chances are that we think about celebrations and the parade that they threw for Jesus as He had His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. There were many in that crowd who thought of Jesus as a hero---maybe even a superhero. Max Lucado once wrote that “Heroes mirror society”. (Max Lucado. And The Angels Were Silent. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1987, p. 80). Just look as this crowd along the sides of the roads that day in Jerusalem and you will see that what Lucado says about heroes is most certainly true. It was on this day----Palm Sunday that people had high hopes that Jesus was the hero that they expected. Were they thinking that Jesus was a “freedom fighter” who was sleeping and waiting for his moment to gather an army about Him? Were they thinking that Jesus was an epic hero of some sort? The response of the crowd seems to say yes! Their expectations were high, but the real irony is that they missed an important clue of His entry---riding on a colt.
HEROIC EXPECTATIONS
What do people look for in a hero?
1) Oppression and deliverance: One of the best answers is an old romantic notion in literature of the damsel in distress. Look up that term on Wikipedia and this is what you will find: “The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a beautiful young woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or monster and who requires a hero to achieve her rescue.”
2) Classic characters: Consider some of the following princesses (damsels in distress) who have been portrayed in many Disney movies. Some examples of princesses---damsels are Snow White, Bell from Beauty and the Beast, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Jasmin from Aladdin , Ariel from The Little Mermaid,, Tiana from The Princess Frog and Rapunzel from Tangled . My youngest daughter was a big fan of all these princesses when she was a little girl.
3) Rescuers: What goes along with a damsel in distress? There is always some prince or knight hero or rescuer. In literature device of a “damsel in distress”, there is usually some knight in shining armor.
What kind of hero were the people in the crowd expecting during Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem? Lets preface the answer to this question through an observation made by Max Lucado.
1) Custom made image of heroes: “Heroes mirror a society. Study a nation’s heroes and understand the nation. We honor those who embody our dreams----gang members toast the ruthless, slaves esteem the freedom fighter, and cult members exalt the dominant.” (Max Lucado. And The Angels Were Silent. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1987, p. 80).
2)A caped crusader mentality: When Jesus rode through Jerusalem there were those in the crowd who expected a caped crusader type-of-a hero.
3) A King’s welcome: They gave Jesus the Red Carpet treatment that day. They thought that Jesus embodied their ideals, their hopes and their dreams. A few days later they were giving Jesus His pink slip. What went wrong? What went wrong was that Jesus could not be their hero on their terms.
4) Seeing ourselves in a mirror: How does it look when we see ourselves in the mirror? How are we like those in the crowd that day in their adulation as well as their condemnation?
IRONY AND IDENTITY
What was it that those in the crowd missed about their hero?
1) Symbolic entry: The people who greeted Jesus with palm branches were probably thinking about regaining lost real estate as well as some type of insurrection.
2) A Prophecy fulfilled: Jesus went riding into Jerusalem on a donkey---a beast of burden. It was a prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 that was being fulfilled by our Messiah, our Lord and King Jesus Christ.
3) Symbolism misunderstood: It was ironic that Jesus' meaning and their perception of what they thought Jesus meant were two different things. According to Biblical scholars a horse was both a kingly symbol and also a symbol of war whereas a donkey is a symbol is a symbol of peace. When kings came in peace they rode on donkeys. (Barclay: The Daily Bible Series: The Gospel Of Luke. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975, p. 240). It was ironic that Jesus came riding on a donkey---a symbol of peace while those in the crowd greeted Him with the kind of honor that was usually bestowed to warrior kings that rode in procession such as Jehu on a horse---a symbol of war.
Who was king Jehu anyway? Before we answer that question, let’s look at some history’s national leaders.
1) Villains as heroes?: What do Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Sadam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, Omar Kaddafi all have in common? They were considered heroes by those who lived in fear under their reign. Consider what happened to the last three in the last five years! They were known for their brutality and bloodshed. So what about Jehu’s reputation? Was there brutality and bloodshed associated with his name?
2) A tainted reputation: "When they spread their garments on the ground before him, they did exactly what the crowd did when that man of blood Jehu was anointed king" (2 Kings 9:13). (William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel Of Mark. Revised Edition. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975, p. 266). In fact, his "... violence is ... vigorously condemned a century later by the prophet Hosea (Hosea 1:4-5). (William H. Gentz ed. The Dictionary Of Bible An d Religion. James D. Newsome, Jr. "Jehu." Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1986, pp. 523-524). Unlike Jehu, Jesus was the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6) and not a man of blood.
What about those who feel sympathy for their captors? If they were excited about Jesus’s arrival, then why did they turn on Jesus later that week?
1) Unprecedented: Was their response to their deliverer unprecedented? If we recall the events of Numbers 21:1-9, then we can recall those who were critical of Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” (Numbers 21:5). Did those in the crowd of Jesus’s triumphant entry have sympathy for those who oppressed them?
2) Stockholm syndrome: What do they call it when people have sympathy for their captors? They call it Stockholm Syndrome. The reason for that was that back in 1973 there was a bank robbery in Stockholm Sweden that turned into a 131 hour ordeal. The hostages of that robbery eventually started to feel sympathy for their captors. Wikipedia describes it this way: “.. hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness.” Is this how the Jews conquered and oppressed by Rome felt? Were there times when the Pharisees were in cahoots with Rome?
3) Modern day Stockholm Syndrome sympathizers: How many people are there who feel sympathy for this world that holds them captive in the spiritual sense?
Why should we make such a big deal out of the concept Stockholm Syndrome?
1) Irony: Was it not truly ironic that the people did not see Jesus through the lenses of God’s plan for their salvation? Luke’s Gospel tells us what Jesus said during His triumphant entry into Jerusalem: “Jesus looked at Jerusalem and wept and said, “If you, even you, had only known this day would bring you peace---but now it is hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42).
2) Masquerade : Why was it hidden from their eyes? Paul tells us that the Gospel is veiled to those who are on the road to destruction. The god of this age (aka Satan and the prince of this world (John 12:30 KJV) has blinded the eyes of those who do not have faith. Not having faith hinders them from seeing the light of the gospel. Christ is the image of God. (II Corinthians 4: 4).
3) Lamplighters: Are we like those in the crowd on the day of Jesus’s triumphant entry or do we understand Jesus’s true identity as our Lord and Savior? Jesus is our Prince, the Prince of peace who came to rescue all those He came to save. Jesus has called us to help those who are held captive by the god of this age and his ways in this world. Jesus has called us to pick up our crosses and follow Him. Jesus has called us to be lamplighters for those in live in darkness as we continue His mission.
Despite what our critics say, Christians do not live a fairy tale existence. Jesus is our Prince of Peace who came to rescue the least, the last and the lost. Without Him there is no peace. Jesus came to rescue us not by force but by His love that He exhibited on the cross. Jesus is not some folk hero, He is our Lord and Savior who conquered sin, death and the fear of death on the cross. Even on the cross Jesus maintained being a Prince of peace when He could easily have called on angels but He didn't call on them. Instead, Jesus went the distance by dying on the cross for us.
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
