EMB 28-03-2021
“On a donkey, you must be kidding!” Luke 21:28-44
Often there’s more to a story than meets the human eye.
And our Gospel reading in Luke 21 is no exception.
Indeed this is a story related in all four Gospels, which is unusual.
We have the Synoptic Gospels Matthew Mark and Luke that often cover the same ground with more or less detail.
John however doesn’t follow the scheme of the Synoptics
I have chosen Luke’s report of what is known as Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, for our Gospel reading.
To the Jewish readers of the Gospel, this Triumphal procession would have had a very special meaning.
Because it was very similar to a special ceremony that the Romans had called a Triumph which was granted to a very special and successful General.
Let me give you a bit of background
Background : A Roman triumph
The Roman triumph (triumphus) was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome.
It was held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the success of a military commander
i) who had led Roman forces to victory in the service of the state or
ii) one who had successfully completed a foreign war.
Romulus the legendary founder of Rome celebrated the first triumph ever
The Roman General Mark Antony had three triumphs and Julius Caesar and Augustus each had at least one triumph.
A Roman triumph was an impressive celebration and followed a set route.
The ceremony usually lasted the whole of a day.
1. The procession started with the leaders of the Roman Senate – that is the Roman parliament - leading the way.
2. They would be followed by trumpeters.
3. Next in the procession would be carriages containing the spoils of war – that is treasure taken from the conquered people and any slaves captured.
4. Then came the flute players, followed by the animals like oxen for sacrifice to the Roman gods.
5. Next came the leaders of the conquered enemy, in chains - forced to walk in front of the General.
And at the height of the ceremony when the procession would be going up Capitoline Hill in Rome – the leaders of the conquered enemy would be taken to an adjoining prison. There they would be executed.
6. Then the General’s own bodyguard followed by
7. The conquering General.
The General would ride in triumph in a gilded chariot led by white horses – /known as chargers. These symbolised WAR
He would be crowned with a laurel wreath – symbolising victory - and wear a purple tunic embroidered with palms under a purple toga embroidered with stars.
8. Then the General’s sons followed and finally
9. The General’s infantry would bring up the rear.
The ceremony would be a joyful occasion – a bit like a carnival, where all the inhabitants of Rome would come out to cheer the General.
At least it was a joyful occasion for the Romans but not necessarily for their prisoners.
The streets would be full of music, singing and general rejoicing.
The ceremony was designed to show
1. the strength of Rome,
2. its mission of conquest and domination, and
3. the courage of the soldiers.
So let me ask this Question:
How was the Jesus' Triumphal entry into Jerusalem , different from that of a Roman triumphal parade?
Answer:
1. Jesus came on a donkey, not in a chariot pulled by white horses.
The charger symbolised war – but the donkey signified justice and peace.
In OT times, kings in Israel used to use donkeys to travel when they were dispensing justice through the land and also when they were travelling in peace
2. There were no captives paraded in front of Jesus - captives who if they had been in a Roman triumph - would then have been put to death.
Jesus’ whole mission was to bring life not death.
He came to free the captives not to enslave them and kill them
3. And ironically it was the King – Jesus who would die for the captives - just at the end of Holy Week on Good Friday.
So why did Jesus enter Jerusalem triumphantly and why did the Jews accept him?
The time of Jesus triumphal procession into Jerusalem was at the beginning of Passover
They were expecting a MESSIAH.
The word Messiah is a term meaning “a person who has been anointed by God as a Saviour for God’s people”.
Why did they want a Saviour – a Messiah?
Being a Jew in Israel in Jesus’ day was very much like a Frenchman in France during World War 2 during the German occupation
The Jews were second class citizens in their own country.
They were a people who had been conquered and were ruled by Rome.
And the Jews hated the Romans, just as much as the French hated the Germans in World War 2.
The Jews were hoping for an ALL-CONQUERING Messiah.
They were looking for a Messiah - who would boot the hated Romans out.
And the Jews had good reason for their hope.
For, almost two hundred years earlier, God had indeed raised up a Saviour for the Jews – Judas
Maccabees. (Maccabees means the Hammer)
3. Judas Maccabees
Let me tell you a little bit about him and the history of the Jews up to the time of Jesus:
In 167 BC, Israel was ruled by a wretch called Antiochus IV .
Antiochus had rather foolishly decided to insult the Jews by sacrificing a pig on the altar in the Jewish Temple.
For the Jews that was the ultimate insult.
Even today, the Jews still consider a pig to be unclean and will not eat pork.
So in 165 BC the Jews revolted under the leadership of Judas Maccabees.
They took Jerusalem from Antiochus and cleansed the Temple of the pig sacrifice.
And the Jews still celebrate this day - as the Feast of Hanukkah.
Then for just over 100 years Israel was an independent kingdom ruled by the Hasmoneans – descendants of Judas Maccabees.
However, in 63 BC, two rival Jewish claimants to the throne of Israel invited the Roman general, Pompey to settle a dispute between them as to who would be the next King.
But instead of settling the dispute in either party’s favour, Pompey decided to conquer Israel instead.
And in 63 BC Pompey took Jerusalem and from then on, the Romans forced the Jews to submit to their rule.
So by the time Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday in AD29, there was anticipation in the air.
Not only was Passover a time when Jewish religious fervour was at its highest but word had got about that the Messiah God had promised his people was here - Jesus of Nazareth. And Gaililee was well known as a hotbed of unrest (see Acts 5:34-39)
By coming into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus is making a statement.
Yes, he is a king, yes, he is a Messiah – as prophesied in the Old Testament.
But not in the way that they had been expecting.
Jesus wasn’t coming in to liberate them from the Romans by force.
Jesus’ mission was one of bringing peace not war.
He was going to be a Saviour – but not from the Romans from the wrath of God.
Jesus was going to save them from their sins.
And the crowd I believe were shocked when Jesus turned aside to the Temple as soon as he entered Jerusalem
I think the crowd had expected Jesus to lead to the Praetorium – where the Roman troops were garrisoned
And once the crowd had realised that Jesus was not going to be their Maccabean style Messiah – there would have been a sense of let down and even anger
And so their rulers could very quickly turn them against Jesus and by Good Friday they were baying for Jesus’ blood
But that is the subject matter for another sermon
4. Back to the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
Have you ever wondered why there was so much secrecy around the donkey?
Did you notice in our reading that when Jesus told the disciples to get the donkey, he did not tell them the name of the person or persons from whom they were to get the donkey
I think that tells us a lot about the planning Jesus put into the procession on the first Palm Sunday
Why do I say that?
Well when I was younger, I used to avidly read “Sherlock Holmes” stories and I think this is a bit of “Sherlockian” detection!
1. Did you notice that the donkey had owners. (Lk 21:33)
Let me read it for you
33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
Note “its owners” asked them what they were doing
Now if the cost of a donkey had to be shared/ it was indicative that the owners were poor
So they would not have allowed /any old person to ride on their prized property.
Yet when the disciples come to collect the donkey, why do you think the owners let him?
I think the expression “the Lord needs it” was a password that Jesus had arranged ahead of time.
2. Why was secrecy necessary?
Jesus knew that if the Pharisees and Sadducees (who probably had spies all over Jerusalem) had got wind that Jesus was preparing to ride a donkey into Jerusalem, they would have killed the donkey.
Why?
Because they were well versed in the Old Testament Scripture.
They knew of the Messianic prophecy - given about 550 years earlier -that predicted that the Messiah was going to ride on a donkey
Let me read you Zechariah 9:9,
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
5. Sir Edmund Allenby -As an interesting aside
When General Sir Edmund Allenby/ the Commander of the British forces that took the city of Jerusalem from the Ottomans on 11th December 1917 , he rode up to Jerusalem on a white charger.
However, being a Christian, he stopped at the Jaffa gate and got off his horse and walked in.
He reasoned (so I have been told) that if Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, he would not upstage Christ/ by riding in on a stallion
6. So what does Jesus’ triumphal entry on Palm Sunday mean for us today?
I think the key can be found at the beginning of the report of the Last Supper (ie on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week) as related by S t John
In Jn 13:2-17 when Jesus washes the disciples feet
Let me read excepts from the passage to you
13 It was just before the Passover Festival.
Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.
Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 (As) the evening meal was in progress, …..he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.
13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.
14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Washing feet was the job for the servant and not the master of the house.
I would like to suggest that God’s Messiah – his chosen one - has not come to be a conquering Maccabean hero, but as “The Servant King”.
We are called to love God and our fellow man – and we should be willing to serve one another.
And as we follow Jesus in his servant role, so we will be able to bring people to Jesus - and to that peace that the world cannot give.
In that way we can be active in extending the Kingdom of God around us.
So as we remember Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, let us remember the attitude of Jesus himself, who in the words of St.Paul
“who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant (Phil. 2:6&7)
His was a kingdom that the world cannot understand - a kingdom where the ruler serves his people.
Let our prayer today be that
1. we can serve as Christ calls us to and
2. shine as a light in this world around us for the Kingdom of God.
