Matthew 21:1-17 - April 2, 2023 - Palm Sunday

Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

And, might I say, it’s about time. 

We’ve been waiting so long for him to arrive. My whole life, I’ve heard about “the one who is to come.” My parents and grandparents and rabbis would teach me what the prophets said: he will come to set things right for us. He will set us free. He will be a king, greater than David. He will be God’s chosen Messiah, Savior, King. 

And the rumors are, Jesus is the one we’ve been waiting for. I tend to believe them. 

I’ve gotten to see him a couple of times over the past few months. The way he handles himself, the way he commands an audience... Wherever he goes, people crowd around him. If he’s teaching in the synagogue or walking down the street or even eating in someone’s home, people go out of their way to get close to him. That’s the type of guy he is. That’s the type of leader he is. 

Just take this entrance to Jerusalem! Brilliant! 

He’s riding a donkey into town. And maybe a donkey wouldn’t have been my first choice - they’re a little stubborn and beneath a real king, but, I mean, I can get where he’s going with this. It’s a satire on those self-important kings who always ride the big horses with the fancy adornment. He’s letting us know that he’s a king, but he’s not an arrogant king. He’s a king of the people, you know? 

The energy in the air is palpable. This is quite the spectacle! Look at the people! They’re eating this up. They adore him. The day they’ve been waiting for their whole lives is finally here. Jesus, the Messiah, is here to save them. Waving those branches, laying down cloaks. It’s a grand entrance for a grand king. The world doesn’t know what it’s got in this here Jesus.

There’s just something about him, something different. It’s like he’s got this big master plan, and he knows just what he’s supposed to do. He’s got just the right amount of everything. He’s not going to lord anything over us. 

I admire him. I admire the way he bided his time, laid the groundwork for this day. He gathered support from the crowds, ready to move into Jerusalem for one big showdown with the Romans. I can’t wait for him to send them running.

He will be our king! A different kind of king. Meek but royal, thoughtful yet powerful. He’s going to put things right - really right.  He will restore us to our rightful place. He will raise us up with power and might and nothing will defeat us! He will restore us, establish us like we were, just like it was! He’ll get rid of anything that opposes us! 

He knew how this would go; he knew what was coming. He wanted to set the tone when he entered Jerusalem, ready to take his throne. He would enter Jerusalem one last time as a lowly prophet, but he will leave as king, seated on high with a crown upon his head. 

Victory and glory are ours!  We have a lot riding on this messiah. 

Hold on. Wait. Did he just do that? Did he just knock over that table? What the heck, Jesus? What are you doing? Are you really making THIS kind of scene? You’re taking it a little too far, aren’t you? You’re putting all this - all of us - in danger. 

There’s all this momentum and power and authority, and now this? You’re screwing it up! 

It’s the holiest time of year and you choose to go to the temple, go to the holiest of places, and then you toss around the tables of those selling sacrifices? That completely defeats the purpose! What - we’re not going to need sacrifices anymore? Please. 

Look, I get it. The whole peace, love, God thing is your schtick, but you’ve got to look beyond that - look beyond these kids and women and the riff-raff. It’s fine to focus on peace and healing and welcome, but there comes a time when you’ve got to put your foot down. You’ve got to step up or shut up. 

Look, look, look. We have hopes. We have feelings. We have fears. What about us!? What about what we want?! We gave up everything - everything! - to follow you and this is how you thank us? By just throwing it all away like this? 

Oh, we’ve got hopes alright. Hopes that are ruined. 

You know what they do to little half-hearted rebels like him, right? They kill them. Cruficy them. They nail them up on a cross bar and just let them hang there. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do that to Jesus. And good riddance.

Here is your king. Hail, King of the Jews. So ahead. Crucify him. Crucify him. Kill him. 

I thought he was the one.
I thought he was going to win.
I thought he was going to be our triumphant savior!

Maybe it’s better this way. No more trouble. No more false hope. No more dashed expectations. Love is nice, but it’s not like it is going to change the world.

This isn’t how the story is supposed to end. It’s not how the parade is supposed to end. Jesus, to me, to us, to this movement, to this world, Jesus is a failure. A loser. What a waste. 

All those promises and this is the best God can do? This is God’s best king? 

It’ll take something pretty drastic - a miracle, no less - to save us now. Nothing can stop what's going to happen - not even us. 

No salvation, no king, not today. What are we going to do with a dead messiah? Better yet, what’s God going to do with a dead messiah?

I guess we’ll have to wait on that answer.