We’re presenting part 6 of Ruth’s Lenten Stories series a day early this week, as it clears the way to focus on Good Friday tomorrow. We’re looking at what is traditionally called “Palm Sunday.”
Lenten Stories: Wonder with Me (Luke 19:29-40)
by Ruth Wilkinson
In John’s gospel, the writer begins his account (John 12:12-19) of the ‘Triumphal Entry’ after the long, slow climbing journey from Jericho to Jerusalem, about 24 kilometres (15 miles). It would take the average person 8 hours to walk, more or less. Plus, it was a serious climb: about a half a mile over the course of those 24 kilometres. For perspective, the change in altitude is like climbing the stairs of Toronto’s CN Tower nearly 2 1/2 times. Long, long day.
At the end of that long, long walk, John tells us, Jesus arrived at the home of friends named Mary and Lazarus and Martha in the town of Bethany, and John describes that evening—that very special, very close dinner with friends just before the worst week of Jesus’ life. Mary poured out onto Jesus’ feet a jar of crazy-expensive perfume and dried His feet with her hair. Jesus received that gift as a gesture of Mary’s extravagant love.
Having planted in our minds the reminder of Lazarus dead and buried, and then raised to life, and showing us the beautiful, grateful aftermath of that miracle, John cuts to:
“The great crowd that had come to the feast and who had heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.” (John 12:12)
“The feast” was Passover, one of the major celebrations for Jewish people during the course of the year. Jesus would have been traveling with the crowd on their way to Jerusalem for the festival. It wouldn’t have just been the 13 guys on their own. It would have been thousands of people, walking the same road in the same direction for the same reason: to celebrate the people’s liberation from slavery, to celebrate the day that God set them free from Egypt, and on their path to becoming a free nation.
I wonder… what did it feel like to celebrate Passover, to celebrate freedom from oppression, to celebrate release from slavery in a city that was occupied by the Roman military machine?
Bethany was a natural place to pause before the final 5 km across the ridge of the Mount of Olives, down into the Valley of Kidron, and then up again into Jerusalem through the eastern gate. John tells us that people had been whispering about Jesus. “Could it be? Could he be? Who do you think he is? Is it finally happening? Has the Messiah come?”
“Now the Jewish Passover was near and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus. They kept asking each other as they hung around in the temple courts. What do you think? What do you think? Will he come to the feast at all? Is he even going to show up? But the Chief Priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it so they could arrest him.” (John 11:55)
Meanwhile, Jesus was on His way, climbing from Jericho, pausing in Bethany, and getting ready to enter Jerusalem. There were people in Bethany who knew Lazarus, who knew that Jesus had raised him from the dead. “That’s the guy! He’s here. That’s him. He changed the water into wine. He fed 5000 people with nothing. He gave sight to a man who was born blind. He delivered people from demonic oppression. He brought Lazarus back to life after he had been dead for three days.” Whispering and pointing, “There! That’s him.”
After having that evening of rest, that dinner with friends, Jesus began the next stage of the journey—the few remaining miles from Bethany to Jerusalem. He walked a little further, to the village of Bethphage, where He took mount on a donkey.
Jesus was not whispering. Jesus was not hiding. Jesus was saying, “Here I am!” The rest of the pilgrims would have been on foot and here He was, riding along the top ridge of the Mount of Olives. Riding into Jerusalem. Riding like a king. And the people celebrated Him like a king, in same the way that they would celebrate any enemy-defeating, siege-breaking, liberating king.
They celebrated Him with shouts of joy, quoting from Psalm 118, which was part of the liturgy and celebration of Passover: “Oh lord, save us, save us, we pray (hoshe-an-na). We beg you, Lord…”
‘Hosanna’ was originally a phrase of pleading, of desperation. It had by the time of Jesus’ life become cry of gratitude. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the lord, and from the house of the Lord we bless you.”
Hosanna, we cried for help! And hosanna, you have heard!
I wonder… what did it feel like for Jesus to hear those shouts, knowing that the people celebrating Him as king were absolutely right… and almost completely wrong?
The people also celebrated Jesus’ arrival as king by paving His path with branches from the palm tree whose fruit and fibre fed them and served them. The palm tree, standing taller than any other tree. The palm tree, with leaves symbolizing dignity and royalty. The palm tree, throughout scripture representing Israel itself. The palm tree, carved on the walls, carved on the pillars of the temple of Yahweh God.
The religious authorities recognized what was happening, and they did not approve. They were not on side with this. They feared the consequences. They pushed through the crowd to where Jesus was riding. They tugged His sleeve and got His attention. They shouted into the noise, “Teacher rebuke your disciples! Warn them to stop this before it’s too late!”
Jesus’ response to them was:
“If they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40)
I wonder… when Jesus talked about the stones, was He remembering God’s promise through Isaiah?
‘When you come to me, when you listen to me, when you look for me, I will fill David’s empty throne.’ And:“You will go out with joy. You will be led forth in peace, and the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you.” (Isaiah 55:12)
Or I wonder… was Jesus, rather, remembering the promise made through the prophet Habakkuk? ‘When you build your security and your wealth on the bones of others, when you are arrogant, when you call down shame on your household…’
“…the stones in the wall will call out your judgment.” (Habakkuk 2:11)
The procession turned and continued down the western slope of the valley between the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem. The view opened up, giving Jesus a clear view of the city itself. The beautiful city, with its magnificent, unparalleled temple.
And Jesus wept.
He wept over the city of peace—Jerusalem—and He said:
“If only! If only you had recognized on this day what would bring you peace. If only on this day you had recognized your visitation from God.” (Luke 19:42)
I wonder… did the people wonder why He was crying?
John, who was there that day, heard those cries. He admits that:
“At the time [we] His disciples did not understand these things. But after Jesus was glorified after He was raised from the dead, then they remembered. They remembered what had been done to him, and they realized that these very things had been written about Him by the prophets long ago.” (John 12:16)
I wonder… how long did it take them to connect this very strange day in Jesus’ life, and in their lives, to the words of the prophet Zechariah:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem. Your king is coming to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey. On a colt, on the foal of a donkey… I will cut off the chariot [of war] from Ephraim. I will cut off the horse [of war] from Jerusalem. The bow of war will be broken, and then he, [the one who is coming on the donkey], He will proclaim peace to the nations.” (Zechariah 9:9-10)
I wonder if, when Jesus was coming down that mountain, heading towards Jerusalem, as the vista opened up before him…
I wonder whether, if He looked a little bit to His right, He would have been able to see over the city walls, into the region beyond: to see Golgotha—the place where the Romans crucified their victims.
I have no way of knowing. But I do know that Luke says earlier that:
“When the days were coming to a close for Jesus to be taken up, He set His face towards Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51)
He set His gaze, His focus, His eyes like flint towards Jerusalem, knowing what would happen—what had to happen—when He arrived there.
Over the course of the next week, Jesus’ life was taken up with a variety of things.
- On “Holy Monday,” He cleared the temple, casting out the people who were profiteering from those who had come to celebrate Passover.
- On “Holy Tuesday,” Jesus was preaching, debating, and prophesying among the religious leaders.
- On “Silent Wednesday,” He rested in Bethany with His friends while Judas went off into town to make his deal with the authorities.
- On “Maundy Thursday,” Jesus celebrated the Last Supper. He washed the feet of His disciples, preparing them for their life of service. He went to Gethsemane, the garden where He prayed in agony and fear. He was arrested.
Jesus could have run away. He could have hidden. He could have remained silent, but He did not. He had chosen to set His face towards what God had given Him to do—what only He could do for us.
In the book of Hebrews the writer tells us,
“Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every hindrance, lay aside the sin that so easily entangles us. And let us run with endurance the race set before for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)
The writer goes on to say,
“Consider Him who endured such hostility so that you will not grow weary…”
Christianity 201 
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