Called to be Faithful by Rev. Gabrielle Martone at Pearl River United Methodist Church on Sunday 5 April 2020
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Matthew 21:1-11 NRSV
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethpage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
It continues to be a very weird experience to do church virtually. It continues to be ever changing, a day-to-day figuring out of what comes next or what else to do, changing information all the time. What you read in the morning and what you read at night may be drastically different depending on the events of the day. And still, and still, in the midst of all of that, life continues to go on. Palm Sunday is all about the excitement and the joy of Jesus coming into Jerusalem. And I don't think that anybody else in those crowds knew what was coming to them except for Jesus. So Jesus comes riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, and he is faced and surrounded by crowds who are shouting, "Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."
They know something is different about Jesus. They understand that there is something mighty and powerful about who Jesus is and the promise that Jesus is making to them. They are taking their cloaks off and they are laying palm branches on the ground so that Jesus and his donkey can ride over them. It is an odd scene. And it was probably much smaller than we imagine it was. And it was terrifying for everybody else. As you notice in the passage, as Jesus finishes his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the people are asking, "Who is this?" The city is in turmoil. The people are confused and a little bit afraid and they say, "Who in the world is that?" And the crowds respond, "This is Jesus. He's a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
Matthew's telling of the Palm Sunday narrative is different than some other narratives in the gospels. It's much more concise and it ends with a declaration of the fact that this man is a prophet. Now, if you know anything about what Jews are historically looking for, what the waiting of the Messiah is, is there was this deep belief and hope for someone who would come in on sword and overthrow the government and put the Jews back in their rightful place of being God's chosen people. So if you are a first century Jewish person, the Messiah that you are waiting for was coming to destroy the Roman government and to set Israelites back on the throne in power. They are waiting for someone to come in on a white horse with power and might and strength, someone who is going to politically shake the world up. And instead, instead what we receive is Jesus, a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee riding on the back of a donkey. And the crowds that greet him with their cloaks on the ground and palm branches that they've taken from trees. And we have this parade. Who is this man?
And the unfortunate side of Palm Sunday is that there is a Good Friday. So we know that these same crowds that stood here and exclaimed and claimed that this man was a prophet, and blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, in just a couple of days would be so overwhelmed by what everyone else was doing that those same crowds would screech, "Crucify him." Who is this man? This question is asked again and again and again and again in the gospels. Who is this man? Why does he matter? Is he of importance or is he someone we will forget in the years and the decades and the centuries to come? And I believe fully that we are still being asked that question today. Who is this man?
Who is this Jesus that even when you and I cannot gather together in the same place, people all over the world are tuning in virtually to hear the words of Jesus Christ repeated again? Who is this man that despite the fact that we have orders to stay at home and there is an entire pandemic happening all around the world and we are deep in chaos and anxiety and fear, who is this man that calms even our deepest fears? Who is this man that we still carve time out of our busy stay at home days to listen and to worship and to remember? Who is this man? Why does he matter? Does he matter?
I think and I know that for us in the world that we live in today, Jesus matters more now than ever before. Believing and knowing and trusting that Jesus Christ is the son of God who walked on this earth to save us from our own sins matters now more than Jesus has ever mattered. That in this moment of a world that is filled with doubt and confusion and fear and unknown, the best medicine we have is to trust in the Lord God almighty, to trust in the God who is triune, in the God who sent his only son to be here incarnate so that we might know God is for us and not against us. That no matter what the next few weeks and months and years may bring to us, God will see us through. That no matter what happens in the next days and weeks and months and years, God still is God.
Who is this man? This man is that the Messiah, the incarnate God who has come to save us all, who has come to remind us that this world is not the last, that we belong to a kingdom much more beautiful and whole and amazing than this place is. We hold onto and we trust that this man rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to fulfill scripture so that we might know that we are eternally loved by the creator of the universe. So there is no doubt or anxiety or fear or pain or loss or grief that we could ever experience that Christ does not already know, that God does not already know.
I think people like to forget that at the end of this week, as Jesus leaves the last supper and goes into the garden and his disciples all fall asleep on him, Jesus is crying in the garden, praying, "If it is possible, let this cup pass from my lips, but not my will, oh God, but yours." This pandemic reminds me of those words. If it is possible, oh God, let it pass from my lips. But not my will, but yours. Who is this man that would go even through doubt and anxiety and fear to be crucified for our sake? Who is this man and does he matter?
Who is Jesus to you? Where do you cling to Jesus now in the midst of this horrifying and overwhelming pandemic? Does God matter? Does Christ matter? Does it make a difference that you believe in Jesus the Christ? How will this holy week be different, not just because we're online, but how will it be different for you and your spirit? And when somebody asks you, "Where does that peace you get come from? Where does that calm about what happens next come from?" And you say Jesus, and their question back to you is, "Who is this man?" What will you say? What will you proclaim? Who is Jesus? Why does it matter? Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, the Messiah, the incarnate God, Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus is our only hope. Jesus is our light in the darkness. Jesus is our friend in our isolation. Jesus is our everything. May you feel it, know it, trust it and live it today and every day. Amen.
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