Palm Sunday: Jesus and the Donkey.

Jesus and the Donkey

On the first Palm Sunday Jesus asked his disciples to bring him a foal, the colt of a donkey to ride on into Jerusalem. As Jesus entered the city the crowds began shouting, “Hosanna, hosanna to the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” and waved palm branches and spread out their coats on the streets.

The waving of palms and laying down of clothes were normally signs of military achievement and victory. The Romans gave palms to winners in their athletic games and the emperor gave them to his subjects after military conquests. The Jewish people had picked up on this.

The crowds believed Jesus was the King, the Messiah who came to establish Israel’s independence from Rome and to liberate them. They craved a political and military hero.

The problem is: Jesus isn’t that kind of Messiah.
Jesus’ “triumphal entry” was not that of a great warrior. Such men ride on horses trained for battle.
And Jesus rode on a donkey.
The donkey revealed that Jesus was a humble servant on a peace mission and not a military warrior. Jesus rides on a donkey for his triumphal entry. This does not only establish irony, but lifts up the lowly, in this case, the donkey. This humble donkey becomes the sacred throne for not only a King, but the Son of God himself. Jesus shows that something we do not value, in this case the donkey, can have tremendous value in God’s eyes.

The Son of God came into the holy City in peace and humility and rode in on a donkey.
We have to believe that evil is overcome with peace and humility. Don’t we too often think we can restore justice only through violence and power?
Just a week later, when these so called followers realized Jesus’ goal is not in line with theirs, they stopped shouting “Hosanna” and started shouting “Crucify him!”

Jesus liberates from all our enemies, yes, from the source and root of our problems: sin, evil, and death itself! This is the triumph Jesus had in mind when he allowed the crowd to wave their palms and throw their clothes on the road before him. He came to conquer - he came to triumph over evil by being crucified, buried, resurrected, and returned to heaven.

Wave your palms! Proclaim God’s victory over corruption, poverty, disease, and war. Overcome the real enemy of the people – evil, sin, death, selfishness, greed and lies – triumph in the Name of the King of peace who rides on a donkey.

When we celebrate Palm Sunday on Sunday our palm branches are signs of suffering that overcame evil and of victory over death proclaimed by the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.

Wave your palms! Remember their call to you: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord. He is indeed the Prince of Peace. Can’t you see that he brings peace? Look! The Lord of the universe rides on a donkey!

May the peace of God almighty be and remain with you forevermore!