Where In The Crowd?
Mark 11:1-11
When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
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It never ceases to amaze me that the people who shouted loud hosannas and laid their cloaks and palm branches before Jesus would be part of the same crowd who days later would cry out, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" The thought I always come back to is that the people never fully understood Jesus' teachings. They heard the "nice parts'' of Jesus' sermons and witnessed his miraculous acts, but once the "aha" moment hit, they became terrified. Jesus wasn't the militaristic savior who would re-establish the status quo; Jesus was a troublemaker. Jesus wasn't going to let the same oppressive systems run rampant: oppressing women, people from other countries, orphans, the poor, etc. Jesus was riding into Jerusalem to say that things had to change no matter how uncomfortable it was for those in only knew power and privilege. And that is what terrified the crowd. We know what Jesus came to do, heal souls, bodies, and draw our attention to the places we have long neglected. Knowing that, would we still spread out our cloaks and shout loud hosannas?
The good news of Jesus Christ is good news to the countless individuals throughout history who we have neglected, silenced, taken advantage of, or pushed to the fringes of our communities. For those individuals then and now, the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem is a moment to behold. If we can take a moment to place ourselves in their footsteps, imagine what it would be like to see the one who went out his way to heal, comfort, and bring justice for all those who society forgot or didn't care to acknowledge. Our shouts of loud hosanna would be pure, authentic, and honest reflections of our anticipation of the Messiah who would rule not with a sword but with a heart of compassion. For those who were not excluded or neglected, they too were filled with hope at first, until they began to understand that Jesus would ask them to make sacrifices for the wellbeing of their neighbors. That plea for personal and corporate sacrifice is what turned a roaring crowd filled with mostly "haves" into a raging mob who didn't want to give up one ounce of privilege to help the people Jesus cared about during his ministry. They thought Jesus only came for them.
What does it look like for us to be part of the crowd that genuinely cheering at Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem? What would it look like for us to utilize our talents, resources, spiritual gifts, and energies in ways that are kin-dom building? We might not fall into any one of the marginalized groups who eagerly welcomed Jesus; however, we might become more compassionate and empathetic disciples, more loving disciples, more passionate disciples. We could even become disciples who are willing to join Jesus in carrying a cross for the sake of selfless love. For us to participate with them, those on the margins, in laying down palm branches and our cloaks is when we have truly heard and reacted to the gospel message, the good news. That's what differentiates Jesus from all the other rulers who rode through the streets of Jerusalem. Jesus was not concerned with his power and status. Instead, Jesus challenged those who followed him, us, to imagine that ways that our lives together may be enriching and a blessing to our neighbors. Modeling the outpouring of Christ's love, we'll find that when we lift up those in our communities, our hearts will be lifted up as well.