Luke
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Introduction This passage comes from a section in Luke's gospel, 18:15-19:44, which further reveals the messiahship of Jesus and the response of both the crowds and the disciples to this self revelation, and so serves as a public unveiling of the long-awaited Son of David, the King of kings, Lord of Lords. Yet, this king is a rejected Messiah whose destiny is to enter glory through suffering and death.
The passage
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is an acted-out parable, a further self disclosure to the people of Israel. The symbolism of the event is clear enough to the disciples, as well as the Pharisees, but is veiled so as not to stir up the general populous, or the Roman authorities. Jesus' final and complete disclosure will come at his trial, 22:67-71.
The disciples rejoice at this public disclosure of their messiah as Jesus acts out Zechariah 9:9 and so reveals that he is the coming messiah. Therefore, the dawning of the kingdom of God, the final day, is upon them. On the other hand, the Pharisees react critically. The attitude of the religious elite has always been the same; they have rejected the prophets, accepting the comforting words of the false prophets of peace, and therefore, their rejection of the messiah is to be expected. So, Jesus does not come to Jerusalem to be crowned king, but rather to be rejected and ignored. Jerusalem is not due for a coronation, but rather a condemnation of the messiah. As the noise of the crowd dies away, Jesus weeps before the city whose doom is assured.
v28. Luke conveys the sense of Jesus' pressing toward Jerusalem, leading his disciples. Jesus "must" press on to his destiny.
v29-31. This incident is sometimes presented in a miraculous light, although the text is probably saying nothing more than Jesus has arranged the loan of the colt beforehand.
v32-34. Some argue that Luke is showing us that Jesus is a prophet; he can predict things that are true. This is probably a speculative conclusion, although it is interesting how this rather unspectacular incident is remembered by the disciples and included in the gospels.
v35-38. The disciples clearly understand the prophetic significance of this acted-out parable and so join in playing it out. They link Psalm 118:26 with Zechariah 9:9, and so acclaim the coming Messiah. For Luke, "peace" is "in heaven" and not for this age. For the present there is suffering and judgment.
v39. There is little doubt the Pharisees also understand something of the significance of the event and try to close it down.
v40. Whereas Jesus initially hid his messiahship, now, with the moment of glory close at hand (his crucifixion), the truth must be let out. To hold it in would result in even the stones declaring the secret.
v41-44. Unlike blind Bartimaeus who sees, the religious leaders of the day are blind to the full significance of the event. They turn their eyes away and condemn. The truth is hidden from them for they refuse to see (believe). Thus their end is assured.
The Rejected King
On Palm Sunday we think of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Here is the first event of a sequence of events leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection. We like to think of it as a triumphal event. Here is Jesus finally coming out in the open and showing everyone who he is. By acting out the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, and riding a colt into Jerusalem, Jesus openly claims to be the humble king who comes to save his people and rule over them for eternity. Yet, although he came to be crowned, he was crucified. No triumph here, only tragedy. His disciples welcomed him as king, but the religious authorities rejected him and the general population ignored him. The new age had dawned, the king had come in glory, but most were caught in the business of their daily routine to notice. It was left to a small group of religious radicals and a few compromised priests, to notice the king ride on toward pending doom.
It is no different today. Christ is ignored in the secular city. Western civilization staggers from one crisis to another. Economies move in ever diminishing circles of boom and bust. Financial crisis looms on the horizon. We look with fear at the pool of unemployed and wonder if we, or our children, will become one of the statistics. The sacred institution of the family is under threat. Once it was a source of meaning and security in our lives, but now it is going through great change and breakdown. We are told that 35% of children now live in blended families. Some 13% already live in single-parent families. We are retreating from the world. We are being overloaded by the horror of our world and so news reporting is increasingly becoming trivialized - the one line grab. We are withdrawing into the minimal self. No longer can we afford to moralize on issues; we feel that we can no longer afford the luxury of the ethics of an issue. Pragmatics is what matters; technology is what we esteem. Will it work? This is our question.
The gentle Nazarene looks on with tears for he sees our end. Quietly, while a people mourned the death of soulless fashion at Lady Di's funeral, Jesus slipped quietly from Westminster Abbey by a side door to the tune, Candle in the Wind. And no one noticed.
Discussion
Riding on to glory to claim his crown. In what sense does Christ come before us?
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