Palm Sunday

Ride on, King Jesus!
A narrative reflection from the perspective of a resident of Jerusalem.
The Rev. Rachael Gregory

​Electricity danced across the air above the clouds…
Who is it?  Could it be?
 
Finally, after all these years… after all our prayers…
The constant darkness, oppression, abuse, imprisonment, death….
For so long, we’ve seen nothing, felt nothing…
How long have we cried??
” The Lord our God is dead! He has abandoned us! He hates us!”
 
The air… our lives have been stale and stagnant. 
 Can’t…breathe…   Can’t put one foot in front of the other.
Don’t dare look up… don’t dare desire…
don’t dare hope… for this life, for this “kingdom” to be overthrown.
 
And yet…There’s been some excitement around here lately!
This man, Jesus, Son of Joseph, from Nazareth of all places!
He’s been doing some pretty outlandish, unheard of things.
Things are happening around him.
 
Food – TONS of food where there had been none!
The Crazy man is now SANE!  We don’t have to be afraid of him anymore.
The lame are walking! The blind are seeing!
The morbidly ill…even the dead… are alive and well!
It’s like AT HIS WORD, the bondage of sin falls away and people are made free!
 
All that has been happening out there beyond the city gates…and today...TODAY... 
He’s coming here!
 
Murmur, Murmur, Murmur…Rumble, Rumble, Rumble…The news is flying like wildfire!
 
He’s riding into the city! (of course, on a golden chariot)??
NO…. on a baby donkey.
 
A DONKEY!
 
It doesn’t matter.  People are running to greet and cheer him on anyway!
They are waving palm branches like they are golden royal fans.
Singing…Cheering…Dancing…Welcoming…
 
Hope and joy are rising in torments and floods
 
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Glory in the Highest!!”
 
If his word has changed the very world…. Changed people’s individual lives all around us...
How much more will he bring change inside the city gates –Inside the temple walls – to this “kingdom”!
Hypocrisy and bondage will be TOAST before day’s end! 
 
Hosannah!!  Hosannah!!
Ride on, King Jesus!!   Show them who is boss!
We will all join the parade, and drag our friends with us!
 
The tension, the excitement is building to fever pitch…
 
Surely, Jesus will proclaim his kingship and authority in just a few moments!
The current kingdom will be overthrown, and HIS Kingdom will be established!
 
Ride on, King Jesus!!  Into the center of the city!
We are all behind you…We all stand with you.
GO…LET’S GO!!
 
Suddenly, the parade stopped. 
It’s TIME…. VICTORY will be proclaimed at any second!
…..Watch…..see…
Jesus dismounted from the donkey…
But instead of making THE PROCLAMATION— instead of OVERTHROWING the current kingdom,
He silently walked through the temple.
He turned around, and quietly returned thru the city gates back to Bethany….on foot.
NO Proclamation….. NO Battle…NO Victory….
 
Ride on, King Jesus!?
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!?
Hosannah in the Highest!?
 
What happened?
WHAT A FARCE!!!!

Jesus’s face was fixed even harder towards Jerusalem…
To riding on… to proclaiming victory…
To changing the world forever.
It would just be a different kind of battle,
An unexpected path to victory.
One that made absolutely no sense to human understanding.
 
Ride on, King Jesus!
To Gethsemane, the cross, the grave, to Hell itself!
Seize the victory – the Kingdom of God as your own!
Ride on, Ride on, King Jesus!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosannah in the highest!