The Jesus Parade

Mark 11:1-11

April 9, 2017

Mark S. Bollwinkel

Why do we call Jesus "King"?   We sing it in our hymns.  We find it in our scriptures.

When the Magi come to the manger scene in Bethlehem they are searching for "the new born king of Israel" (Matthew 2:2).  When he dies on the cross they hang a sign above his head saying in three languages so all could understand "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (John 19:19).   At Caesarea Philippi Peter calls him "messiah" which means "king" (Mark 8:29).  When translated into Greek, the language of the written scriptures, it comes out as "Christ".   “Jesus Christ” literally means Jesus the King.

There are few kings left today.  We look at royalty as remnants of a quaint past, objects of our personality cults.  The notion of divine authority handed down by inheritance was swept away during the American and French revolutions hundreds of years ago.  Democracy continues to spread throughout the world based on the principal that governing authority resides in the people not in despots with lots of guns.

Today on Palm Sunday we remember when Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts of 'hosannas' to the king.   The donkey, the cloaks on the ground, even the palm branches were all Hebrew symbols fit for a king.

What does that mean for us?   We elect presidents.  We don't have kings.

The triumphal entry of Jesus and his disciples into Jerusalem mark the beginning of his last week of earthly life.

Historians suggest that in first century Palestine it was the tradition of the Roman Governor during Passover week to leave his palace on the coast and come into Jerusalem with a legion of troops to keep the peace.  Passover was the most important celebration in the Hebrew calendar and Israel longed for freedom from the oppression of the Roman occupation.  Nationalistic passions went hand-in-hand with the religious observance.  Grassroots insurrections broke out with some regularity all over the Empire and especially in Palestine.   Later in the story of this last week we will find Jesus' life held up against the life of Barabbas a Zealot who had killed a Roman soldier in just such an uprising.

Pontus Pilate would have come up the coast road and entered the city by the north gate.  He would have been at the head of a huge parade of armed soldiers with banners, flags, battle horses and signs of the power and terror of the state.  Trumpets and drums would have blared.   It was a clear reminder of who was in charge, who was in control.

It is not unthinkable to imagine that on the same day or maybe even at the same time, Jesus came in on the Bethany/Jericho road gate, on a borrowed colt as was prophesied by Zechariah (9:9).  When the people threw down their cloaks and palm branches, calling Jesus “Lord” and “son of David”, they were suggesting that Jesus was the long-awaited messiah of Israel or its new king.  In Luke’s version of the story, Pharisees warn the crowd about saying such things out loud and Jesus replies, “if these people were silent the stones would shout out.” (19:40). It was a clear reminder of who was in charge, who was in control.

In his book, Sacred and Profane (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1987) Mircea Eliade, a philosopher of comparative religion, describes the sacred significance of doorways and gates.   Whether in a home, a temple or a city, doorways and gates have been decorated with religious sign and symbol since the beginning of history, in all cultures.  These portals divide space between the sacred safety of "home" and the dangers of the outside world.   This was and is especially true of Jerusalem where every gate into the city has its own name, its own traditions and importance.

For the people of the gospel story we will know whose side they are on in just a few days.   Jesus dies on a Roman cross.   How about for us readers today?   Where in lies our hope?  To which kingdom do we owe allegiance?

As Jesus and Pilate enter their respective gates at the beginning of Passover the contrast between two different views of power, two different views of the future, couldn't be clearer.   And the people will have to choose that day into whose power and future they will invest their hope.

As he begins his ministry Jesus proclaims, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the good news."  (Mark 1:15)   In the gospel of Luke Jesus says, "...the kingdom of God is within you..." (Luke 17:21) In his interrogation by Pontius Pilate in the gospel of John shortly before his death Jesus is asked if he is indeed "the king of the Jews" to which he answers, "My kingdom is not of this world."  (John 18:33-37)

Scholars suggest that the promised future of God as outlined in Hebrew Scriptures is a "realized eschatology" (Raymond Brown, et al) in the life of the believer.  In other words, we don't have to wait until the end of the world to start living hope filled lives in this one.   The spirit of God's intention for love, peace and justice to reign in the world lives in the heart and lives of those who follow Jesus as disciples.  We live in the present as if God's future were now.  That is one reason why Christian disciples are so committed to acts of love, peace and justice in this life.  Not to earn our way into heaven, but to live even if imperfectly in its spirit right now.

Bob Dylan sings in his song "Gotta Serve Somebody" (1979):

You may be a construction worker working on a home

You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome

You might own guns and you might even own tanks

You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody

Well, it might be the devil or it might be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Well, Ila served the Lord.

I buried "Ila" a few years ago at a memorial service near Fresno.   As a young woman, she was abandoned by an angry drunk of a husband.    She insisted that if possible her married name never be used.   Without formal education, she began working as a cook at a local elementary school.  By the age of 65 she retired as the head of food services for the public education system of Arizona.

When I left her church as its pastor in 1995 she made me promise to come back to do her funeral.  We had become dear friends as we worked together in ministry.  Ila died at the age of 98, surrounded by her loving family.

She took meals to those sick in the congregation.  She headed up our prayer teams.  She baked and sold pies each Sunday to raise funds to build a Christian education building for our growing church.   She organized fund raising dinners for hundreds of people.   When we expanded our worship services to include guitar singing and hand clapping she was the first one to support the change.  When we opened our facilities for Korean and Mong congregations to join us, she championed the possibilities, and in Clovis that had definite political and social consequences.

Ila was a force of nature and a deeply committed Christian.  Her memorial service was a celebration of a life well lived.   And a celebration of one who served the Lord.  For Ila Jesus was "King".  She was a member of the Jesus parade.

When we join a United Methodist church we make a vow to support it with “Our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness”.  That means:

-we show up for Sunday worship when in town

-we pray for the congregation's care, our community and the world

-we make a commitment to learn more about our faith

-to participate in small group experiences

-to participate in hands-on mission projects to serve the community or the world

-to dedicate and give a proportion of our annual income to the work of God through the church.

Six simple expectations that can be lived out at your own definition and time.  No one checks on you, no one is keeping track.  We just know that for those who make such a commitment to join the Jesus parade will grow closer to God and to each other.

Does that make us spirituality superior to someone else?  No way!  It’s just puts us on the road to discover what it means to "serve the Lord"; to make days like Palm Sunday more than an annual ritual.

To call Jesus "King" is to suggest that God's promises of love, peace and justice rule our hearts and frame our living.

As on the first Palm Sunday as two parades entered Jerusalem describing the choice between two very different kingdoms, each and every moment we are offered a variety of paths to follow.  Joining the Jesus' parade can make all the difference in the world.

It certainly has for me.

Amen.