Luke 19:35-38: Then they
brought the donkey to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt,
they set Jesus on it. As
he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As
he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole
multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice
for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
“Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the
highest heaven!”
This is a strange Palm Sunday indeed. No processions, no fanfares, no palm
branches, no gathering of the faithful because of social distancing firmly
in place.
But we still celebrate Jesus' triumphant entry in our hearts, we still
affirm the arrival of the King of Kings as he humbly rode into Jerusalem on
a donkey. We welcome Jesus into our lives as the One who was elevated by God
to be our savior and leader.
As I was pondering the meaning of Scripture Reading from Luke 19, I was
wondering what exactly was the significance of Jesus riding into Jerusalem
on a donkey. And I was asking myself, what does that compare to today? In
other words: "What would Jesus drive today?"
Would he
be driving in on a Volkswagen Peace Bus? Or would he use public
transportation? Californians probably have their money on a Prius as an
environmentally friendly hybrid. College students would suggest Jesus rode
in on a bicycle or a skateboard.
Honda
lovers have long claimed that Jesus would drive a Honda Accord since Jesus
once said in John 12:49a: "For I did not speak of my own accord." What do
you think Jesus would drive?
The
bottom line is, Jesus could have rode into Jerusalem in style, on a horse or
in a chariot, but he chose to ride in on an animal that signified peace. It
was during war times that ancient Kings rode in on horses. So, even in his
triumphant entry, Jesus did not lord it over the people, but he came
offering peace and love as he always did. The Palm Sunday message is clear:
Come celebrate the grace of God who comes among us with humble heart and a
welcoming gesture. God's reign is one of peace and love and that is
something to truly celebrate. (So, my bet is that Jesus would ride in on a
bicycle, the environmentally friendly means of transportation that is
affordable even to the poor!
