How Did We Get Here?
Reflection on Palm Sunday by Deacon Tom
Today, Jesus rides a colt into Jerusalem to the acclaim of the crowds. How did we get to this point?
In the Old Testament, the people demand the prophet Samuel appoint for them a King – just like all the other surrounding peoples had kings. God told Samuel not to be saddened. The people were not rejecting the prophet. They were rejecting God as their King.
Before appointing a king, however, Samuel gives the people a warning.
He told them:
The governance of the king who will rule you will be as follows: He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot.
He will appoint from among them his commanders of thousands and of hundreds. He will make them do his plowing and harvesting and produce his weapons of war and chariotry.
He will use your daughters as perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his servants.
He will tithe your crops and grape harvests to give to his officials and his servants.
He will take your male and female slaves, as well as your best oxen and donkeys, and use them to do his work.
He will also tithe your flocks. As for you, you will become his slaves.
The people said they did not care; they wanted a king. Someone that they could see. A physical presence who would direct them. So, Samuel gave them a king and with only a few notable exceptions the people suffered under bad king after bad king.
Now Jesus rides triumphantly into Jerusalem. This is God reclaiming His Kingship. It is a time for celebration, even if we know what comes next.
But what comes next is proof that accepting Christ as the King is so very different than what human kings offer us. He does not enslave, He liberates. He does not compel, He invites. He does not impose, He serves. He does not take, He freely gives grace and mercy. He gave us His creation to sustain us and all who come after us if only we steward it wisely
He kneels down to wash the feet of His apostles and tells them they must do the same. Ultimately, He goes to the cross to open the way to heaven not only for the lost sheep of Israel, but for the whole world.
The true King seeks to serve His people. He wants to heal them, and He wants to rescue them. Even at the cost of His own life. The true King loves His people. Real love – not that sappy greeting card sentimentality that calls itself love. Real love is action – putting the other first, acting for their benefit.
That is why Jesus does not protest His treatment at the hands of Jewish leaders or the Romans. Instead, like the true King that He is, He prays for forgiveness for the soldiers who are nailing Him to the cross.
We often face the passion of our Lord with sadness, shame, and regret. We know that it is our sinfulness that caused Him to go the cross. He is trying to free us from slavery to our sins while we are busy chasing after those temptations and the false idols we create thinking that they will bring us happiness. We know that we are the ones still pining after that “human king” because we think that king will do things the way we want them done. We don’t care about others; we want our will to be done!
That sadness, shame, and regret about our sins is good – if it motivates us to change the direction of our lives. He knows that we won’t be able to completely change overnight. It takes time – and our view of the Crucifix helps us to maintain the intention to do better; to become the people He intended us to be.
Sadness, shame, and regret are good starts. But we should not remain there. We need to move on to recognizing the immense love Christ showed by going to the cross for us. As St. Paul tells us, He did this while we were still enemies. We were the ones who had rejected Him. And we continued to reject Him. Yet He does not treat us with justice – He does not give us what we deserve. Instead, He offers us mercy.
God has returned to claim His crown of Kingship. He has come to show His love for us. Rejoice in His love this Holy week.