April 5, 2009

“Palm Sunday Paradox” – Mark 11:1-11 – April 5, 2009

In January we witnessed the Inauguration of President Obama. It was an all-day, extraordinary event complete with a parade that lasted several hours. There were dinners, speeches, farewells, balls and all kinds of hoopla to begin the new presidency. The event wasn’t unlike the coronation of a king in biblical times. Parades were customary then too, only they didn’t have college bands and floats. In those days the new king entered the city riding on a donkey or mule.

In I Kings 1:32-34 King Solomon made his entry on a mule. On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode on a donkey. Both animals can carry the weight of a human on their backs. They also are very patient animals. They can endure for long periods of times and they are very sure-footed. They actually have all the strength and vigor of a horse.

Donkeys appear to be quite intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful, and eager to learn. They are often pastured or stabled with horses and ponies, and are thought to have a calming effect on nervous horses. If a donkey is introduced to a mare and foal the foal will often turn to the donkey for support after it has been weaned from its mother.

Like the donkey, Jesus too had a calming affect upon people. He wasn’t a powerful presence in the sense that he was a mighty warrior. He was powerful in the sense that he stood for faith, hope, love and assurance.

A president governs, concerns his/herself with economics, military conflicts, creates polices for the welfare of the people, etc. Jesus had a different mission. He came to forgive, to model love and compassion and pointed the way toward God.

The Palm Sunday parade was a symbol of the assurance of God. The people were oppressed by the Romans and the religious leaders of their day. Consequently they had a sense of hopelessness. They wanted a political leader, a king, who would save them so they cried, “hosannah” which means save now. What they didn’t understand was that Jesus would provide salvation but one that would lead to eternal life.

One time there were two privates who were participating in a war game. Private Sollie and private Bearshield of the Fifteenth Infantry were ordered to make their way to a bridge and stand guard until they were relieved. The two faithful soldiers guarded the bridge for three days. They had no food or blankets. But, they had been guarding the wrong bridge. They had lost their way and taken their battle stations at a bridge seven miles from the one they were supposed to guard. You might think that they were reprimanded for making such a mistake. On the contrary, they were given military honors for guarding their position with such faithfulness.

That is the kind of leader that Jesus was. He is not concerned with whether or not we are successful. He wants us to be faithful.

It’s no accident that Jesus selected a donkey to make his entry into the city of Jerusalem. Just as the donkey carried him, he carries us. Think of it in this way; all that guilt, rejection and sadness that you carry is carried on the shoulders of Jesus.

We live in a society that teaches us to take care of ourselves. We strive for independence. Few people I know ask for help with their burdens. They are either embarrassed that they can’t mange some problem on their own or too proud to ask for help.

When I enrolled in seminary I soon discovered that I could not be a student and a manager of a distribution center of medical supplies at the same time. I would have to leave my job and find some alternative source of income. Most denominations offer students a student pastorate which provides a place to live and enough income to provide for one’s family. I was having difficulty finding such a position. The only place I could find was hundreds of miles away and in the middle of nowhere. I turned it down, because it was too far from the school that I wanted to attend. I was new to the ways of church politics and when I turned down the offer a district superintendent black balled me from the list of available candidates. I didn’t know it at the time but discovered that later.

My pastor arranged a meeting with his district superintendant and the first thing his said was, “Why didn’t you come to me sooner?” Like I said, I was new to the system and I wasn’t aware that he could help. Within a few days I was appointed to a three-point charge, 45 minutes from the seminary that I was enrolled. Thankfully, my minister had led me to someone who could help. All I can remember was that a huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. On day I was a manager in the business world, baring the burdens of corporate management. The next day I was a pastor, baring the burdens of three congregations.

When I picture Jesus riding the donkey I feel that he is carrying my burdens. Every time I have experienced rejection I have received his assurance. Every time I made a mistake, I received his forgiveness. In my ministry I have learned that it is not realistic for the Church to solve all the world’s problems. We can protest and strive to make changes and some we do. I believe that the Church’s primary mission is to help us carry our burdens.

Jesus is also patient with us. He knows that we often procrastinate when important decisions need to be made. He knows we are slow to change behavior that is detrimental to our well-being. He didn’t arrive into Jerusalem on a high-speed train. He arrived on a slow-stepping donkey.

No doubt people will get increasingly impatient with the president over the growing unemployment rate and a speedy turnaround in the economy. We also get impatient with God. We don’t like to wait. We get frustrated when God does not answer our prayers or fix our problems.

Those who waived their palms as Jesus passed by expected him to rescue them from all their troubles. However, the festive parade did not last long. After entering Jerusalem Jesus arrived at the temple. There was no warm welcome or reception committee to greet him. “Jesus looked around at everything, then left and went back to Bethany.” Without fanfare he quietly returned to the countryside. For a little while Jesus made himself highly visible. No doubt the multitude left the parade disappointed. Nothing changed. The religious leaders and the Romans were still in charge.

God was with them but they didn’t fully understand His presence. I can just hear their conversations. “How could Jesus let us down?” “Why didn’t he overtake our oppressors and rule the city?” “Didn’t he hear our Hosannahs?”

They would have to wait. God acts, but God acts in God’s time, not ours. The next few days Jesus would encounter the chief priests and Pilate, the Roman governor. He would be tried and executed because he was a peaceful servant of God. All the while he continued to teach and comfort the disciples, assuring them that these things had to take place. Suffering was inevitable. Nevertheless, he would rise from the dead and live victorious. Only those who believed in the resurrection would understand. The one who came to forgive, the one who came to carry our burdens and the one who came to love us would ultimately rule. “Hosannah! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio

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