From my book A Most Amazing Man (Year B), also found in the non-Lectionary version A Man Like No Other 3, a meditation on the theme of Palm Sunday.
Introduction
There’s a curious paradox about Holy Week. It starts in celebration, recalling the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and ends solemnly, even mournfully, with the remembrance of his suffering and death. Yet the joyful mood of that first Palm Sunday turned out to be a false dawn, the welcome Jesus received from the crowd proving more apparent than real, swift to dissipate once expectations were not met, whereas apparent defeat on the cross proved in reality the greatest of victories, a death that brings life to all. What did the apostles make of the palm-waving multitude? Were they carried along by the euphoria of the moment, or were they already starting to look deeper?
Read
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!’ John 12:12, 13
Meditation of Simon the zealot
I think they’ve got it,
finally understood who Jesus is,
for look at the welcome they’re giving him:
the joy in their faces,
laughter in their eyes.
They’re tearing down palm branches in their excitement,
shouting themselves hoarse:
‘Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’
They surely realise at last that he’s the Messiah,
the one sent by God to redeem his people.
Or do they?
For what is it they’re calling him now:
the King of Israel.
That would have been music to my ears not so long ago,
for it’s what I longed to see:
a ruler coming to drive out the Romans,
to restore our earthly fortunes,
to establish a new era of plenty and prosperity –
with our people at the centre –
and God’s kingdom here on earth.
But having walked and talked with Jesus,
having heard his message and seen the difference he alone can bring,
I realise now that what we need is a change
not to the regime or system,
but to people’s lives,
to who and what we are.
That’s where he wants to reign:
in human hearts rather than on an earthly throne.
Have they understood that?
Have any of us?
They’re welcoming him with open arms,
proclaiming their devotion,
but if he fails to deliver what they want
will their commitment hold,
their allegiance stay true?
Will they still salute him as king if his kingdom’s not of this world?
Time, I suppose, will tell.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
teach us what it means to honour you,
to enthrone you in our lives.
Help us to understand that true commitment involves more than
declaring our loyalty,
however sincere that may be;
more than homage offered with our lips,
however eloquent it may sound.
Teach us to acclaim you from the heart
with lives consecrated to your service,
seeking your will and walking your way,
so that we may truly acknowledge you as Lord
and work meaningfully for the growth of your kingdom,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.