The Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ… Today we celebrate the triumphal entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into the city of Jerusalem. At this time, His fame among the common people was at its height – having recently just performed the astonishing miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. All of Jerusalem comes out to greet our Lord, expecting that they are greeting the entry of their new king who will free them from the oppression of the Romans and who will be seated upon the throne in Jerusalem as their Messiah and Deliverer. He is everything they have waited for, for so long…

And yet, hints of something else are already evident here… For Christ does not come entering into Jerusalem upon a mighty white steed. Instead, he enters riding upon a simple and humble donkey as was prophesied by Zacharias who wrote: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Proclaim it aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you: He is righteous and saving; He is gentle and mounted upon a donkey, even a young foal.’

Today the people shout with jubilation ‘Hosanna, glory to God in the highest!’ The cry of ‘Hosanna’ means ‘Save us!’ They shouted this cry in hopes that Christ would save them from their worldly woes. But nothing so embitters a person as disappointed hope. Their hopes were for an earthly king, for the overthrow of their oppressors, for the establishment of their earthly kingdom. And this is why, as we move forward into the events of Holy Week, we will hear these same voices shouting ‘Crucify Him!’

Christ knows full well what is to come. Elsewhere in the Gospels we hear Him lament: ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!’

And yet, knowing all this… knowing how the people misunderstand Him; knowing how their hopes extend no further than their comforts and wishes for this earthly life; for power and prestige; knowing that in just a few days time, these same voices of enthusiasm and love will turn against Him and shout for His crucifixion. Knowing all this, He still deigns to ride into their midst on the colt of a donkey. He enters into Jerusalem in such humility, knowing what fate awaits Him in just one week’s time. He does so because He knows the deeper and richer meaning of what it means to save these people… and what it means for our salvation as well.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not look upon today’s events as spectators. These Gospel scenes are given to us as a mirror into our own souls. The fickle enthusiasm and betrayal of the crowd is an image of what we may experience here in Church each week.

Do we come to church on Sunday shouting ‘Hosanna, glory to God in the highest!’ Joyful that we may receive absolution from our sins and grateful that we may welcome Christ into our bodies with His precious Body and Blood? This is indeed a glorious occasion and worthy of our utmost gratitude and praise for God.

But, my dear ones, let us reflect on what it is we expect from God. Do we resemble the children of Israel who became so disappointed when Christ did not ascend that earthly throne? Are we disappointed in God when we suffer hardships, when God does not seem to answer our prayers, when our expectations of God are not met? Do we have this celebratory spirit when we gather in the Lord’s House on Sunday… only to find ourselves grumbling at God as the week progresses and things do not go our way?

Have we lost sight of what the salvation of Christ is all about?

As we move forward this week into the terrible events of the betrayal of Christ, of His arrest, of His interrogations and beatings, and of His humiliating death upon a cross… let us be keenly aware of what all of this is about. The most succinct definition of what the sufferings and death and resurrection of Christ are all about comes to us from St Gregory the Theologian who writes: ‘That which is not assumed (or taken upon oneself) is not healed.’

Christ assumed (or took upon Himself) our humanity in order that the defects and the sins of our humanity might be healed. He took upon Himself the betrayal, the loneliness, the sufferings, indeed He even took upon Himself death. All this was assumed by Him in His humanity. And yet, while fully man, He was also fully God… and so by His divinity He overcame all suffering, and He defeated death by His death – bursting forth from the tomb in His glorious Resurrection.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not be like the ignorant children of Israel who misunderstand the salvation of Christ, who misunderstand the kingdom which is not of this world. Let us rejoice today as we see our King entering into the Holy City… but may our rejoicing be done with knowledge and gratitude, recognizing Who it is Who is entering in such humility. Recognizing the victory which He will be accomplishing as we are with Him during Holy Week.

God did not come to us to be our wishing well or to make our lives more comfortable… He came to us to experience and to heal the depths and breadths of our human experience. He extends His hand to us that we might unite ourselves to Him, and so doing, unite ourselves to His triumphant victory! Let us recognize the true meaning of Christ’s salvation and then we can sing with heartfelt gratitude: ‘Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!’