Good News - A Better World Awaits
Mark 11:1-11
It seems like ages ago since we celebrated this church’s 150th anniversary back in September of last year. In reality, it was just a bit over 7 months ago that we gathered to celebrate the sesquicentennial of Christ’s ministry here. When we first began planning the celebration many months prior, the folks on the planning team all thought we should have some float in the 4th of July parade, and I agreed. This was an opportunity to share our message of faith with the community and to let them know we were a welcoming church with open hands, hearts, minds, and tables.
The float concept took a couple of months of planning.
We struggled with what message to proclaim on the float, wanting the crowd of around 20,000 visitors to know we were celebrating our nation’s birthday, but more importantly, doing the work Christ calls us to, and connecting with our surrounding community. After a couple of meetings, we settled on “150 years serving Christ in Community.” Our message was simple- doing the work of Jesus in our surrounding community.
We worked at length with church member and artist Adelle Hiles on a float design. In time, we realized we needed to borrow or rent a flatbed trailer, as the float's concept wouldn’t fit in a pickup truck. So, we borrowed a small trailer from Sharon Laskos' family business. After purchasing PVC pipes, some hardware to anchor everything to the flatbed, getting large prints of the posters Adelle made, and blowing up a LOT of red, white, and blue balloons, we were ready to assemble the float. We all gathered on July 3, and thanks to some genius “Mac Gyver-like” work by Michael Morris and other volunteers, we put it all together.
This morning, it was also about a parade with a message to proclaim. At first glance, it may seem like not much planning went into it. Jesus asks two disciples to borrow a colt to ride into the Holy City. Cloaks are placed on the colt, making it a hastily decorated float for the parade. It then seems that the crowds spontaneously throw garments on the road and shout Hosanna.
But initial looks can be deceiving. There are several hidden messages in this scene, all leading to one greater message. Maybe Jesus and the disciples met for a couple of months to plan things out before this parade, too?
Part of that message was based on expectations of a King who was coming to proclaim a kingdom. Two passages in Zechariah contain prophecies of the coming Messiah. First, Zechariah 9:9 says, “Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem, Lo, your king comes to you riding on the colt of a donkey.” Then, in Zechariah 14:4, we learn that the Messiah, when he comes on that day, “his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives.” A third portion of Hebrew scripture from Malachi also prophecies about the coming King: “Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me. The Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in, behold, he is coming, says God.” Or, as G. F Handel put it in the Messiah- sing Messiah.
There is more hidden messaging in this scene. In 2 Kings 9:13, when Jehu is crowned King of Israel, those who had gathered for his coronation threw their garments on the road for his procession. The words from the crowd are from Psalm 118:25-27, “God, save us! Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!” Then in verse 27, the crowds are told to “cover the festal procession with branches.” The crowds picked up on all the symbolism. The messaging was clear. Jesus is the new King, the Messiah from David’s line, anointed by God.
The arrival of the Messiah was the beginning of the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth- of a vision of the earth as God intends it to be “on earth as it is in heaven.” 19th Century Theologian and American Baptist pastor Walter Rauschenbusch wrote, “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming the life on earth into the harmony of heaven.” That transformation began on the Mount of Olives as Jesus entered the Holy City. It continues in every small act of mercy, love, justice, and sacrifice.
That Kingdom will be fully established upon his return. I often say at the conclusion of a prayer, “We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who was, and is, and is to come, Amen.” This prayer ending reminds me that Jesus was on the earth, is with us now in spirit, and will return one day.
A poster proclaiming a message wasn’t needed for this float of Jesus riding a young donkey with colorful clothing on top of it. The message was clear. This parade by Jesus was meant to proclaim the arrival of the Messiah in Jerusalem and the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. But it wasn’t the only parade in the Holy city that day, and it too had a very specific, contrasting message.
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is set at the beginning of Passover, when God’s people celebrated their deliverance from Egyptian oppression. They gathered as well to pray that God would deliver them once again, this time from Roman oppression. And much like the crowds in Ashland on the 4th of July, Jerusalem was also a hot spot for crowds to gather during Passover. The city’s population during Passover was estimated to swell from 40,000 to over 200,000 people. 1st Century Roman historian Josephus described the scene in Jerusalem at Passover as follows. “It is their custom to slaughter a greater number of sacrifices at this festival than at any other, and an innumerable multitude of people come down from the country and even from abroad to worship God.”
Because of the significance of this festival and the gathering of huge crowds, Rome had a parade of their own at the beginning of Passover. Roman governor Pontius Pilate spent most of his time at his beach house on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. However, once Passover was on the calendar, Pilate moved his headquarters to Jerusalem and put together a parade. It was time to put on a display of force, to deter any potential protests against Roman rule during this festival. Pilate would lead the processional through the city streets, riding a warhorse. Behind him were hundreds of cavalrymen on horseback, brigades of soldiers in helmets and armor with shields, spears, carrying poles with golden eagles and banners declaring Pax Romana- Peace through strength. This display of military might also reminded the crowds that additional garrisons of troops were nearby in case needed.
Does peace come through strength? It certainly kept the crowds hostile to Roman rule in check until the great revolt of 66-73 AD, known as the “War of Destruction.”
What about today? Does military might bring peace? That has not been the case in Ukraine, nor in the Middle East, which seems to have been at war with itself since the establishment of Israel after WWII.
I am reminded of a psalm I think of every time a war breaks out somewhere in our world, Psalm 33:17. “The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its might it cannot save.” God brought Jesus into the world to bring an alternative message, to save us through love, and call us to mercy.
This King, this Messiah has a message of sacrifice and mercy, one of humility as he rides on a colt. He is the Prince of Peace, seeking to bring about peace in the world. He places the lives of others before his own out of great love. The coming kingdom is one where on earth is as it is in heaven. There is lasting peace, justice, mercy, and love for God, neighbor, and self that lead us.
There could not be a greater contrast between two parades with two very opposing messages.
Professor at Waterloo Lutheran seminary, Rev. Dawn Hutchings, in looking at this passage, says, “We have a Jesus who offers a choice between two parades. The attraction of the power and the might of Pilate’s military parade, with all its glory and wonder, is still there to tempt us. The temptation to use force and violence, military might, shock and awe, is still marching its way into the hearts and minds of so many people.” That temptation is on full display right now.
According to The Guardian.com, more than 200 U.S. Troops sent complaints up the chain of command that their commanders were invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about biblical “end times” to justify involvement in the Iran war to troops, according to complaints made to a watchdog group. One non-commissioned officer reported that their commander had “urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ”.
I would like to state the obvious. Wouldn’t actually DOING the things Christ tells us to do be more likely to spur Christ’s return than starting a bloody war? (See Matthew 5-7 for reference, or Matthew 25:31-46) If we spent 1 days’ worth of what the war in the Middle East is costing American taxpayers, we could house, feed, and help a lot of people. Why can’t our government focus on doing those things to entice the return of the Messiah?
Unfortunately, for many people in the world, it is easier to believe in military power than in some far-off, peaceful pie-in-the-sky kingdom that will be fully established on some unknown day. How can we have faith in a Messiah riding on a donkey, with no army, no military display meant to cull the masses? How can we believe in this alternative parade?
Jesus may not be the Messiah we expect- one who died on a cross, but he is the Messiah we need right now- one who calls us to sacrificial love, who cares for the impoverished, who demonstrates great love, and works for God’s just and coming Kingdom.
Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We hope for a world that looks more like heaven than the hell we see now. Through each act of love, mercy, and justice, we show evidence of what is yet to come. That is why we build homes with Habitat for Humanity, why we help others in need through our Deacons fund, and why we have a Safe Parking program. So, we work for what we hope for and give evidence of the coming kingdom through these and other acts of faith. Friends, the Good News for us today is this- A Better World Awaits. Let’s work through the Spirit of Christ to bring it to fruition! 20th Century German Theologian Jürgen Moltmann wrote, “The more seriously we take the future promise of God’s kingdom, the more unbearable will be the contradictions of that promise which we meet in the present.” May we take that future promise seriously, and work to bring glimpses of it today. Amen.
