The Triumphal, Prophetic Entry
Shouldn't it be different? Jesus' entry into Jerusalem feels makeshift, like when children put on Christmas pageants and raid the dress up closet to become the characters in the play: A donkey will do instead of a horse, and we don't have a red carpet to roll out so the cloaks off of our backs will work, and hey, let's use these branches to wave in our parade. It all seems not quite right, as though the props distract us from ceremony of a king's triumph.
But the paradox of Jesus' triumphal entry is that it is exactly right. The slapdash cobbling-together of this procession looks hasty because it is. It's time to get on with the show! Jesus' ministry has led him here, to Bethphage, and being just east of the city right before Passover means it's time for a bit of holy performance art. Now that we're here, it's time to get moving! Go, disciples, go! If you know, you know about the donkey: it's time for Scripture to be fulfilled (Zechariah 9:9). We need crowds to mark the way forward—what kind of king gets the royal discarded clothing treatment? The prophet-king, headed toward the temple to shake things up, that's who! Hosanna in the highest heaven! It all seems not quite right, knowing what's going to happen, shouting our hosannas, making our way to a city in turmoil. But the paradox of Jesus' prophetic entry is that it is exactly right.
God in heaven, we celebrate and rejoice in the triumph of Jesus even when it doesn't look like what we expect, and yet makes sense that we are caught off guard by Your word and Your way. Grant us the courage to praise You for Your will, energized by Your Spirit. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.