Friday, April 03, 2009

Friday, April 3, 2009

Today’s text

Mark 11:7-11


Then they took the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on its back, and he mounted it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others greenery which they had cut in the fields. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others greenery which they had cut in the fields. And those who went in front and those who followed were all shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of David our father! Hosanna in the highest heavens!' He entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple; and when he had surveyed it all, as it was late by now, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Reflection

I want to linger here … and not go forward for a good while, for I know what comes next. A promising and happy entry into the city will not be well received by those whose control and privilege is threatened by you, Jesus.

Leaders who depend upon Roman largess for their comfort will not want an up-country prophet to blow into town and upset the tenuous order that allows them to live in anxious peace with occupiers from far away Rome.

They want things quiet so those legions don’t get twitchy and start sharpening their swords and swinging at things.

And your approach is politically dangerous, Jesus, regardless the humble donkey on which you ride and the peaceful greenery they wave at your entry into Jerusalem.

For the rabble crowd acclaims you son of David, a warrior king, who made the land safe from foreign occupiers, chasing out would be conquerors.

And it’s true: You come to upset the status quo. Anyone who comes in the Lord’s name is not utterly peaceful in intent.

To arrive in the Lord’s name means other lords get nervous. They begin talking to their troops about the necessity of breaking a few heads as a deterrent against forces that are a threat to the state, i.e. to them.

And you are a threat, Jesus. You are a threat to all the lords who pretend their power must be honored and their decisions must be followed. You are a threat to all the lords who rule the nations and our souls.

For you undermine the finality of their authority in the name of the One who is Lord and God. You reveal the way of the one Lord and call all others into question, insisting that we serve that One alone.

This is all quite upsetting, since we like some of the lords we serve instead of you. So we understand why your enemies opposed you and wanted to kill you.

But you remained true to the one Lord, whose rule is so different from those who muster swords to discourage or destroy perceived threats. You come humbly to bring the peace of God to the heart of our darkness that we may unlearn our anxious, warring ways.

So come, Lord Jesus. Let us see where you way leads. And though it leads to the cross, may we, as you, love the world, friend and enemy that your kingdom may come.

Pr. David L. Miller

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