As It Way Already Late — Palm/Passion Sunday Reflections (Mark 11:1-11)
“Save us now! We want to make you King over us now!” is clearly the impression our text places upon us. The reason why Jesus waited to reveal his kingship, and kept the “messianic secret” for so long, only revealing it to his disciples and some who were healed by him, is directly associated with God’s timing of events. When God entered time it began to dictate even the events in the life of the incarnated creator. It’s amazing what a difference a week makes! For on Sunday we have our Lord being welcomed as the triumphant king of Israel, who had been long expected, and by Friday his crucifixion. We move from light to darkness in a matter of days. However, the light would not be extinguished forever!
Nothing has changed as we’ve entered the 21st century. Everyone in today’s world wants it all right now! People have become so impatient. With the introduction of technological advancements it would be easy to assume that so much time would be redeemed. But most people only speed up their lives and so demand that more get accomplished in the course of a day. This applies to the workplace and in our homes. Employees are rushed to get more work done because of the demands of supervisors. Even kids just have to have that new PSP or the hottest new item “right now.” Essentially, what may prove this logic best is the microwave, which has become the primary source for heating our food these days, unless we go to the nearest fast food restaurant. We simply want it “right now” without any inconvenience to us.
God doesn’t work that way. However, although God is outside of time, God created time and chooses to work in time, especially concerning God’s imminent relations with humanity. But God is patient and understands the need to reveal truths progressively. This is especially true in God’s covenant with Abraham and then when remembering the covenant made with the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. And this is also true concerning God’s revelation of Jesus Christ as the promised messiah sent to deliver the Jews, and indeed the whole world, from their bondage. Jesus’ own ministry among the people only lasted a short time, essentially beginning only after Jesus had been baptized by John in the Jordan. This was a type of commissioning that was taking place from the Father to the Son, which is especially evident in the words of affirmation coming from heaven, “This is my Son, the Beloved” and the sight of the Holy Spirit descending upon him, which according to the Gospel of Matthew only Jesus saw and heard. (Matthew 4:17, NRSV).
As we return to the lesson today, in verses 9 and 10, we find the people welcoming Jesus with shouts of praise and acclamation. This appears to be a reference to Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (NRSV). Also, in Psalm 118 we find similar words in verses 25-26a, “Save us, we beseech you, O LORD…! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD” (NRSV). This event is highlighted also by the succession of Solomon as king to the throne of his father David. In 1 Kings 1:32-40 we find David exhorting those preparing Solomon for his anointing to have him ride upon David’s own mule. Jesus came in like manner before the people proclaiming symbolically that he would soon ascend the throne of David, his father. And while Jesus came in humility, because he knew that the reason for his coming was at hand, he also accepted the praise of the people. They were accurate in their portrayal of whom Jesus was but not in what Jesus had come to do. They expected to be delivered from their current temporal bondage under the Roman occupation, thus the implication “save us now.” However, Jesus was sent to restore them spiritually and to usher in a heavenly kingdom. It was not time for the great white horse yet because it was necessary for the Lord to come first as one lowly, the servant of the people riding upon a donkey, indeed inevitably, as the suffering servant.
Indeed, it only took a matter of days for the one the people had welcomed into Jerusalem with palm branches, the one they were ready to crown king, to place instead upon him a crown of thorns. Those of this crowd that welcomed Jesus with shouts of praise, were also among those shouting, “Crucify, crucify him” (Luke 23:21, NRSV)! This is what Jesus had been preparing for so long, and why he was in so much anguish during the week of his passion. He knew that his victory was not going to be something temporal but eternal! Perhaps the greatest paradox of it all is that Jesus’ victory is foremost in the cross, when understood in light of the resurrection. Jesus did not come to defeat Rome and establish an earthly kingdom; Jesus came to conquer death, hell and the grave and deliver the world from its bondage to sin.
The timing of these events is inherently connected to the mystery of God. Questions linger concerning the reason why God chose to send the messiah in such a way and at such a time, but in God’s plan, the timing was perfect. Jesus was constantly aware of the need to be at the right place, at the right time. Glimpses of this may be seen as early as his childhood when he was discovered missing by his parents and found teaching the religious leaders in the synagogue. Even then he knew that he had to be about his Father’s business. Well, the same rings true upon his entrance into Jerusalem. The final verse in our text implicitly brings to light the initial purpose of the messiah’s coming: Following this preliminary recognition and elevated status ascribed to Jesus by the crowd, it’s now time to get down to business.
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem he entered the temple and must have stopped to consider the current state of affairs. It is quite clear that there is an intentional delay in time, a moment when our Lord possibly reflects upon the meaning for his coming. He has seen the abuses of the religious leaders of his day and is undoubtedly troubled with the spirituality his people have been experiencing. They have been deprived of a true relationship with his Father. Thus it was indeed already late! It was finally time to bring about restoration to his people and to the whole world.
Therefore, Christ’s true triumph in time was through the cross! However, although this triumph was an actual event in time, it brought with it eternal implications. The mystery of our faith moves to the forefront: “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.” Three stages are unfolded in this great mystery. The first coming of Jesus consisted of one messiah who came into the world riding upon a donkey. His kingdom was ushered in not through earthly warfare, but through spiritual warfare waged with sin on an old rugged cross. This triumph on the cross was confirmed through the resurrection of Easter! And when Christ comes again, he will no longer be riding a donkey and revealed primarily as a suffering servant messiah; rather Jesus Christ will come a second time as a messiah who is the conquering King riding on a white horse, for John says in the Apocalypse: “I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer, and “Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges…” (Rev. 6:2; 19:11).
It was already late. As the age of this world as we know it slowly passes away, we need to be prepared for the next triumphant entry of the Messiah Jesus, when in God’s time, he returns entering the new Jerusalem on a white horse to reign as King over all, forever.
