“Triumphant and Humble”
Matthew 21:1-11; Zech. 9:9
Well…was it one donkey or two that Jesus
rode into
Matthew
paints the picture of a donkey and a colt
And Jesus somehow riding both at the same time:
“they brought the
donkey and the colt,
and put their cloaks on them,
and he sat upon them.”
Matthew is the Gospel which tries to reconcile
the Hebrew
writings with the revelation of God
in Jesus Christ.
And clearly Matthew is referring back
to the prophecy of
Zechariah when he tells the story:
“This took place to fulfill what had been
spoken
through the prophet saying:
Tell
the daughter of
Look, your king
is coming to you,
Humble
and mounted on a donkey,
On a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Commentators have argued for years how
Jesus could ride both.
Was
he riding side saddle on one animal
with his feet
resting on the other?
Or
was this particular image manufactured by Matthew
So
that he could prove that the scripture was literally fulfilled?
Well I have a different question when I
go back to Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter
Rejoice aloud, O daughter of
Lo, you king comes to you;
Triumphant and victorious is
he,
Humble and riding
on a donkey,
On a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
My question is not the practical
question of riding two donkeys,
But
the existential question of how one can be both
“Triumphant” and “humble” at the same time.
The
Zechariah text reminds us that the king comes into
With
two minds, two attitudes, two ways of being.
First
of all the king is triumphant.
He has
returned after vanquishing the enemy.
He has won the battle on behalf of the
people.
As Jesus
rides into
Doubtless remember Solomon, a son of
David,
Who
also rode on a donkey to be anointed
The king of
With the people shouting:
“Hosanna
to the Son of David!
They would
probably remember Simon Maccabeus
Who also entered
After one
of his notable victories.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem on that
first palm Sunday
He
was entering as a triumphant king,
And
yet he was also entering on a donkey
As a humble pilgrim.
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord!”
Was an
acclamation that was proclaimed
To pilgrims entering
The
word for humble refers back to Jesus saying:
“Come to me, all of you that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart.”
So we have in this event a paradox,
conflicting ideas that find their resolution in the person and work of Jesus-
triumphant as a king,
And humble as a pilgrim at the same
time, in the same person.
We call this day “Passion/Palm Sunday” in
the Presbyterian calendar
To reflect the paradox of the day for us.
We
celebrate the fact that Jesus has conquered death and fear
Through his life, death and resurrection.
We
know how the story ends.
And
so we join with the crowd waving palms
And singing Hosanna.
But
we also know what Jesus went through to save us.
We
know that “Hosanna” literally means,
“save us”.
We
know that the foolishness of God is stronger
Than
the power of human beings
as Paul
reminded us in the children’s
message from
Corinthians and as
we sang in
“Lord I lift your name on High”
And yet we
still have to deal with people and the realities of life.
We live triumphantly as we accept the
new life God offers
In Jesus Christ but we also
live humbly as we
Recognize that we
still live in a world of
countless temptations
and violence
and
disappointments.
We are aware from the writings of Paul,
of the challenge set before us:
“Let the same mind be in you that was in
Jesus Christ,
who
though he was in the form of God,
did
not count equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death-
Even
death on a cross.” (Philippians 2: 5-8)
So we as Christians are called to be of
the same mind as Christ.
We
are to live both triumphantly as people who know the gospel
And
humbly as people who know ourselves.
This is a time to reach out in the name
of Jesus Christ.
Holy
week is a time to bring people to share the Good news.
It
is a time when people are yearning to go to church
(I remember when I was away from the church
wondering
‘When is Easter’ so that I could make it on
that one day.)
So
it is a good time to let people know that there is a place
Where
they will be welcomed and accepted
As
fellow pilgrims:
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord.”
We
are triumphant in that we have something good to share.
We
have the resurrection of Christ to share and the promise
That
Christ’s resurrection is for us as well.
We
have the love of God and the demonstration of that love
in the life, death
and resurrection of Jesus and the mandate
from Jesus to share
that love with each other.
We
have the power of the Holy Spirit, which not only energized
disciples 2000 years ago to go from being worried and
fearful
to being bold
and courageous, but also energizes us today
to be
triumphant as we share the Gospel today.
But as we reach out we do so with
profound humility.
We
do not know all the answers but we do know one who will
Journey
with us in our quest to find answers
and meaning in
life.
And
we are willing to journey with each other.
If
we are going through a time of grief we will grieve together.
If
we are seeking to learn and grow, we will study together.
If
we want to find a safe place to share in fellowship,
We
will be the Body of Christ together.
We
know that we are not perfect but we can be humble
Because
we follow the one who is perfect, and he was
“humble and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
I don’t know where Jesus was able to
straddle a donkey and a colt
But
I do know that he was able to live in the paradox of
Being triumphant and humble.
Let
us live in that paradox as we live in Christ
In this Holy Week.
Amen