Rev Gav

Why did Jesus ride a donkey into Jerusalem?

Luke 19.28–40

Context is everything. The Passover was the largest of the Jewish festivals that celebrated the liberation of the Jewish people from their oppressive Egyptian overlords, and now this very festival was taking place in Roman-occupied Jerusalem. Think the Roman’s were a tad nervous? Too right they were!

Within living memory, during Passover, there had been Jewish revolts against the Romans (and their Jewish puppet kings) and Jerusalem was a tinderbox waiting to be set alight. In the year 4BCE, riots broke out and the Roman Eagle was torn down, and as a result, 3000 Jewish pilgrims were slaughtered, many of whom were crucified. Here’s what the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus wrote:

“…the Romans ventured to make a sally out of the place, and a terrible battle ensued; wherein, though it is true the Romans beat their adversaries, yet were not the Jews daunted in their resolutions, even when they had the sight of that terrible slaughter that was made of them; but they went round about, and got upon those cloisters which encompassed the outer court of the temple, where a great fight was still continued, and they cast stones at the Romans, partly with their hands, and partly with slings, as being much used to those exercises.”

Because of the previous insurrections, every year, Roman garrison reinforcements were sent from the west into Jerusalem to keep the peace, and they would make a great show and spectacle of riding into Jerusalem on fine horses and with chariots, as an impressive visible deterrent.

This particular year, the Roman garrison accompanied Pontius Pilate, the cruel governor of Judea, who travelled from the port of Caesarea in the west to Fortress Antonia in Jerusalem — a fortress that overlooked the temple and was built to defend it. As the garrison entered the city their path would have been cleared and at the front of the procession the Roman eagle standard would have been held high. They would have been formally greeted by city elite, with the Roman soldiers guarding the streets, swords and breastplates glinting in the sunlight. Few dared to mention the words rebellion or revolution, let alone start one.

So, is it a coincidence that Jesus entered Jerusalem from the opposite direction to the Roman garrison, the East, and that he too took part in a procession? The supporters of Jesus rallied around him, as he travelled into Jerusalem, not riding a fine horse or chariot, but a donkey. His supporters made clear paths for him, but instead of brandishing swords, they waved their cloaks and palm branches. Instead of, “Hail Caesar” they shouted, lifting words from scripture, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Two leaders both entering Jerusalem, one from the west and one from the east, like two gunslingers entering Dodge from opposite ends of town, confrontation was inevitable.

Were some of the Jews worried? Of course they were. Jesus’ actions could be interpreted as a direct political action in opposition to the Romans, and worse, could be considered making a public mockery of Pontius Pilate and his entourage. Some pharisees in the crowd pleaded with Jesus’ followers to stop, and how did Jesus reply? ”

The point of Jesus entering Jerusalem this way was, of course, to offer an alternative to the cruel, oppressive power of the Romans. A donkey instead of a horse. Palm branches instead of swords. People calling for peace instead of violence. Yes, there was going to be a confrontation but not conflict. The weapon of Jesus was not going to be stones but sacrificial love. For the Romans, the only way to deal with potential insurrectionists was to swiftly and brutally squash them. Oh, how the Romans would laugh and scoff as Jesus would be brought before the authorities, stripped, humiliated, beaten, and executed. See? This is what we do to those who publicly stand against the might and power of Rome.

So resolute was his trust in the power of love that Jesus believed, with all his heart, that love would conquer all, so much so, that he believed his demonstration of sacrificial love would change the hearts and minds of those in power, and that it would not only influence Jerusalem, but spread throughout Judea to the nations of the earth.

If you had told anyone in the crowd that day that within three hundred years, the Roman empire would make Jesus their mascot, and that the cross would replace the eagle, they would not have believed you.

The message of Palm Sunday is that love wins. When we face oppression and pain, love wins. When we are being ruled by dictators and corrupt politicians, love wins. When we can see no hope, nor a way out of the social, economic, and environmental problems we face, love wins. In the end, love will always win, therefore we must never give up loving, even when it feels as if all is lost, for the change we make today may have implications well beyond our lifetimes, and for generations to come.

Amen.