Combined Palm Sunday Scriptures:

    Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.   When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,  saying, "Go into the village opposite, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat; untie it and bring it here.   If any one asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this, ‘The Lord has need of it.’"
    So those who were sent went away and found it as he had told them.   And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?"    And they said, "The Lord has need of it."    And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their garments on the colt they set Jesus upon it, as it is written,  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on an ass’s colt!"
      His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him.
     And as Jesus rode along, they spread their garments on the road and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  As he was now drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.  A great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.   So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him and those who went before and those who followed cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!   Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!  Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
     And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples."    He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."
    And when Jesus drew near and saw the city he wept over it,  saying, "Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes.   For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation."
     And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"   And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee."
    And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.  He said to them, "It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you make it a den of robbers."

There have been dozens of "marches on Washington".  There was Coxey’s Army in 1894 and the bonus army in 1932.  There were the poor peoples' march with MLK in 1983 and a number of large marches against the Vietnam War and more recently the Iraq War.   There was the "million man" march, a major KKK march, and marches of homosexual activists.  The US Government takes these large gatherings seriously as a threat to public peace, and there are normally large numbers of police and military "protecting the peace."  I've been part of several, smelling the tear gas and seeing the police beat people. 

Jesus was leading a march on the capital, a march on Jerusalem.  He was using messianic symbolism.  His loud followers were declaring him the king, the Messiah, even God.
Around 150 BC, in a series of Jewish political and military victories Judas and Simon Maccabeus ousted the Greeks. On each of their victories the Jewish people carried palm branches into Jerusalem, a sign of Jewish nationalism. They sang a conqueror's psalm, Psalm 118.

The Jews were again under an oppressive foreign occupation.  This march on Jerusalem surely concerned Romans. The Jewish leaders who ruled in collaboration with Rome, the occupying power would therefore share this concern.  They could be crushed.  But others thought that the Messianic age was being announced - and Rome would be crushed by the power of God; the earthly Davidic kingdom was about to be reestablished. 

They should have understood Jesus riding on donkey.  This should bring to mind Zec 9:9  Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion! Shout for joy, you people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you! He comes triumphant and victorious, but humble and riding on a donkey--- on a colt, the foal of a donkey.   The LORD says, "I will remove the war chariots from Israel and take the horses from Jerusalem; the bows used in battle will be destroyed. Your king will make peace among the nations; he will rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth."

Weapons of all sorts are going to be destroyed.  Maybe some just thought the Romans' weapons would be destroyed?  Jesus will bring an end to all weapons.  Why didn't his followers get it?  Why don't his followers get it today?

This was the second time in a few days that it is recorded that Jesus wept.  Jesus had just wept over the death of Lazarus and the sorrow of his friends.  Now he wept over coming death of Jerusalem because they did not know the things that make for peace.  What are the things that "make for peace"?

 They did not know the time of their visitation.  What would have happened if all Jerusalem had welcomed the coming of the Messiah?  The Messiah's entry into Jerusalem had cosmic significance.  If the crowd had not sang praises, the very stones would cry out!  What stones?  The walls of Jerusalem?  The walls of the temple?  The very earth?   A few days later Jesus was to be crucified.  He then was abandoned by even his close followers.  And the earth itself cried out -- there was a great earthquake.

Today, also it is fit that we praise Jesus. We align ourselves with all creation, with reality. The kingdom of God is at hand! God is good!  Jesus rules!  Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna!

meditations