The Gospel of Mark 11:1-11
When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Let us Pray: Thank you for sending your Son and paving the way for our lives to be able to follow the path of Jesus. This Holy Week begins the start of the journey towards the cross, the victory of the Resurrection, and the rich truth that Jesus truly is our King of Kings. This we pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen! “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord…”
Before entering the city Jesus commands two of His disciples to go into a village and get donkey for Him to ride. His command is very specific and may have left His disciples wondering how He knew all that He knew. Nevertheless, they obeyed, found the donkey, and brought it back just as He had commanded. But why a donkey? What does the donkey symbolize? Conquering kings typically rode in chariots or on the back of stallions, so Jesus riding a donkey went against the norm, The donkey, he said, was a symbol of peace but it also represented the fulfillment of a prophecy from Zechariah9:9. “Your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. The donkey is also a symbol of humility,
His entrance on a donkey and the actions and praises of the crowd all serve to present Jesus as the true and coming King. He is greeted by a crowd who declares Him to be king. They pave the street with their coats and with palm branches, a customary greeting for a victorious conqueror. Also, they cry or sing “Hosanna” which means “Save Us.” The crowds were right to exalt Jesus as the coming king, but they misunderstood the way His kingdom would be established. His coronation could only come through His crucifixion.
When the parade is over, we need to remember what Jesus told His disciples. That they would return the donkey immediately. In saying these words do you think that it could mean something else than just returning the donkey. The other thing to note is He went to the temple, went in looked around and left as it was already late. Late for what? Lots of scenarios. He was late for dinner, or a meeting, a time of quiet prayer. He wanted to make sure the donkey was returned. Possibly he was having second thoughts about what was waiting, he was human, he had feelings and knew what was ahead.
Knowing what we know about Jesus I think this was the reason he left the temple: Jesus sent two disciples to borrow this donkey and told them if anyone asked why they were taking the donkey they were to say, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately” (Mark 11:3). And that’s what they did. He went to make sure the donkey was returned. He followed through on his word.
Now what if returning the colt is a metaphor for us as we enter into and walk though this Holy Week? Is it a metaphor for us to ponder as it raises many questions. What do you need to return this week? What do you need to release or let go of? We all have stuff that we have carried around with us for far too long. It’s no longer able to take us anywhere or give us life. It’s just baggage we carry that continues to weigh us down. It deprives us of a happy life. It corrupts our heart. What do you need to let go of, release, and return this week? Is it a grudge or resentment? Anger? Fear? Disappointment and regret? Guilt? Envy? Maybe you need to return to being in control, having to be right, a need for approval, perfectionism. I do not know what it is for you, but I am convinced that we all have our stuff. Maybe Holy Week is the time to return and release it all to God, trusting that God can do something with this stuff when we were never able to. That means we could then move forward, not from the same old place, but from the newly recovered self. That is what Jesus did. He stayed true to himself through this week, and so must we. So, returning the donkey is about returning to our original self, that self of beauty and goodness, that God created in each of us and has loved us from the beginning?
So in this coming week what if we return to joy, hope, beauty, truth and honesty? What if we came back to justice, mercy, forgiveness? What if we reclaimed the dignity and holiness of each human life? What if we recenter ourselves in peace and courage? What if we returned to love of neighbor, self, and enemy? Coming back to ourselves would be like a new life, wouldn’t it? Remember that Lent means spring and spring is a new beginning.
For this Holy week let us all ask ourselves why not return the donkey, if we did we might find that the metaphor of the donkey is present with you as you live your life and as you engage people in relationships whether in your family, at work, at school, at the grocery store. Look around at everything and then go return the donkey. Some thoughts are from a reflection by Michael K. Marsh and Interrupting the Silence.
I included my reflection from Palm Sunday 2021. I did because Palm Sunday has so much to reflect on I had a hard time not including it.
Would someone today let you borrow a donkey on your word that you would return it later? They really didn’t have a lot of choice as they were told it is for our Lord. Hosanna is often thought of as a declaration of praise, like hallelujah, but it is actually a plea for salvation. So, as Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem, the crowds were perfectly right to shout “Hosanna!” They were acknowledging Jesus as their Messiah. Theirs was a cry for salvation and a recognition that Jesus was able to save. But Jesus was not the king they expected, but he was the king they needed. Jesus did not come to change the circumstance that the Jewish people faced, but rather he came to cleanse them and forgive their sins. How is this truth still so relevant to us today? In what ways do you spend your time blaming your circumstances or blaming others rather than looking at your own sin? How can we trust a king that calls us to a hard journey? How does remembering Jesus’ hard journey, help you to trust God in your own hard journey of life? While Jesus entered as a king, he was not entering as a normal king. What do you think a typical king would ride? He would probably ride a powerful war house. Jesus instead chose to ride on a donkey, hardly the appropriate steed for a conquering king. And yet a donkey portrays meekness and humility. Jesus was not coming to conquer but to offer peace. In this most triumphant moment, we can clearly see Jesus’ humility. So as Jesus entered riding on a Donkey the crowds lining the route of the procession were filled with enthusiasm. They were not there just because they loved a good parade. They were there because they wanted to believe. They had hope. Hope, Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Where there’s life, there’s hope.” And they had it. Jesus was the King who had come to change them. And today as we let Him enter our lives, we realize He is the King who can change us and give us Hope. But hope is a fragile commodity. We know the story. By the end of the week, the crowds will have disappeared and what remained were a few faithful friends gathered on a hill outside Jerusalem called Calvary. What in the world happened? It is like the dry palms from Palm Sunday we make the ashes for Ash Wednesday from that we are reminded of the events of Holy Week, and of how the victory of Jesus over sin was won for us on Good Friday. When the match is put to the dry palms, they flare up quickly, and just as quickly die into ash. For a moment they are light and heat and power, and in the next moment they are changed into lifeless ash. The power and light dim as quickly as did the shouts of the crowds as Jesus entered Jerusalem, the shouts that changed so quickly from “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” to “Crucify him!” The lifeless ashes remind us how much of our own discipleship may amount to the same thing, a flash in the pan, a parade on a spring day, but nothing permanent, and nothing lasting. The ashes remind us that Christ went on ahead of us – and still goes on ahead of us. They summon us to follow him and to pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane, to stick with him when he is arrested, and to claim him when we are asked with Peter, “Are you not a follower of that Man Jesus?” How do you answer this?
Let us Pray: In the darker moments, when clouds gather and the heaviness, we feel seems overwhelming, remind us of your love, carrying the weight of so much in that cross, embracing the world with arms outstretched that we might know freedom from the chains which now constrain us. This we pray in your name Jesus our Savior. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 