In this morning’s reading from the Gospel of Mark [11:1-11] we once again have heard the story of the tumultuous and triumphant arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem. Personal, I can only remember two such outstandingly public and yet deeply moving events in my own lifetime. The first occurred when I was a senior in high school. The entire football team, as well as close to 600 North Syracuse high school seniors, had been invited to be at the Hancock Airport one day to welcome New York Senator Robert Kennedy. We ended up being only a small part of a very large crowd which was present that day. The second such event in my memory occurred in the state of Georgia; my son was returning with his Company of Combat Engineers from their second deployment to Iraq. At both of these events there was a lot of shouting, thunderous applause, and more than just a few tears. It had also occurred to me that there had been a lot of planning and advanced notice in setting up these special events.
We know how it came to be that Jesus, his disciples, and the colt were all present for this triumphant and tumultuous parade into Jerusalem. But have you ever thought about how the crowd formed?
Somehow the news that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem had reached at least a few of the individuals who lived either close by or directly in Jerusalem. I’d like to believe that most of you would react the same way that many of these people had to have reacted. Can you imagine what would happen if we were told that Jesus would be coming into our town at the beginning of the next day?
First, I would call every one of my family members. Second, I would call everyone who was a member of my worshiping community. And only then, if there was still time, I would begin inviting neighbors and even strangers. If I knew that Jesus was coming, I’d be telling everyone that I came into contact with.
And what would I do if I ran into someone who then turned to me and said, “Right, Jesus is come. But just who is Jesus?” Now it’s my turn to share the stories; to share the truth with someone who has not yet heard about Jesus. Maybe I could tell them about how Jesus called his disciples and they just dropped everything and followed him[2]. Or should I tell them about the time that Jesus spat into a handful of dry dust, made a paste, put it unto the eyes of a man who was born blind, and now the man could then see once more?[3] Or should I tell them about how Jesus cured the man with leprosy?[4] Or the woman who suffered from years of bleeding?[5] Or maybe I should be telling them about the time that Jesus was walking on water.[6] Or maybe I could share with them the story of how Jesus feed over 5,000 men, women, and children with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes.[7] Or maybe I could tell them that Jesus was the one who called Lazarus from the burial tomb.[8]
All of these stories are from the past, and though they are true, maybe the real truth that we need to share with those around us is the deeper truth of how Jesus has had a meaningful effect upon our own lives, the lives of our neighbors, and the lives of our loved ones. Jesus holds for each and every one of us a deep and truly special meaning. As Paul wrote to the worshipping community in Philippi, [Jesus is] “the name above every name.”[9] It is our calling, our challenge, and our honor to share with each other and with all of our sisters and brothers the stories of our faith and the actions of God within our lives.
[1] Mark 11:9b NRSV
[2] Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:1-11, John 1:35-42
[3] John 9:1-7
[4] Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-44, Luke 5:12-14
[5] Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48
[6] Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21
[7] Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:5-15
[8] John 11:43-44
[9] Philippians 2:9b NRSV
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