Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Palm Sunday: A Misfit King


The Holy Week begins with the Palm Sunday procession commemorating the triumphant entry of Jesus into the Holy City of Jerusalem.  This liturgical action has ancient roots and symbolizes our present willingness to walk with Jesus.
Some 500 years before the event we reenact today, Zechariah prophesied to the Israelites captive in Babylon about the future messiah: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). The prophet foretold the triumphant entry of the new king into the city. It would be a great day of joy and celebration. The new king would come victorious and take possession of the besieged city.  There is no question that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem must be seen as the fulfillment of that ancient prophecy.  Nevertheless, while the king comes to Jerusalem in triumph, this triumph is unusual. He comes mounted on a donkey, not a powerful stallion. What kind of a triumph is that? This unusual triumph is understood only through the person of Jesus. Jesus is the promised king and messiah, but he is unlike any other king. He is a misfit king. 

Jesus is not the type of king the ancient world, or any other time or culture, is familiar with. He is a misfit king. He comes not to conquer his enemies with military might. He offers them love and forgiveness.  He does not seek to be served but washes the feet of his followers and commands them to do likewise. He does not respond with violence but offers the other cheek. He does not punish offenders but rejoices with their change of heart. He does not sentence others to hell but pardons and promises paradise to those who want it.  His throne is not made of gold but of rough wooden beams. His crown is not bejeweled but made of thorns. His greatest victory was accomplished through suffering and death.
His kingdom too is unlike any other kingdom ever.  It is a misfit kingdom. It is founded on the counterintuitive rule of mutual love and service.  The citizens of Jesus’ kingdom are misfits too as they live by the unpopular rule of the love of God and neighbor.  They are meek and humble in the world run by power and pride. They work for peace and rely on God in the world of aggression and the ever-growing cult of self-centeredness. They hunger and thirst for justice and speak the truth in the world that promotes personal benefit and moral compromises. They give generously to the poor and protect the weak in the world where the dignity of people is measured by their market value. They reject evil in the world that pursuits its empty promises. They glorify God and give light to the world by the way they live in the world that rejects God and celebrates the works of darkness.  They suffer ridicule and rejection in the world of reversed values.  Indeed, they are the true heirs of this misfit king who came to establish his upside-down kingdom.  And yet, it is those who pray for the coming of this kingdom and practice its values that have historically accomplished the most good in the world by being faithful in small and great things. In the end, they will rejoice hearing “come, good and faithful servant, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
As we walk with Jesus this Holy Week, let us honor our king by living like faithful citizens of his kingdom, and thus prepare ourselves to renew our baptismal allegiance on Easter Sunday. 

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