Luke 19:28-31 After saying these things, Jesus headed straight up to Jerusalem. When he got near Bethphage and Bethany at the mountain called Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: “Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you’ll find a colt tethered, one that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says anything, asks, ‘What are you doing?’ say, ‘His Master needs him.’”
32-33 The two left and found it just as he said. As they were untying the colt, its owners said, “What are you doing untying the colt?” 34 They said, “His Master needs him.”
35-36 They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As he rode, the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street.
37-38 Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed:
Blessed is he who comes, the king in God’s name!
All’s well in heaven! Glory in the high places!
39 Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!” 40 But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”
· What was Luke trying to impart about Jesus to his readers/hearers in this story, how were they to see and understand who he was?
Notes on the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem
o The Mount of Olives carried special meaning for first century Jews. In Zechariah (14:4), when the Day of the Lord comes, the Lord would approach Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives--"On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives."
Notes on the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem
o The Mount of Olives carried special meaning for first century Jews. In Zechariah (14:4), when the Day of the Lord comes, the Lord would approach Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives--"On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives."
o As Jesus rode into town on a colt, he brought to mind the image in Zechariah 9:9 of the promised king humbly riding on a colt. It presents Jesus as the king who comes in the name of the Lord, and the rejoicing of those who would witness it:
“Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion!
Raise the roof, Daughter Jerusalem!
Your king is coming!
a good king who makes all things right,
a humble king riding a donkey,
a mere colt of a donkey.
o This particular donkey, like any animal suited for sacred use, has never been ridden.
o The spreading of cloaks is yet another sign of royal acclamation. In 2 Kings 9:13, the spreading of cloaks was a sign of greeting for the king: "Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him...and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, ‘Jehu is king.’"
o Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan have written a The Last Week, and they begin their account of Jesus' last seven days with a colorful description of this procession by the King of Peace into one end of Jerusalem at the same time that the Roman Empire's representative, Pontius Pilate, full of brute power, enters at the other end. Pilate has arrived to "keep the peace" in the city during the turbulent time of Passover, when the crowds always get a little unruly. He travels with troops and flags and weapons, all the signs of empire, on a magnificent warhorse, in case the flags and weapons and troops aren't a sufficiently intimidating display of power.
· Does the imagery of Jesus as a kingly messiah connect with you in any way? How would you describe the Jesus who is the source of your salvation. What would be part of a contemporary account of this kind of Jesus' arrival and would it have been in Jerusalem or some other place?
· What do you make of the telling of the acquisition of the colt? What questions does it raise for you and is there anything interesting for you as you read it?
· Who was loudly praising God and why were they doing it? How many of them do you visualize were participating? Were any of those in the crowd chanting for his crucifixion later that week necessarily in this group?
· What kind of salvation and blessing by God do you think “the multitude of disciples” was proclaiming? What motivated them to do this?
· How do you take the Pharisees words, were they intended as a command or a word to the wise? Down through the ages the Jews have been attributed as being central to Jesus’ crucifixion. Who sentenced Jesus to death and carried out the scourging and crucifixion? What were the Roman authorities trying to make clear in executing Jesus? What kind of a threat was he to them? If this event took place today would there be those who saw it as a threat?
· What do you think is going through Jesus’ mind as this is taking place? What is the mood of the disciples? Have there been times when you have been especially enthused about your faith life? How did you express this enthusiasm?
Less than a week later:
· What kind of salvation and blessing by God do you think “the multitude of disciples” was proclaiming? What motivated them to do this?
· How do you take the Pharisees words, were they intended as a command or a word to the wise? Down through the ages the Jews have been attributed as being central to Jesus’ crucifixion. Who sentenced Jesus to death and carried out the scourging and crucifixion? What were the Roman authorities trying to make clear in executing Jesus? What kind of a threat was he to them? If this event took place today would there be those who saw it as a threat?
· What do you think is going through Jesus’ mind as this is taking place? What is the mood of the disciples? Have there been times when you have been especially enthused about your faith life? How did you express this enthusiasm?
Less than a week later:
Luke 22:60-62 Peter said, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about." At that very moment, the last word hardly off his lips, a rooster crowed. Just then, the Master turned and looked at Peter. Peter remembered what the Master had said to him: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." He went out and cried and cried and cried.
· What mood has descended upon the disciples in less than a week? What has happened to cause Peter to lose his Palm Sunday enthusiasm? What do you think he might be crying about?
· What kind of events, if any, has caused you to despair about your faith life? What causes high hopes and faith based enthusiasm to diminish? How might Easter Sunday be instructive to us about the rough places in our faith journey?
Closing Litany
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvellous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvellous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Amen
From Psalm 118
0 comments:
Post a Comment