Palm Sunday / April 1, 2007
Text: Matthew 21: 1 –
11 /
Title: Palm Sunday Revisited
Message by Rev. Carol Kniseley
It has been said that when a person knows the end is
near…only the important rises to the top.
The trivial is bypassed. The unnecessary is overlooked and that which
is vital remains. The same can be
said of Jesus in his last days on this earth. Knowing that he had less than one week to
spend with his disciples…what did he do?
Where did he choose to spend his time?
What were his last parting words of instruction…that he prayed would
remain etched in their hearts for as long as they each should live? Conscious that the last bits of sand were
streaming through the hourglass, let us enter the holist week of the year and
observe.
In Matthew’s Gospel, it is important to put into context
where Jesus is coming from. Jesus has
just left the city of
“Lord, Son of David, have mercy on
us!”
To which Jesus responds:
“What do you want me to do for you?”
Their answer…could have been spoken by anyone of us
today: “Lord…we want to see.”
The reason, I believe, that Jesus chose to enter
I have often wondered what it would have been like to see
Jesus as he rode into
I would like to believe that we would have stopped what we
were doing…and paid attention. But
then again, that would be asking a lot.
That would mean taking time out of our busy schedules…much like the guy
with the donkey and her colt.
Can you imagine going about your business when you look out
the window and see two strangers about to walk away with your property? Now granted the two disciples had been
sent by Jesus, but the guy who owned the donkey didn’t know that. All he knew was that someone was taking
what didn’t rightfully belong to them, or so he assumed. And
you know what happens when one assumes.
Sometimes I get the impression that God wants us to give him
something, and sometimes we don’t because either we don’t know for sure what it
is God wants or we’re just too selfish.
At other times…too few times…we hear God and obey him and feel honored
that a gift of ours would be used to carry Jesus into another place. And still other times we wonder if our
little deeds could possibly make a difference in the long haul.
The point is, all of us have something in our lives, which,
if given back to God could, like the donkey,
move Jesus further down the road.
Maybe you can teach, or sing, or hug, or sew, or program a computer, or
work with kids, or speak a foreign language, or write a check. Whichever, that’s your donkey.
And guess what…your donkey belongs to him. You heard me. Your gifts are his and the donkey in the
story was his. And here’s proof: the original wording of the instructions
given by Jesus to his disciples says…
“If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkey,
you are
to say, ‘Its Lord is in need.’”
The language Jesus used expressed an ancient law that
required any citizen to render to the King any item or service the king might
request. In making the request, Jesus
is claiming to be king and that as king he has rights to any possession of his
subjects. That would be us.
It could be that God is in need of something you have…your
time, your abilities, your energy, your possessions…that will allow him to
enter the walls of another city, another nation, even another heart. The real question of the day is: will you let him have it? Will you give it joyfully and in thanksgiving
to God…with shouts of praise? Or will
you pretend not to hear and hold on to it for yourself.
The truth is, Jesus passes by our way every single day. The only problem is, many of us are too
blind to even notice or too busy to be bothered. Returning to our story about the blind men
who shouted out to Jesus…Matthew reminds us that Jesus did indeed stop what he
was doing…taking the time to lay his hands on their eyes…allowing them to see.
Then, in grateful response I am sure, they followed Jesus all
the way to