Which Parade do you Choose?

And the colt he rode in on.........

21 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.[a]’ 4 This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

5 ‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
    humble, and mounted on a donkey,
        and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd[b] spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
    Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’

10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ 11 The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

The above is the NRSV version of the events of Palm Sunday, as described by the Gospel of Matthew.

An important thing to note is that this event is the opposite of the way a Roman leader or ruler would enter Jerusalem. It is meant to be a contrast, a satire, a mockery of the way it would be done by the Romans.

Entering that day as well, from the west, was Governor Pontius Pilate,  in a large military parade filled with pomp  As described in a sermon by Pastor Dawn Hutchings, as sourced by the writings of several biblical scholars, Pilate's parade included “cavalry on horses, foot soldiers, leather armor, helmets, weapons, banners, golden eagles mounted on poles, sun glinting on metal and gold.”

The Romans wanted to display overwhelming force to intimidate the Jews into subservience and obedience, to show them they were in control of their lives, and that resistance was futile.

Jesus came in on the back of a baby ass, in a humbling almost demeaning way, without the display of force or military might.  No, he came in a humbling way, lit only bt the power of love.  And that love was reciprocated willingly.  Because ultimately, love and hope are more powerful than hate and fear.

We forget that again and again.  We tend to preach love and than resort to hate.  We are attracted to the politician who has own jetliner and entourage, and show little interest in the one that flies by himself in the economy section.  We admire the one who forcefully shuts down dissent at his rallies over the one who listens to others speak.

Again and again, we choose the arrogant over the humble.  Even Christians who have this beautiful example of Palm Sunday before them sometimes are distracted by the pomp and noise of those who are more interested in control and domination than in love and walking together.

So, please, take a closer look at Easter and decide which parade you want to be a part of.

I know what my decision is.