My life changed yesterday afternoon – definitely for the better. I will get to bed earlier and sleep longer. I will regain some ‘me’ time. And, yes. My daughter has finally got her P plates. Time to celebrate!
Such a change – though welcome, does, of course, bring other difficulties – some foreseen, some unforeseen.
The solemnity of Passion Sunday signals the beginning of Holy Week – from the joyous welcome into Jerusalem, from his acceptance and acclamation as king. Holy Week ends with the death and burial of Jesus.
This is a journey that we know intimately. Retelling it has not altered its meaning or impact. We wonder what was in these people’s minds as they waved their branches and laid out their cloaks along the road. It is not only a question of who they were welcoming. It is equally a question about who they were and what they were expecting. This entrance of Jesus is Messianic. This event has been prophesied by Zechariah, the throwing of the cloaks alludes his royal status, while the strewn and waving branches recall the procession of the Feast of Tabernacles. This is the Davidic king whom they have awaited. They cry, ‘Hosanna!’ – using this term of praise to God, taken from the Jewish liturgy, and attributing it to this man who arrives seated on a colt.
Did they see more than a man? What drove them to gather in crowds to see him? What had they heard about him? What did they want from him? Did they know who he was? Is this the same crowd that days later would call for his death? For a crime in which they complicit?
Undoubtedly their patience with God was running thin. They had been promised salvation, and now, following the Greeks, the Romans now controlled the country. Hundred of years of subservience to foreigners. How strong was their desire to offload their oppressors? What kind of Messiah did they long for? A general? A politician? A high priest? A great prince? A carpenter’s son from Nazareth?
We know how this story ends. We’re heard it before. It’s not good. And yet it is also a beginning, and in the continuing story, it is all revealed.
I don’t know what lies ahead as my daughter takes to the road. Yes, I’m free. Others on the road will expect her to follow the rules, to drive safely. In turn she will expect the same from other road users. She will have to use her commonsense, her growing skill. There are consequences if you get it wrong. It’s about choices.
Who are you waiting for? And, why are you waiting? Start your journey today.
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