What's your most pressing problem today?

(84) Hosanna

We celebrated Palm Sunday just a few weeks ago. In the church where I grew up, we didn’t just wave palms; we read the whole Passion story, starting with this story, and reading from a different Gospel each year. But let’s try to read it with fresh eyes now, remembering that Mary has just anointed the feet of “the Lamb,” just when the priests were anointing the feet of those lambs brought from the countryside; remembering that Lazarus has just been raised from the dead; remembering that the authorities want to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus; and remembering that the most pressing problem the authorities think they face is: how to maintain control without Rome cracking down on them.

·         What is our most pressing problem today?

·         What is the biggest threat to our society?

·         And who is really in control?

Let’s start with the story of that donkey:

1.       Read Matthew 21:1-3, Mark 11:1-3, Luke 19:28-31

a.      What’s the difference?

b.      Dorothy Sayers’ play has a “supporter” in the stables prepare two animals—a warhorse and a colt—for Jesus to choose from. In today’s world, do we look for a valiant warrior to help us, or a weirdo riding a baby donkey?

2.       Read Matthew 21:4-5, John 12:14-16, Zechariah 9:9-10 What might Zechariah have thought as he was given the prophecy? What might the disciples have thought when Jesus wanted a donkey—Dorothy Sayers has at least one of them biting his tongue in frustration. What might they have thought afterward (Read John 12:16)?

3.       Is it okay to admit we have no idea what God’s doing sometimes?

4.       Read Matthew 21:6-7, Mark 11:4-7, Luke 19:32-35. What’s the most important thing about what the disciples did?

Jesus “triumphal entry” is kind of a mixed triumph—lots of cheering people with great expectations, and a rather strange image of a grown man, effectively riding in a baby-car.

5.       Read Matthew 21:8-11, Mark 11:8-10, Luke 19:36-38, John 12:12-13, Psalm 188:19-29. What’s the most important thing about what the crowds did?

6.       What doesn’t Luke say? Do we need to know Scripture? Do we need to learn all the perfect quotes by heart?

7.       Read Luke 19:39-40, Genesis 4:10, Job 31:38-40, Joshua 24:27, Habakkuk 2:11. We don’t think of stones speaking, but what “stones” stand as witnesses now? What “message” might statues proclaim in city streets?

8.       Read Mark 11:11, John 12:17-19. Everyone was going to the Temple, and the city was crowded. Jesus doesn’t stay “where the action is” though. How do we balance being where we can be seen to do good, and being where God wants us to be?

Let’s close by looking at how Jesus reacted to Jerusalem, and how the Jerusalem authorities reacted to Jesus:

9.       Read Luke 19:41-44, John 12:19. I was asked, as a kid, to imagine how the world might be different if the Jews had understood who Jesus was. I couldn’t do it, because Scriptures tell us they didn’t—they weren’t going to—and Jesus was going to die. But… how might be the world be different if we really understood?

10.   Sometimes we might think we’re accomplishing nothing. How do we balance asking if we’re doing the right thing with praying that God will use us to do His right thing?

11.   How willing are you to see Jesus, or yourself, look foolish?