Hosanna! Blessed is the King!
Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.
Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Mark 11:7-9
Last Sunday, we remember the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem. This event triggered the final week of Jesus’ life on earth. In Luke, this event and the people’s enormous support and clamor for Jesus to be their Messiah (meaning, “anointed one” or “Savior”) threatened the ruling authorities that they tried to silence Jesus by executing him (Luke 19:47).
For some, the actions of Jesus provoke the prevailing ideals of people in his time wherein the primary definition of triumph and success is about the accumulation of riches and unbridled power like most tyrant kings and leaders of his time.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, he was on a donkey, while people were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of LORD!” Blessed is the kingdom of our ancestor David!” This is quite ironic because the image of Messiah riding a humble donkey is not a picture of triumph or magnificent victory.
Here, we see a king that is as poor as the people shouting praises to him.
I'll be honest. I feel awkward whenever I hear rich people telling poor people to be content and be thankful for the simple things in life because "money can't really buy happiness."
It's easy to say to people to be happy and content when we are not the ones suffering their hunger and deprivation. It's easy to tell people to simply trust God because he sees their suffering and someday he will reward their faithfulness when they meet him in heaven while other people are literally living life to the fullest at the expense of the suffering of others in the here and now.
Based on the Gospel about the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, I wonder what is so triumphalistic about an itinerant preacher from the province of Galilee riding on someone else's young donkey while people are shouting, "Hosanna!", literally means, "Save us!" and placing their cloaks and tree branches on the road to honor their "King"? This looks like a theatrical parody rather than a victory parade. And the highlight of the show was that a week later, this king, praised and adored by the ordinary people, suffered a gruesome death on the cross.
What did Jesus and his followers accomplish in all these?
I think Jesus was exposing the illusion that wealth and strength are the main sources of people's power and gratification.
In Jesus' we don't see a conquering hero but a humble, poor, and weak human being. He didn't come riding on a warhorse surrounded by an army with advance weaponry. Rather, he was on a borrowed donkey surrounded by people who have nothing but their cloaks and branches they have taken from the trees. Yet it was in this ultimate display of humility and simplicity that Jesus demonstrated how God favors the weak and the humble to save his creation from its depravity when the King of kings and Lord of lords emptied himself and became the face of poverty for the sake of those whom he loves.
Therefore, Jesus' actions speaks loudly to those who have insatiable lust for wealth and power. They are not the true kings and their kingdom is nothing compared to God's eternal rule that will not go away. Someday, all these earthly kingdoms will end and their riches will be turned to dust, but the Kingdom of God shall remain forever in the hearts and memories of people who embody the life, works, and teachings of their risen king.
