In our gospel reading for Palm Sunday, Jesus has one final prophecy to fulfill to announce himself as the long-awaited Messiah. He has already performed all the deeds of power that would identify God's anointed one: healing a man born blind, raising a man from the dead after four days, driving a demon from a man who was mute, and now, Jesus must claim the eternal throne that God promised to a descendant of David. And while the crowds are overjoyed at Jesus the Messiah's triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, the Pharisees just want everyone to shut up about it....
Have you ever wanted something dearly for a long period of time, only to be keenly disappointed when you finally get it? Maybe the week of beach resort vacation you've saved for and planned for, is the rainiest week the locals can ever remember. Maybe your brand new truck is stuck in the shop waiting for parts...again! Maybe the sequel to your favorite movie or the reboot of your favorite TV show, is a complete and total dud. All that waiting, all that hoping, all that anticipation....just to end up bitterly disappointed.
Of all the Israelites in the time of Jesus, the ones who were the most anxious for Messiah to arrive were the Pharisees. Their strict interpretation of the law of Moses was designed for one thing – to impress God enough with their behavior so that he would send the Messiah immediately. You would think their excitement would be ramping up as Jesus of Nazareth performs the healings and exorcisms that it was prophesied only the Messiah would be able to perform! But instead, at Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, they hear his disciples proclaiming Jesus as Messiah, and they angrily demand that Jesus stop them. Jesus of Nazareth...him, the Messiah? Jesus of Nazareth...my KING? No way! Jesus was a troublemaker, who made himself an enemy of the Pharisees. Jesus was bent on changing the system of religion that profited the Pharisees and enabled them to have prestige in the community. For these people, if Jesus was truly the Messiah and God's chosen king of David's line, after all this time waiting...what a bitter, bitter disappointment.
Are WE disappointed with Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah? Think back to either before you were a Christian, or if you have been a Christian all your life, think back to a time when your connection with Jesus was not as strong. What were you hoping for, when Jesus made his triumphant entry into YOUR life? Were you hoping that Jesus would make all of the negative circumstances in your life, disappear? Were you hoping that Jesus would cure that relative's disease, or break that bad habit in your life, or show YOU some miraculous signs of power? Were you hoping that Jesus would bless our community's abundance, or even make it more abundant? Were you hoping that Jesus would give you forgiveness in advance, carte blanche, to indulge in your favorite sin? Were you hoping that Jesus would make you powerful and successful in life? If these were your hopes for your Messiah and King, it's my guess that you found Jesus at least a little disappointing, too. Many people obviously do, because many people have a tendency to find other Messiahs and Kings to pick up the slack – things like alcohol and drugs, fame and power, different forms of pleasure – whatever in your life SEEMS to start out like a savior, and ends up like a Lord. And if we don't see Jesus as our Messiah, then seeing him as our Lord and King is out of the question. We here in Canada are used to a system of voting – to choosing the style of government that suits Ontario and Quebec...I mean the style of government that suits us. But that troublemaker Jesus, who wants to change our comfortable status quo, he doesn't suit us at all, and so we minimize or even reject his kingship over us. In earlier times, when a new king took power, those who rejected his kingship were lined up and slaughtered! And that's an appropriate context for Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.