MAN
ON A DONKEY
Mark
11:1-11
"Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!"
Perhaps without knowing it, every week as
we celebrate the Eucharist we remember Palm Sunday, the day Jesus rode into
Jerusalem on a donkey at the beginning of Holy Week. We join the crowd who welcomed Jesus into the
city at the beginning of the week that ended in his crucifixion. We do so as, in the prayer of thanksgiving,
we welcome Jesus into our midst as the one "who comes in the name of our
Lord. But why say "Hosanna?" We have
become accustomed to shout out "Hallelujah!" at the end of the
liturgy, but why e say "Hosanna" every time as we give thanks in the
Eucharist? We are not welcoming Jesus
into Jerusalem back then are we? No we
are here at Volmoed on a Thursday morning having communion. Yet there it is, embedded in the prayer we
say week by week, perhaps puzzled by why it is there, or simply accepting that
it is and not bothering to find out why. So what is going on here?
The clue is in the contrast between a horse
and a donkey. In olden times kings and
knights rode on horses when they went into battle, or entered cities they had
come to liberate or conquer. Peasants,
poor and humble folk, if they rode at all, did so on donkeys when they travelled
from one village to another, or went to town on market day. Horses are noble and proud creatures. They are owned, groomed, and ridden by the
powerful, famous and rich. Each week
around the world there are horse races that attract thousands of people. But nobody attends a donkey race except maybe
some farm labourers in a dusty township in the Northern Cape. What president would arrive at the EU or AU
or UN or our own Parliament seated on a donkey cart? Not even an ordinary member of parliament
would do that. No, the President arrives
in a gleaming Mercedes or BMW. And alongside are the proud horses that
accompany the procession as a sign of power.
Don't even think that donkey carts of VW Beetle might be more
appropriate, for that would suggest that politicians are a bunch of asses or
clowns. Perish the thought. It's a BMW or nothing!
But the peasants who welcomed Jesus riding
on a donkey knew that only cruel conquerors rode into Jerusalem on powerful
steeds, and they also knew that Herod the king was a puppet of the Romans who,
even if he had many horses in his stable, was impotent to save them from their
oppression. No, it was the man on the
donkey who excited the people that first Palm Sunday. After all, had not the prophets foretold that
the Messiah would come to save Israel in such a manner? No wonder they shouted out
"Hosanna," which literally
means "save us", deliver us from our oppression and set us free. They knew the words by heart because they
prayed them daily during the Feast of the Tabernacles and seven times on the
seventh day as they waved palm branches and sang Psalm 118: "Hosanna. Save us we beseech you, O Lord!... Blessed is
the one who comes in the name of the Lord." (25-6)
When we say these words in the Eucharist we
are not only praying for the salvation of the world and our own salvation, not
only for the liberation of the oppressed and the freedom of people and
ourselves from bondage, we are acknowledging that our salvation will not come in
a gleaming Cadillac's with outriders flashing
blue lights, but through the humble and compassionate service of those whose
life-style expresses dedication to the task.
The salvation of the world and our country is not dependent on the
promises made by politicians as they jet into town and leave again at high
speed under escort. Our salvation comes
through him who came to serve and give his life to set us free. That is why we cry out "Hosanna: Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
Palm Sunday is a dramatic challenge to the
abuse of political power when used to control and dominate people rather than
save, heal and deliver them. Of course,
political power is important in governing a country and sorting out the world's
problems. So I am not an anarchist who
wants to get rid of governments or United Nations and the like. On the contrary, I think they should be
strengthened but also challenged to do their job better than they are and,
fortunately there are those politicians and public servants who use their power
for the common good. But power is also
problematic because it so easily becomes corrupt, and the more powerful the
more corrupt. The moment power is abused
for selfish gain and not used for the public good it is no longer of God. Those who come in that way do not come in the
name of the Lord. For God's power
manifest in the man on the donkey is the power that saves, heals, and transforms. So on Palm Sunday God throws down the
gauntlet to all those who are abusing their power and authority whether in
government, town councils, or any of the institution including the church.
But it is not only politicians who abuse
power; we also know how fickle people can be and how we all can be sucked into
the system that benefits us at the expense of others. Many of those who shouted "Hosanna"
on Palm Sunday shouted "Crucify him" and "release Barabbas"
the next Friday. And even Jesus' own
disciples who loved the limelight of Palm Sunday were decidedly uneasy as the
week unfolded. Judas betrayed Jesus
because he was disappointed in the way in which Jesus refused to take Jerusalem
like a genuine liberator riding on a horse.
Crowds prefer their heroes to ride BMW's at high speed and act like
power figures rather than travel humbly on donkeys, because it seems to improve
their own status. Look how powerful our
leaders are compared to yours! Yet in
our better moments we know that Jesus' way is the way of salvation for us and
the world. That is why we are his
followers and join together here today to break bread in thanksgiving for his
self-giving love. For that is the power
of God at work in changing lives and bringing hope to the world. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Soon Easter Day will dawn and we will also be
shouting Hallelujah as well.
John de Gruchy
Volmoed 10 April 2014 Lent 5
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