The Coming Kingdom of David?

The so-called triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as recorded in Mark 11:1-11, the processional gospel appointed for Palm Sunday, is strange to say the least.  Jesus says nothing as he enters the city, even though the crowds are chanting "Hosanna!" and "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!"  His only reaction to all this celebration is to dismount from his 'mighty steed', enter the temple, take a look around, and leave.  Does Jesus know this is the beginning of the march to the scaffold and not a victory parade?  Certainly.  Does the crowd?  Hardly.  How do we see this parade?

(The following questions have been developed to stimulate thought on some of the fundamental questions for Law and Gospel preachers, questions surrounding the function of the Word.  For more on this unique genre of preaching, see my brief guide to Law and Gospel preaching, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com and amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word is presenting Jesus as one in authority.  In the gospel of Mark the religious leaders are shown again and again to be devoid of authority.  (see Powell's What is Narrative Criticism? for further discussion).  Jesus stands in direct contrast to them.  His authority can be seen here in the behavior of those who handle the bringing of the colt to him.  When the disciples tell those who own the colt what Jesus had said, they immediately release it into their safe-keeping.  This presentation of Jesus' authority is both a Law and a Gospel function.  It is Law in that we too are under Jesus' authority.  It is Gospel in that all of our enemies, including Death itself, are under Jesus' authority.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no explicit word of either Law or Gospel here.  There is no word which proclaims what God has done in Christ.  There is also no explicit word which exposes our need for Christ.  The closest this text comes to exposing our need is the report of  the words of the crowd, "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!"  This is clearly a misunderstanding of who Jesus is, and what he has come to do.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We have two choices here: we can either identify with the disciples who are doing the Lord's bidding, or we can identify with the crowds who cry out.  If we enter into the position of the disciples, this text becomes a call to obedience. If we enter into the position of the crowds, this text primarily lifts up our misunderstanding of Jesus.  This will be our choice.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The simple instructions that Jesus gives to the two disciples who are given the task of procuring the colt could be thought of as a call to obedience. As disciples of Jesus we are called to simple tasks, the ending of which we cannot see.  Yet, if we obey faithfully God uses us to bring about the reign of God in the world.  This could be a very fruitful way to approach this text.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  If we enter into this text as a Law/Gospel text, we can see a number of possibilities:  mistaken about Jesus/Jesus revealed; celebrating kingdoms of this world/celebrating eternal kingdoms.

6.  Exegetical work:  The thing we notice at the outset is the wealth of detail in this text.  Unlike the rapid-fire style of much of Mark, where events pass by in a blur, this event is reported as it were, in slow motion.  We are told what Jesus says, what the disciples do, how others respond, and even the source of the leafy branches strewn on the road.  Why all this detail?  It points to the fact that we are supposed to understand this event as more than mere 'triumphal entry.'  Donahue and Harrington, in their commentary, say it well:  "That Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was intended as a symbolic action or prophetic demonstration is indicated by the elaborate preparations made in vv. 1-7." (Sacra Pagina, The Gospel of Mark, p. 324)  Lamar Williamson has recounted a number of texts that connect to this symbolism:  "Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.  On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives."(Zech. 14:34)  "Rejoice, your king comes to you, triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zech. 9:9)  "Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, 'Jehu is king.'" (II Kings 9:13)  (Interpretation, Mark, p. 202-203)  Williamson goes on to point out the tragic irony of this 'royal parade': "Mark depicts an entry which is triumphal only to Jesus' followers who have not yet understood his destiny as Son of man.  For Jesus, it is an entry into suffering and death." (Ibid, p. 204)

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  This text might be a good one in which to practice the celebration that Henry Mitchell always urged. After all, despite all of our doubts and misunderstandings and sins, Jesus comes to save.  He is not the king we were hoping for but the king we desperately need.

Blessings on your proclamation!