Today is today

Text: Luke 19: 28 - 40

The stories preceding this story are not all happy and joyful. Some are but to me they certainly don't build to this "Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem."

At the end of chapter 18, Jesus foretells his death and resurrection for the third time in Luke's gospel. And for the third time, the disciples don't get it.

Then a blind beggar is shouting out to Jesus while those around him sternly shush him. But he will not be shushed. He shouts even more loudly. The story then reads, Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him. Jesus didn't keep walking. He did not make them catch up to him. He stopped what he was doing so that he could attend to this man who was shouting out to him. After the beggar received his sight he began glorifying God and followed Jesus.

Next is the story of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector who was rich and "short in stature." He wanted to see Jesus as he passed by so he climbed a tree. Jesus saw him, called him by name, and invited himself over to spend the night. Zacchaeus was thrilled. The crowd grumbled. After all, Zacchaeus was a chief of the tax collectors. How much more of a sinner could Jesus find? But Jesus sees Zacchaeus' character and not his occupation, and calls him a son of Abraham.

Immediately following this, while Jesus had the attention of his crowd of disciples ... grumbly though they were ... he told them the parable of "a nobleman who went to a distant country to get royal power for himself." The nobleman summons ten of his slaves and gives them each the same amount of money with which to do business until he returns. While he is gone, many of the citizens speak out against his being a ruler over them because they hate him. We are told what happens with three of these slaves. The first profits 10 more pounds, the second profits 5, and the third has only the pound he was given. While the first and the second are rewarded with cities to govern equivalent to the profits they made, the nobleman takes the pound away from the third one and gives it to the first. Finally, the nobleman turned king says those citizens who hate him are his enemies and he calls for their slaughter in his presence.

Now we begin our story of the triumphal entry. Not after the joyous glorifying of God after the beggar's healing. Not after Zacchaeus being declared a son of Abraham. No ... it is after a harsh king reprimands a scared slave and calls for the slaughter of those who oppose him. And all of these stories are in the context of Jesus explaining to his followers that he is about to be tortured and killed and them not getting it.

This story of the triumphal entry, like so many other stories, often gets told in a vacuum as if it's just one cool thing happening after another until finally they are overwhelmed with joy to the point of singing and dancing in the street. Other times the disciples are criticized because they are singing and dancing in the street when they should be scared out of their minds about Jesus' prediction of his death.

Were they rejoicing because they thought those who opposed Jesus were going to be slaughtered in his presence? How could they think that and why would they rejoice over that? It doesn't jive with the rest of Jesus' teachings.

Did they not understand Jesus telling them that he was going to be tortured and killed because they thought it was a parable? Did they not understand because they didn't want to understand?

Does it matter? Were they wrong to express their joy that Jesus was with them that day riding on a donkey showing the world that he was indeed THE King? The Pharisees thought it was wrong. According to Jesus it was not wrong of them. It was the only reasonable thing that they could be doing. If they stopped, the stones would shout out. That seems like it would have been even more disruptive than a parade of shouting people.

Some scholars believe that Jesus was leading his parade of loyal followers at the same time that Pontius Pilate was leading his parade at the other end of the city. Both came for the purpose of peace. Pilate came to keep the peace during the Passover when droves of Jews came to their most holy city to remember the time that their people revolted against their oppressors with Moses and God at the helm. How clever of the Romans to let one Jewish prisoner go during the Passover. Moses demanded Pharaoh, "Let my people go!" But Pharaoh's heart was hardened. Pilate said, "Okay, I'll give you one. You get choose even."

Whatever the factual details of the day were; whatever the motivation for the cheering and singing; Jesus was riding on a donkey on which no one had ever ridden and he had a parade cheering him on. The donkey ... a humble working animal. One that had never been ridden ... a humble working animal saved for a sacred moment. How could the crowds resist cheering? In spite of the dire the parables and criticism by the Pharisees, their messiah; their healer; their hero was riding into Jerusalem for the festival and they were right there for it!

A lot had happened prior to this moment. A lot was going to happen after this moment. But this was the moment in which they were living. They may not have understood half of what Jesus said, but they did see what he did and they knew how he made them feel. And right now he made them feel like celebrating.

There are so many moments. We think we know what might happen tomorrow or next week. And we know what happened yesterday. We know that we don't understand half of what's going on most of the time. Can we set all these knowings aside – not forget about them completely because they do inform how we make plans and help us make the choices that are set before us – but can we set aside the expectation of how we should feel or live based on these knowings and simply look at the moment we are in and respond to that? Sure there are people out there who will criticize. We may be tempted to criticize our own selves. But when we miss those moments we never get them back. If Jesus had died and not gotten the parade because folks were too bound by his coming death, it would have been a grievous loss. When I sit at the bedside of someone who is dying it's a beautiful thing to find a moment of laughter or celebration.

We are all going through very hard things. Our tomorrows may be painful and scary. Our today may be painful and scary. But when there is a moment to celebrate – regardless of who will think what – we should celebrate. I think we should look for those moments of joy. I think we should even create them.

The writer of proverbs said, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." (Pr 13:12) The writer of proverbs also says, "A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." (Pr 15:13) And also, "A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones." (Pr 17:22)

I know it is not easy to have a cheerful heart when hope is deferred! But I also know that I do not want my bones to dry up. I do not want my spirit broken. Neither do I want to see your bones dry or your spirit broken.

Today's celebration just may be what gets you through tomorrow's grief. Good Friday will get here soon enough. For today, Happy Palm Sunday.