Outsider In – sermon on April 9, 2107
Matthew 21: 1-11 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Sermon: Outsider In by Rev. Doreen Oughton
Such a celebration! Such fun to enter into it, waving our palm branches, letting our sweet hosannas ring. I’m sure back in the day, when the pews were full, you had children parading around the Sanctuary, maybe even with garments strewn on the floor before them. And what we might have done in our churches would certainly pale beside the events of that amazing day about two thousand years ago, when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the Passover Festival with his disciples. Jesus may have planned ahead, arranging for the donkey and her colt, but for the crowd, it was a spontaneous happening – tossing their cloaks, pulling down palm branches to wave and to lay before the Savior. Did Jesus hope for such a reaction? Were the disciples his plants to get the ball rolling? Seems likely to me.
Scripture tells us he rode on the donkey and/or her colt in order to fulfill a prophecy in the Book of Zechariah – “Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Would the crowds headed into Jerusalem make the connection? Would they understand the symbolism? The scene also resonates with the responsive reading we did from Psalm 118 – the righteous shall enter through the gate of God, a festal procession with branches, cries of Hosanna, which means “save us.” Many of them would get it, I believe, given the focus on study of the Torah.
We know that Jesus is headed to Jerusalem not just for some holiday worship and a nice meal with his friends. He has told them that he is going to Jerusalem and will be arrested and killed, and will rise on the third day. The disciples have pushed back a little, but mostly skipped right over it, and here they are ready to make a big celebration. Is their mood excited and joyful? Are they so pleased to see Jesus get the recognition he deserves?
Whether the disciples realize it or not, Jesus is not seeking recognition as Zion’s coming king for the fun of it, or to get the support of people as he enters a trying situation. He knows how quickly the crowd will go from glorifying him to vilifying him. He is not doing it just to make a point about fulfilling a prophecy. He is also making a point about the current political situation in Israel. He is making a point about the oppression of God’s people in the land God chose for them. It is a political demonstration.
Jesus and this crowd are entering the city through the back gates, while the Roman guards and bigwigs are entering through the front gates. Jesus is on the colt, and the Romans are riding high on their war horses. Their goal is shock and awe, intimidate the people, let them know that Rome is watching, and things better not get out of hand. The people can worship, but they had better not question the way things are. The Temple leaders are willing to go along with this, and are rewarded for their cooperation. They know how things are done. They know how to work the system for their own benefit.
The story got me thinking about the political situation in this time and place. You know, during the campaign season, I wondered why Mrs. Clinton’s long experience in government service was seen as a drawback. People wanted an outsider, and to me that seemed questionable. I mean, when I go to get my hair done, I don’t want an outsider to the hair styling business. When the pipes in the bathroom leak, I don’t look for an outsider to plumbing. I want someone who knows what they’re doing, who has experience and skill in the field. The difference, I realize, is that the systems in place for hair styling and plumbing work, so you want someone who works well within those systems. To many, many people, the system of governance in this country does not work. It is broken. So to elect someone who works well in a broken system just perpetuates the brokenness.
I believe that Jesus was entering Jerusalem as the ultimate outsider, the perfect counterpoint to the shows of power and might and wealth on display on the main streets. And the people traveling with him through that back gate were outsiders as well. They were not from Jerusalem. They weren’t part of the “in” crowd, working the system to benefit themselves. No, they were the ones being most harmed by the system. Jesus was not looking to replace those in power in the halls of worldly power. He didn’t want to ride in next year through the front gate on the war horses trying to keep the Romans in line. Jesus didn’t want to be an insider – he who consistently stands with the outsiders. Jesus was showing us a new understanding of power – power for instead of power over. And he was channeling his power through divine love. Love doesn’t need a warhorse. Love doesn’t need to intimidate. Love doesn’t fear the voices of the oppressed. Love doesn’t close its eyes to suffering, doesn’t close its heart to pain. Love doesn’t need to fear death, because love can never really be killed. It will always be resurrected.
I was thinking about the importance of outsiders making their way in. It is the way of transformation. I participated yesterday in the Leicester Schools Future Search. The school district is working on a vision and goals for the next three years, and who did they invite to the process? Just people who are part of the school system? No, they invited outsiders – local outsiders, but outsiders – pastors and firefighters and retirees as well as parents and teachers and students. What might the Church do to open itself to transformation from the outside? Hard to say, as I am very much a church insider. But I can let this story and the overall example of Jesus be instructive – to remember that people too caught up as insiders can easily lose sight of what works for others if we are overly content with what works for us. How does the “insider” way of worship or administration interfere with our call to share and be the good news of God’s love? How can we listen better to an outsider’s perspective, an outsider to the church longing for what Jesus has to offer? It requires that we insiders emulate the humility of Christ, that we exercise our power not to get our own way, but to serve God and God’s people.
It means so much to me that Jesus offers us this counterpoint to worldly ways. Because as much as we long for a dismantling of our broken systems of governance, I believe it will take more than one non-politician to do it. It is a powerful system and has many ways to block change and punish attempts to call out its brokenness. Our yearning for something truly just, truly caring and healthy and healing will not likely be fulfilled in the world in our time. But as we turn to Jesus, our king coming to us, humble and mounted on a donkey; Jesus, whose body was broken for us; whose blood poured out for us and for all in a covenant of mercy; we can see those warhorses without fear. We can stand with Jesus beside the outsiders, we can stand with the oppressed and name what is happening; because we know that we belong to the kindom and not the world. We claim our identify first and foremost as children of God, as heirs to love itself, rather than citizens of a particular country. This is not our home. Our home is with God, and Jesus leads the way. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna.
