Something former associate pastor David Kaden mentioned last weekend
when he was here for the Foote Lectures came to mind about our lessons
for Palm Sunday. He mentioned the gospel writer’s use of imagery drawn
from the Greek and Roman world, one of which was the Triumph, the
procession through Rome by the triumphant emperor or general, displaying
the treasures and captives of a fallen nation. Of course, other
cultures had their victory parades, too, including Israel many times in
the Hebrew Bible. Important people arrive in processions.
David reminded me of some of the richness those historical contexts add to the gospel narratives of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Unlike the big official processions that take lots of planning, Jesus’ arrival the week before Passover was spontaneous and from the people, and rather humble at that. People cut branches and threw laundry on the road to keep the dust down, not quite the strewing of flowers before the guest of honor, but a practical way of showing respect and affection.
In the full-bore Roman triumph, the conqueror or emperor rode a chariot with four white horses. Incidentally, those had not happened in Rome for several generations when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, but there were smaller occasions in different cities for celebrities of non-empire standing. Victorious generals or magistrates and such would have processions in which they rode a white horse as the guest of honor. Israel had a tradition of kingly entries back to Saul and David and Solomon, and the branches and cloaks would have been typical. Some commentators make much of Jesus riding a donkey instead of a horse as a sort of subversion of the state procession, but some writers have noted processions when the guest of honor was on a donkey as a sign of self-conscious humility. In Jesus’ case, we know it was actually humility.
Luke is a good author and trying to use the literary and social conventions of not only Israel but of Rome to reinforce his theological point about Jesus’ being the savior of the world. So I think he plays with the conceits of the triumphant entry to emphasize and reinterpret Christ through the events of that day. He picks up on Israelite kings— including King David, reminding us of the whole Davidic Messiah thing— processing into the capital city and the imagery of palms in Psalm 118. He sprinkles a couple of dashes of Roman lore on it for those in the wider ancient world. But I like the way he has the “triumphant entry” happen before anything really happens! The victory lap seems premature, and it will seem tragically misguided as arrest and crucifixion play out. Yet Luke knows perfectly well that the triumph of Easter will prove it all very true and very powerful. The real victory triumph— the victory over sin and evil and death— will be resurrection. Christ’s resurrection. Our resurrection.
Come join us Sunday for palms and procession and pageantry (and pancakes) and faith in the life to come!
In Christ,
David
Texts For Sunday Worship:
David reminded me of some of the richness those historical contexts add to the gospel narratives of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Unlike the big official processions that take lots of planning, Jesus’ arrival the week before Passover was spontaneous and from the people, and rather humble at that. People cut branches and threw laundry on the road to keep the dust down, not quite the strewing of flowers before the guest of honor, but a practical way of showing respect and affection.
In the full-bore Roman triumph, the conqueror or emperor rode a chariot with four white horses. Incidentally, those had not happened in Rome for several generations when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, but there were smaller occasions in different cities for celebrities of non-empire standing. Victorious generals or magistrates and such would have processions in which they rode a white horse as the guest of honor. Israel had a tradition of kingly entries back to Saul and David and Solomon, and the branches and cloaks would have been typical. Some commentators make much of Jesus riding a donkey instead of a horse as a sort of subversion of the state procession, but some writers have noted processions when the guest of honor was on a donkey as a sign of self-conscious humility. In Jesus’ case, we know it was actually humility.
Luke is a good author and trying to use the literary and social conventions of not only Israel but of Rome to reinforce his theological point about Jesus’ being the savior of the world. So I think he plays with the conceits of the triumphant entry to emphasize and reinterpret Christ through the events of that day. He picks up on Israelite kings— including King David, reminding us of the whole Davidic Messiah thing— processing into the capital city and the imagery of palms in Psalm 118. He sprinkles a couple of dashes of Roman lore on it for those in the wider ancient world. But I like the way he has the “triumphant entry” happen before anything really happens! The victory lap seems premature, and it will seem tragically misguided as arrest and crucifixion play out. Yet Luke knows perfectly well that the triumph of Easter will prove it all very true and very powerful. The real victory triumph— the victory over sin and evil and death— will be resurrection. Christ’s resurrection. Our resurrection.
Come join us Sunday for palms and procession and pageantry (and pancakes) and faith in the life to come!
In Christ,
David
Texts For Sunday Worship:
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