Psalm 118:19-24 – Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Hosanna, Hosanna! This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it, indeed. The somber season of Lent is coming to a close, as we enter Jerusalem with shouts and acclamation. We have seen the miracles Jesus has done and we are ready to storm the gates of righteousness to take our place in this new kingdom. We have been disenfranchised long enough. We are poor, outcast, sick and undesirable. We don’t get to carry the keys to the kingdom, but this is our chance. Jesus is headed to Jerusalem. We should go with him!
What I love about Palm/Passion Sunday is the juxtaposition of emotions. We open with waving palms and songs of joy and expectation. Our Savior is coming! He’s storming the gates of righteousness! We are rebuilding the temple to be what God intended. The promise is about to come true!
And too often, we are tempted to stay in this spot, waving our branches, waiting for Jesus, without considering the rest of the week. We want to miss the day in the temple, where Jesus upsets the carts and makes a mess. We sit at the Last Supper, failing to take in what he is saying about his body and blood as a living sacrifice of love. Somehow, the trial surprises us, and before we know it, we’ve denied we even knew him, and he’s dying there on the cross. Our world is spinning out of control.
But we can’t get to Easter unless we pass though the full range of emotions today. Jesus is at the gate, ready to change to world. He’s just not going to do it in the ways we were expecting. Will we go with him on this journey or stay outside with our branches?
