03-27-21

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 27, 2021
Scripture: Mark 11:7-10
Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Thought for the Day: During my Lenten Study, I shared what I call the importance of keeping an eye on the extremes. There are many places in scripture where we are confronted with an absurdity or what appears as a shocking contrast for the purpose of dramatic effect. Jesus was riding a colt, a rather plain and un-royal creature. King David would not have been caught dead on a colt, yet here comes Jesus. We cannot ignore the extremes when they appear in scripture. What does it say to you that the long-awaited king was not only a controversial teacher, but so much of what he did could not have been any further from what people expected of a king? This was a nation under Roman occupation, but a hope of a new King David was on the hearts of many. This new king would crush the Romans, yet the rather unceremonious entrance of Jesus would not have engendered much confidence in such an outcome. What do you think the Gospel writer hoped his audience would hear? How do you think Jesus would have defined the coming kingdom of the ancestor David?

Prayer: What is there for us to learn? Help open the eyes of our hearts and minds, O Lord, as we explore how Jesus challenged the norms and expectations of almost everyone… then and now. Amen.

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