The Road Less Traveled
Luke 19:29-40 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
31 If anyone asks you, Why are you untying it? say, The Lord needs it. 32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, Why are you untying the colt? 34 They replied, The Lord needs it.
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, rebuke your disciples! 40 I tell you, he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.
Anamorphic Art: Art that makes sense when viewed only from a particular perspective. (Hans Hoblein and Edward VI
From our usual perspective : It s a parade! But let us look closer and at a different angle
We see a colt and a foal.a mama donkey and her baby. Hardly the transportation of conquerors and kings, now is it? A beast of burden incapable of any work except carrying the messiah.
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
We see crowds, people shouting Hosanna or save us in Aramaic. They are cries for redemption and change, not just salutes to a King.
Psalm 118:25 Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!
The Golden Gate
And we see palms don t we? But do we see their meaning? After all we named a Sunday after them. The image of palms have three meanings in the story:
John 12:13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!
1.A symbol of Royalty, particularly in Egypt. Palms were use in Royal Processions. 2.Palms were a symbol of life and of peace. After all, what grew up around the oasis and well as in the desert, bearing fruit..palm trees. 3.Palms were used in funeral processions as a symbol of life after death due to their perpetual greenness.
So what do we see now? Do we see a parade or a pageant, a living metaphor?
In this story resides most of the elements of the salvation story of Jesus: 1.The Divine King 2.The Humble King 3.The King who conquers death 4.The King who saves
Look for the Messiah this week. Not in the grandeur of cathedrals, but in the humble places, the human places of work and commerce, of life. Look for Jesus, a Royal King, but a humble servant. Look for his presence in the broken places of life.an wonder on what manner of King brings our salvation on the back of a lowly beast of burden.
Wait for the Messiah, through betrayal and trial..wait for hope and redemption in the darkest hours of inhuman suffering for humanity s sake wait for the Good News of Easter and empty tombs. We must go through this valley as Jesus did. We must, but we do not go alone. Thanks be to God!
The Road Less Traveled Is not the road of Kings lined with Palms, at least not for long only a few blocks, then the crowd thins out and the soldiers and the priests are waiting for you....is not a broad avenue in the midst of cheering throngs,...is not an easy road to throngs of people willing to swear allegience to your every move, (as long as it doesn't really cost much.)...is not the road to popularity and admiration,
The The Road Less Traveled... Is the steep and rocky road, often lonely, often dangerous....is the winding path that leads through the wilderness, sometimes with only a small oasis for comfort....is the road that leads sometimes into darkness and uncertainty and always away from the conventional comforts of the self satisfied life.
The Road Less Traveled. Starts in Jerusalem's gate but takes us to the upper room, then to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Temple of Caiphus and the palace of pilot. The road less traveled leads to Golgotha, a trash dump on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The road less traveled leads to a rocky tomb owned by someone else.
The The Road Less Traveled : calls us to make our way too, though not in the easy ruts of the masses before us, but in the fear and trembling of growing up into the people of God. That road less traveled demands nothing less than our absolute best, but forgives our absolute worst.
That road is easier for the poor than it is for the rich. The Road Less Traveled leads out of our selfcenters, our self- interest, our selfsatisfaction. The road less traveled leads away for the false security of wealth and the idols we have erected in its name. The road less traveled demands true companions and loving friends.
Many may start the journey with us, but not all will finish with us. The road less traveled is not the broad avenue, but a narrow gate leading us into deeper faith and trust in the one who places us on this journey to faith and love. The road less traveled leads to nowhere else. but God.