Mark 11:1-11
1When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
If you have tickets for the museum or the game or the show (back in the good old days before Covid), you did not peruse the museum from your car, you did not watch the game from the parking lot, and you did not watch the musical from the snack bar. The point of the ticket was to gain entrance into the museum, game, or theatre. So, when the time comes, you went into the place you bought a ticket to. When the museum opened you went into the exhibits to view the displays. When the game starts you went into the stadium or arena to watch the game from your seats. When the lights go down on the audience, you went into the hall and took your seats to be entertained by the actors and actresses.
So too is it with Christ. On that first Palm Sunday, Jesus of Nazareth rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, which stepped upon cloaks and branches to the tune of singing pilgrims. After his triumphant and lowly entrance, Jesus did not stop at an inn, Jesus did not visit the palace or the praetorium. As the Gospel of Mark reads, Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. He went into the temple. He did not remain outside, but went in, he arrived at the gates of the temple and he entered it.
But what is the temple and why of all the important places in Jerusalem, should Jesus first visit the Temple and why go in versus stay outside? The temple is a great many things, certainly an institution, an order of priests and scribes, and a marketplace; and Jesus is quite correct to criticize them for poor stewardship of the Temple. But the Temple is much more, because the Temple is the Covenantal Place to commune or connect with God. God speaks and blesses the people here in this space and the people with gratitude and faithfulness bless, worship and work for God. The Temple is the place of fellowship and communion between the faithful and mighty God and the people God has chosen to be objects of that faithfulness and might. And so, the Son went into the Temple commune with His Father. He went in.
By the Grace and Love of God, we at Trinity now face the prospect of our own Palm Sunday. In times past, Palm Sunday has been many things to us. Perhaps a day to work in the yard, or to vacation on Spring Break, or to attend the Indians games. But this Palm Sunday is much different and quite special. Because we have been without a sanctuary for the last few months, because we have been in quarantine and separate from our Covenantal Community, because we have been social distancing, our space for communing with God has been denied to us. But now, like Christ on that Palm Sunday, we have a chance and an opportunity to come into the Sanctuary of God. To hear the Word from God, to be blessed and renewed by God and to give back to God His portion, to bless God, to worship God, to glorify God and to serve God. This Palm Sunday, we now have the ability, like Christ to go into the Sanctuary, like Christ we can go in.
No longer can we take this or any Sunday for granted. No longer can we presume that we have a space and time to enter the sanctuary to commune with God. No longer can we find other things more important to do on a Sunday morning, like working by choice, like mowing the grass, sleeping in, taking a trip, or visiting people. Because we have been denied our sanctuary with God, we must learn a new appreciation for the time and space to come to God. We must no longer find a reason or excuse to skip going to Church, because this pandemic has taught us that Church might not always be there. We should no longer take the Covenant Community of God for granted, because the last few months, that we have been deprived of that Covenant Community. No longer should we ever stay out, this and every Sunday we should always go in.
My friends, this Palm Sunday is quite different and quite unique in that like Christ we are entering the Sanctuary of God for a “first” time in a long time. Our “Hosannas” need to be real expressions of mind and heart and no longer empty rites spoken from habit and custom. Our gifts given to God need to be real manifestations of our gratitude and thankfulness and no longer forced “taxes” given with bitterness and contempt. Our lives surrendered in faithful obedience need to be genuine representations of our baptismal vows and no longer vain attempts to avoid commitment and devotion. This Palm Sunday we must really go into the Sanctuary as Jesus did and still does, with faith and obedience to the Father. We must set apart the time this Palm Sunday and every Sunday, to enter the Sanctuary of God and live!
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