They did not understand yet! ...

Tuesday, June 24, 2014. Sometimes we do not understand why particular things happen. We can be so stupid, when it comes to the interpretation of events close to us as well as on a national or international scale. And often, things ARE difficult to judge. We cannot see into human motives. We do not know, what drives some people. And often we cannot see into the deep roots and processes which drive our fate.

The King on a Donkey …

We come to a passage from the Gospel of John today, where Jesus rides into Jerusalem. He rides on a donley. The king on a donkey! Why does this happen? But let us read first:

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 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!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” (John 12, 12-19)

There is a strong contrast in this chapter of the Gospel of John. On one hand, there are all those who celebrate Jesus, the king. They take the palm trees, they are crying out, they are excited. On the other side, there are those who want to kill him, and who are not happy about all those who follow him.

Classical Power Struggle …

We can see that Jesus is drawn into a classical power struggle. It is a struggle which is there in many layers of our social interaction, in politics as well as in companies. It is there in institutes and public offices. Some see their power in danger, and work against those who seem to be the threat!

Of course, here is much more behind it than the power struggle. Jesus IS the king - the bible describes this clearly. And people realize his authority and see the wonders which follow him. They search for more, search for someone who can help them and heal them. They might not understand yet, that he truely is the king, and that this also means that we need to obey. We often want salvation without obedience. But at this point in time, the excitement reigns.

Jesus travels on a donkey. He is not on a horse, not like the fighters. The donkey is the symbol of peace times, of security, of work and wealth. Jesus comes on a donkey - a very strong statement indeed. It is linked to the passage of the prophet which are cited here.

Is Jesus coming to you? Is he your king? Is he coming into your life with his donkey? That is the real question we should ask ourselves here. Is he OUR king, or just some heroic figure out there on the road? We cannot expect his spirit to come into our heart and mind, if we do not want him to be our own king as well. Go ahead, and ask him to be, - today! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts