“LOOSED”
Saint Matthew 21.1-9
Palmarum: 4 April Anno Domini 2004
Fr Watson
The point is not the parade. The focus is on the destination. The "mission" of God is nearing its fulfillment.
In Matthew's Palm Sunday account the disciples and the Lord are inextricably "bound-up-together." As well it should be. "He who hear you, hears me..." Jesus said.
There is movement, preparation, and confession.
Movement. God initiates. The Lord does all the actions. He sets in motion the final stages of His visible ministry with the beginning of Holy Week. He and the 12 "draw nigh unto Jerusalem and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives..."
Names are identities. They mean things. How fitting for Our Lord to proceed from Bethphage to Jerusalem. Bethphage means: house of un-ripe figs. Christ leaves all that, which is, un-ripe, unready, un-doable by mans' action, efforts or works... He leaves it behind Him and joumeys on ahead to Jerusalem... the city of PEACE. For it is there that He who is the Prince of PEACE, God's Own Son, eternally begotten from eternity, there He will make PEACE between Creator and creature. His own suffering and death. His own Body and Blood will be the price for real peace. Peace is communion once again between God and Man.. .in Christ. Jesus is the ripe grape cluster. He will produce much red liquid --not wine-- but blood; And His divine "wine," His precious blood, will be good for all time, not only to drink (for the forgiveness of sins) but to bathe in ( + for the forgiveness of sins) and to wear as our family crest, our seal, our own sign of identity.
Preparation. Again, the Lord sets all into motion. He sends two of His Disciples into the city on a mission. A mission so important that it is easy to miss. Yes, yes they are to secure transportation. But why? The Lord has never ridden into the city before. Why now? "That it might be fulfilled" He sends two. Probably Peter and John-- the oldest and the youngest. Two to symbolize both the Old Covenant and the New Testament. Two to symbolize the over-arching content of those Sacred Scriptures: Law & Gospel. Two to hearken to Our Lord's own Two Perfect Natures: true God (divinity) and true Man (humanity) in one Person. Likewise the reason that they bring back to Him two animals: both the donkey and her colt.
The heart of this story; the heart of the New Testament, of the Bible, of Christ Himself is contained in one word which Saint Matthew uses to describe Christ's command to His two followers: "LOOSE them and bring them to Me" "LOOSE" that is untie, unbind, free, liberate, redeem, SAVE them. Not so they can run away. Not for some p.e.t.a. -style emotional buzz.... but so that "you can bring them to Me." To be free from bondage. Those donkey's point to us Christians. The Lord doesn't want you chained up to the devil's barn; He doesn't want you slaving away to the sinful desires of your flesh or to the wanton blasphemies of the world. He wants you "LOOSED" so that you can be brought to Him. Why? So he can love you face to face. So He can tell you you're forgiven.. and kiss you, and embrace you. And feed you and clothe you.
The Disciples do this preparation, for in fact, whenever the called ministers of Christ deal with us... "this is as valid and certain, in heaven also, as if Christ, our Dear Lord dealt with us Himself."
Why a donkey? "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet..." Hundreds of years earlier the Prophet Zechariah had written that the Messiah would arrive as a different kind of king: "meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." Why a donkey?
Because that's the way the Lord wanted it? It was to be the Lord's pulpit. His delivery system. His means of being brought into the midst of His people. Sometimes He had used a synagogue, sometimes a boat, a dining table or a mountain top. Now He is lifted up for all to behold..... .on the back of an ass? Yes. King David had once ridden on one of these humble little creatures when Abaslom's rebellion had chased him out of Jerusalem. Now, to make all things new again, the Lord rides one back into David's city. The message couldn't be clearer for those with the eyes of faith to behold. Not an earthly monarch, not riding a war-stallion, no armies, no weapons.
This king would be mild and lowly, resting on the back of a she-ass and then later her foal, thronged by a New Testament army of fishermen, tax-collectors, women, children and ex-prostitutes, no weapons save the Word of God, and the arms of the Savior fit not only to bless and forgive, but to be nailed to the tree as well.
This is the only way the Gospel is taken in. In humility and smallness. This is the only door into the sheepfold, the way of baptizing the infant of converting the penitent. Yes, it is scandalous to the unbeliever, even to our old sinful natures. It is foolishness to the worldly wise, but Grace-filled wisdom to the born again.
The crowd knew! Maybe not all of them. Maybe not in a perfect way. But many did. They spread garments. They let the Christ ride on their dirty clothes for by Him, in Him, clothed in His robes of redemption "LOOSING" they would be clothed by God Himself. Clean beyond clean.
The crowd knew! Listen to what they shouted: "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Hosamia: "SAVE NOW," or "save us" or even "God save the King." A cry for mercy, a plea for deliverance, an entreaty for "LOOSING." They direct their cries not to a military leader, a political revolutionary, not even to a wise and blessed prophet.... .but to the Son of David! To call the Nazarene by this title was to confess the faith! This was the Old Testament Creed; belief in the coming Messiah. They were praying to the great "LOOSER," the Son of God who was also true man born of Mary, the physical desecendant of David.
This worship service is the same as ours. "And the multitudes that went before, and that followed" were crying out. Yes, Jesus was in the middle, surrounded both back and front.
Always two groups. The saints that have come before us and who now repose in the Lord in the kingdom of Glory. And we, current, physical disciples still active in the kingdom of Grace. Together with these angels, archangels and the whole company of heaven we cry out Hosanna! And we believe. SAVE NOW! He did. He quickly left the Palm Sunday crowd and plunged back into the work of the week we call Holy. He left His mount on the donkey so that sin and its minions could mount Him on the wood of the cross.
Because of His Hosanna...... As a called and ordained servant of the Prince of Peace, I LOOSE you in the Name of The Father and of The Son + and of The Holy Ghost.