Jon Hauerwas – April 9, 2017 – “The Lord Needs Them”

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 and Matthew 21:1-11

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem on Monday of the Passover celebration. Casting all subtlety to the side, he enters the holy city on the back of a donkey as a large crowd gathers, waving palm branches and chanting verses from Psalm 118. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Jesus is no ordinary, religious pilgrim, bystander, or passerby. Instead,
he has inserted himself squarely into the midst of nationalistic Palestinian aspirations and messianic Jewish expectations. By days’ end, he will enter the Temple, accuse the religious authorities of enriching themselves at the expense of those they were called to serve and, in a show of righteous anger, he will overturn the tables of the moneychangers, saying, “You have turned the house of the Lord into a den of robbers.” The stage is now set for the final confrontation.

All of this, of course, is the view from 30,000 feet. From here we see the big picture – an engaging drama unfolding on the world stage. But, much closer to the surface are the ordinary, human encounters. We know that Jesus’ triumphal entry in the holy city stirred the hopes and longings of the people lining the streets – those who yearned for a savior or, at the very least, a warrior who would help them to rise up and defeat the Romans. So, too, it’s easy to imagine the pride of the disciples – their collective morale surely boosted by the affirmation of the cheering crowds. The disciples had already dedicated three years of their lives to their teacher and his cause. Now everything he had told them was coming to fruition and fulfillment.

There are other sub-stories, as well, like the possible encounter between the disciples and the owner of the donkey upon which Jesus will ultimately ride. Matthew writes that Jesus instructed two of his closest followers to go ahead to the next town and untie a colt and its mother. There is no indication that either Jesus or the disciples he has chosen for this mission have any ongoing relationship with the donkey’s owner. Instead, we are left to imagine the disciples approaching the prized possessions of a complete stranger and simply walking away with them.

If anyone questions them – whether that questioning is offered in curiosity or in anger, Jesus says that they are to provide an answer that would never hold up in a court of law. Laughably, they are to maintain that “the Lord needs them.”
Did such an encounter ever happen? Or did they simply walk away with the donkeys amid the hustle and bustle of the day, no questions asked? We simply do not know. But, I do wonder.

And if we are bold enough to wonder about the characters in this story, are we also willing to consider our own, hypothetical place in this narrative? Where,
in other words, might you be found in the events of that day? Would you place yourself amid the crowd? Among those who were eager to declare a decisive victory over a foreign power or a puppet king? Do you imagine yourself, instead, amid the disciples – that hand-selected entourage of Jesus’ most faithful followers? The founders of the future church. Those who would risk their lives upholding his vision of truth and the coming the kingdom of God.

It’s typically much easier for us to place ourselves among those who sided with Jesus. After all, the vast majority of those here today would call ourselves Christians. But, before we assume only the best in ourselves, we are reminded that others were plotting in a different way.In a matter of days, Jesus’ adversaries will step out of the shadows, speaking out against all that Jesus stood for in an effort to seal his fate and signal his difficult journey to the cross. The final confrontation is coming.

And yet I imagine that most people then, as is the case now, were filled with ambivalence, apathy, or skepticism regarding all matters of God and faith. How might they respond to an unexpected request or a word from the Lord? And how would we respond, I wonder, if two strangers from out of town suddenly appeared and told us not to worry? They just needed to borrow our car for a little while. After all, the Lord needs it.

Friends, the deeper question here is about how God speaks to us. It’s often out of the blue, isn’t it?When someone asks us to contribute something of value to the cause of Jesus Christ. When, through some intermediary, God asks for our hearts or minds, our talents, gifts, or financial resources. When someone asks us to lead by serving or to lend our professionalskills to a project large or small.How receptive are we to these requests? I wonder.

The way of the cross, of course, is not about shaming followers into submission but about loving them enough that they might feel moved and called to go and do likewise. And here, on Palm Sunday, we find God’s gift of love for us. Conspicuously meek, Jesus rises to the occasion. Israel’s prophet, priest, and king comes riding on a borrowed donkey. He is a timeless paradox of humility and power, of servanthood and glory. Where are we, I wonder, in these unfolding scenes? And where is all that we have been entrusted with when the Lord needs them? May it be so and all thanks be to God. Amen.