THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
As we will see through Holy Week, the wisest and most powerful work of God appears foolish and weak when viewed through the lens of human Empire. There were actually two processions on this day. In one, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, with no weapons and no army. There was simply singing, celebration, a quick visit to the Temple, and then it was all over (at least in Mark’s account). In the other procession, Pilate rode into Jerusalem on a warhorse accompanied by legions of Roman soldiers with all the pomp and ceremony of an Imperial authority figure. Next to this procession, Jesus would certainly have looked foolish.
Yet, as this last week of Jesus’ ministry unfolded, Jesus challenged all the various forms of human Empire—wealth, power and our addiction to our physical appetites—and revealed a way of being and of living together that was in complete contrast. The Reign of God, revealed in generous giving, collaborative community, and disciplined simplicity, flies in the face of the values that have directed most of human history. But it opens the way to a life of justice, peace, grace, and love for all who are foolish enough to risk living by its ways.
This Holy Week, we are called to meditate on God’s Reign again, and follow the sacrificial, life-giving way of Christ in order to live as true citizens of God’s Realm.
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