(Five young people were confirmed at the 10:30am service at Zion, Walla Walla).
There’s a familiar scene in hundreds of movies and TV programs: a police officer is on foot, pursuing his suspect. He then sees his target about to elude him, by hopping into a taxi or bus or stealing some sort of vehicle. Desperate, the cop flags down a passing vehicle, flashes their badge, and shouts: “Stop, police business! I’m commandeering your vehicle in the name of the law.” They pull the driver out of their seat, and take off after the bad guy. There’s various versions: in one movie the police officer commandeers a Ferrari only to see it crushed under a cable car. Others borrow a horse, monster truck, or speed boat. In one comic version, the law enforcement agent commandeers an ice-cream truck — you can just imagine the scene unfolds!
There’s a similar scene in our gospel reading. King Jesus has been on a journey to Jerusalem, the capital city, the centre of politics and religion for this region. Kings or emperors would often ride into a city to celebrate victory. They would ride atop a white stallion. But this scene plays out a little differently in Luke’s gospel. The kingdom of God is not going to be a display of power and might and authority.
Firstly, two disciples, two agents of the king, are sent to commandeer a vehicle for King Jesus. But they don’t commandeer a Ferrari or a white stallion. Instead they get an untamed and untrained colt (the young of a donkey). ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden.’ (Luke 19:30). The agents of the king are challenged as they commandeer the donkey, so they flash their badge: ‘As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.”’ (Luke 19:33–34). We’ll come back to this statement, “The Lord needs it,” in a just a moment.
Well it’s not a Ferrari or white stallion, but the procession continues. The crowd spread their cloaks on the road, like red carpet for royalty. Now you might expect the procession to enter the grand gates of Jerusalem with trumpets blowing and banners waving. But what happens is that King Jesus’ procession descends into the valley. ‘He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives’ (Luke 19:37). A valley?! Valleys were often a dumping ground for rubbish, an area to burn garbage, the burial place for the unclean. King Jesus descends on a donkey to the very bottom of the valley, to the depths of darkness, despair, loneliness, powerlessness. It is here in the valley that we find King Jesus. It is here that we find the kingdom of God.
It’s almost as if Jesus is mocking the establishment. He mocks the powerful. He mocks Ceaser. He mocks the ‘kings’ and ‘lords’ of these lands. He says, “Displaying wealth and might and power is not what it means to be a true king. I am a servant king.” As one theologian said: ‘Palm Sunday … is the celebration, not of God’s power and majesty and might, but of God’s compassion for those — for us — who are at the bottom of the hill, the bottom of life, where there seems to be no way up. Today we celebrate not a God of power, but a God of compassion; a God who comes to be with us in our descents.’ Jesus is the Lord and King of compassion. He is full of so much love and compassion for you that he descends into the valley, he descends to the cross. This Friday — Good Friday — we’ll hear and experience once again the crucifixion of our Lord. Jesus will hang on the cross with a sign above his head reading: “This is the king of the Jews.” And this king cries out in compassion, “Father, forgive them.”
Remember I said we would return to the response of the two agents, “The Lord needs it.” In saying this, these two agents were confessing that Jesus is Lord. Not a lord, but THE Lord. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. St Paul says: ‘If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.’ (Romans 10:9–10).
So what does it mean to confess “Jesus is Lord”? It means that Jesus takes priority in your life. He is the Lord of your life, all or nothing.
‘If Jesus is Lord, then Caeser is not.
If Jesus is Lord, then the economy and stock market are not.
If Jesus is Lord, then my house, possessions, country, and job are not.
If Jesus is Lord, then I am not.’ — Richard Rohr
Everyone has a lord, something or someone that you put your trust in. I wonder who your Lord is? Is Jesus your Lord?
When Jesus is your Lord it takes the worry out of life. When the stock market crashes, Jesus is still Lord. When you lose your job or your possessions, Jesus is still Lord. When the country goes to pieces, Jesus is still Lord. When you crumble into a failed heap, descending into the darkest valley, Jesus is still Lord. But at the bottom of the hill you discover that Jesus is down in the valley with you.
It’d be nice if I were able to say to you (especially to our confirmees) that being an agent of Jesus you get to flash your badge and commandeer a Ferrari. It would be nice if confessing “Jesus is Lord” will lead to power or privilege. That would make it much easier to sell, wouldn’t it?! But the truth is, as agents of King Jesus, when we confess “Jesus is Lord,” when we flash our badge, we get an untrained donkey traveling to the bottom of the hill.
That’s because Jesus is a different sort of King. He’s a king who promises to travel with you down into your valleys. In the depths of despair, hopelessness, powerlessness, darkness — it is here Jesus is found. No lord on earth can promise this. No earthly king can meet this deepest need.
Everyone has a lord, someone or something they trust. Who are you going to confess as Lord? May you confess that “Jesus is Lord and King over all.” May our heavenly Father help you live out this confession with your lives, each and every day, even if it means following a donkey down a hill, and following Jesus to the cross. Amen.
