(with references to Zechariah 9:1-11:3)
“Simon, are you sure that he is coming this way?”
“Elam, how can I know for sure? Am I this Jesus of Nazareth? I am only telling you what everybody is saying!”
“And they are saying that he is coming down the Jericho Road, through Bethany, and will enter Jerusalem through the Golden Gate?”
“Yes, that is what they are saying.”
“But are you sure that is the way that he is coming? I don’t want to miss this.”
“No! I just told you I am not sure. I am only repeating what I have been hearing. I am a scribe, not a soothsayer or a prophet. I cannot foretell the future.”
“But you were just in Bethany. Did you see him there?”
“No, Elam. I did not see him there. Maybe he is still on the Jericho Road on the other side of Bethany, or maybe he stayed in someone’s home in Bethany overnight. I’m sorry, I didn’t visit every home in Bethany to see if they might have had houseguests last night. I will try to do better in the future!”
“Well, there seems to be a lot of people here in Jerusalem heading toward the Golden Gate. Maybe we should go there and wait. Perhaps that will be the way he will come.”
“Wow! What a good idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Maybe we should go to the Golden Gate and see if this Jesus is coming into Jerusalem through that gate! Seems like everybody is heading that way! Seems like that is the direction that everybody is saying that he is coming from! Maybe, if we go there and wait, we will get to see him when he comes into the city!”
“You know, Simon, there are days that I wonder why I remain friends with you. A lot of people would not put up with all your sarcasm, you know.”
“And if those same people had been friends with you as long as I have, they would have been driven to insanity or murder by now!”
“They can go insane if they want, but murder would be breaking one of the commandments of God.”
“True. But it is the only forbidden fruit that continues to tempt me!”
And so the conversation went between the two scribal friends, as they hurried toward Jerusalem’s Golden Gate. They were eager to see what would happen when the Nazarene that everyone had been talking about finally entered the temple city of the people of Judea.
When the two friends arrived at the gate to the city known as the Golden Gate, a large crowd of people had already assembled there.
“Simon, look at all the people! There are more people here than at the hippodrome last week!”
“Oh my gosh!” Simon said as he stepped through the gate and peered down into the Kidron Valley. “There are people lining both sides of the road all the way down into the valley, and all the way up the hill going into Bethany!”
“Herod has never drawn such a crowd,” Elam said.
“Elam, Caesar couldn’t draw this big a crowd – at least not in Jerusalem.”
“This can’t be good, can it, Simon?”
“You are right, my friend. This is not good. This Jesus should not be drawing so much attention to himself. This is a very dangerous thing to be doing.”
“Do you want to go on down the road to wait on the Nazarene?”
“Elam, I walked that road early this morning, and I will have to walk it again to get home tonight. I have no need to add more trips down this hill and up the other side of the valley. I will sit right here and wait. Jesus can come to me. I am not one of his disciples.”
“Simon, look! Up at the top of the hill near Bethany, the crowd seems all agitated!”
“You’re right, Elam. You can hear their noise all the way over here. They must see Jesus coming!”
“But I don’t see any horses, or camels, or chariots. Shouldn’t a procession with a very important person have horses or camels?”
“Elam, this Jesus is not a king. He is just a prophet. Prophets don’t ride horses or camels. Prophets walk just like the rest of us.”
“I hear people call him a rabbi.”
“Now that makes me mad! Just because someone sets themselves up as a teacher of Israel doesn’t mean that they are. Has this Jesus been through rabbinical training? Has he even had the schooling that you and I have, Elam? No! He can’t even be a scribe, much less a rabbi!”
“Don’t get angry with me, Simon. I’m just saying that is what people are calling him. I didn’t say I agree with them.”
“Well, it makes me mad – calling someone a rabbi when they have no training. I think I’m being charitable when I call him a prophet. What is going on over there!”
“What? What are you talking about, Simon?”
“Can’t you see, Elam? The whole hillside over there seems to have gone mad! People are running, jumping, and.…”
“And some look like they are dancing in the street, Simon! Can you believe that?”
“They’re tearing branches off trees, Elam! Why would they be doing that?”
“I wouldn’t know, Simon, but I think the owners of those trees are going to be upset.”
“My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be, Elam. So tell me, are some of those people throwing their cloaks onto the road?”
“Hmmmm. You know, Simon, I think your old eyes have it right. They do seem to be throwing their cloaks onto the road.”
“Are there body guards with Jesus? Are people being forced to pay tribute to him with their cloaks?”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing! Do you suppose that is really what they are doing?”
“I don’t know, Elam, but I can tell you that even Caesar couldn’t get my cloak away from me today. It is much too chilly out here for that kind of nonsense.”
“Simon, can you see this Jesus yet?”
“All I see is a huge mob of people, and all I hear is the noise they are making.”
“There is so much noise it is hard to make out what they are saying. Are they complaining about having to throw their cloaks onto the road? Can you tell, Simon?”
“They’re drawing closer, but it is still hard to hear their words.”
“I think some of them are shouting ‘Hosannas.’ Do you hear them?”
“Yes. You’re right, Elam. They are definitely shouting ‘Hosanna.’ Angry people do not shout ‘Hosanna.’ I think they are willingly putting their cloaks on the road.”
“Look, Simon, they are tearing more branches from the date palms! And they are laying the branches on the road. This is very strange behavior, Simon.”
Just then a young man standing near Simon and Elam, shouted, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Others began following the young man’s shout with shouts of their own. “Hosanna to the Son of David!” and “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” they cried out over and over, to the shock and consternation of Simon and Elam.
“Look, Simon! I think that must be Jesus!”
“Surely that is not the man who is the cause of all this commotion, Elam.”
“It is I tell you! They are laying the branches and their cloaks at his feet!”
“He sure is not much to look at. I thought he would be bigger. And he’s riding a donkey for heaven’s sake – with her foal trailing along beside him! That sure doesn’t evoke much confidence in the man, does it?”
“Zechariah 9:9!”
“What? I can’t hear you over all this noise.”
“Zechariah 9:9, Simon,” Elam shouted. “You know the prophecy. ‘Lo, your king comes to you triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
“Elam, what are you saying? Do you really believe that this Jesus is the prophesied king? Does that man look like he can free us from the tyranny of all our enemies and rally all the people to God?”
“Simon, remember the prophecy, ‘His dominion shall be from sea to sea….’ Zechariah 9:10.”
“O come on, Elam! Just because he is riding on a donkey does not mean that man is the one who will shepherd Israel to victory over all our enemies! Any fool can ride a donkey into Jerusalem. I could do that myself. Would that make me a king?”
“No, because you would have to fulfill the rest of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!” No one would shout ‘Hosanna’ if they saw you riding a donkey into Jerusalem, Simon. But I can barely hear you over the shouting of these people around us. All Jerusalem is shouting, Simon. They’re all shouting ‘Hosannas’ and blessings on Jesus, just like in the prophecy!”
“Elam, I think you have been in the sun too long.”
“Maybe, Simon, but it would be great if he were the one. Zechariah’s prophecy is full of promise for our people, ‘I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them…’ Zechariah 10:6.”
As he recited Zechariah’s prophecy, Elam pulled his cloak from his shoulders and spread it out on the road. Jesus, who was now riding through the Golden Gate of Jerusalem, turned and smiled at Elam. His donkey, with its foal close at hand, kept walking up the road paved with the branches of palms and the cloaks of the people praying that their God had finally sent the one who was to free them from their oppressors and to rally all Israel to faithfulness to their living God.
Elam returned Jesus’ smile, and waved at him, and even shouted out one “Hosanna.” Then he turned to see what had happened to his friend.
After a moment, Elam spotted Simon. He had climbed onto some of the stonework at the gate, where he could look down on the crowd and watch everything that had happened. Elam worked his way through the crowd to the foot of the stonework where his friend remained safely ensconced.
“Did you see him? Did you see him, Simon?”
“I saw him. I also saw some fool who likes to be cold.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your cloak you crazy old coot! Not only does it now have donkey tracks on it, but when that mob finishes trampling over it, there will not be two threads holding together.”
“O that. It’s a small sacrifice if this Jesus is really the one we have all been praying and waiting for.”
“Who? Him? That’s ridiculous! He’s too small! He’s not nearly as big as I had imagined him. A king has to stand out in a crowd! And who ever heard of a king riding on a donkey in a victory parade?”
“But the prophecy! What about Zechariah’s prophecy?”
“Elam, you know the prophets were all slightly crazy. You can only believe half of what they say. They all thought God talked to them, for heaven’s sake! If that isn’t crazy; then I don’t know what crazy is!”
“Simon, I can’t believe the words that just came out of your mouth!”
“And I can’t believe that you just threw away a perfectly good cloak!”
“So you really don’t think that he is the one we have been waiting for?”
“No, Elam, I do not think that this Jesus is the one. I think he might be a prophet though! He certainly fills the crazy part of being a prophet. Anyone who lets people make this much commotion while both Herod and Pilate are in the city has to be a little crazy. And, from what I hear, Caiaphas isn’t too pleased with this Jesus person either.”
“I hope you’re wrong, Simon. I think we have enough prophets. What I think we need is the Messiah.”
“What we need and what we have are often two different things, my friend. Besides, whoever he is, I don’t think this Jesus is going to be around for long – not when he keeps drawing attention to himself like he did today.”
Questions for Meditation, Discussion or Preaching
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
