Walking Humbly with God, Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Hector on Palm Sunday.
[Jesus said] “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart…” Matthew 11:28-29.
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Well, at my age, 81, I always welcome new knowledge which I should have known many years ago. The word “yoke” started it, found in today’s gospel. I have always imagined that this was what looked like a heavy log-like piece of wood carried by a beast of burden as a control, hauling, for example, a plow (plough in British English) through heavy earth before it is seeded for next year’s harvest. Well, yes, as far as it goes. But – it does not go far enough. That “piece of wood”, when made properly, was always contoured to the beasts themselves, a tailor-made yoke used by those beasts and no others. In that way it did not cause any harm, did not rub unnecessarily against the their skin, and stayed in place with relative comfort… (And, moreover, it is a standard element in modern tailoring, to trace the pattern of a customer’s shoulders to get the exact shape unique to him or her: take a look at this). Of course the carpenter-Jesus would have known this from his boyhood. So I therefore conclude that his words in today’s gospel should be seen in a somewhat different light. Yes, hauling a mighty plow will be exhausting, but it will not include unnecessary pain and major discomfort. It will be designed for what God knows we can take, no more, no less. And, note, it is what God thinks, not us… And note Jesus’ promise, again from today’s gospel: “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”, though I am certain that some of us would find that somewhat of a challenge to our faith – but there it is. Faith requires trust.
Then today’s second reading takes us a little further into the realm of the spiritual. St. Paul tells the Romans, “you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you”. And, Paul says, this is the Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead, hence the all-powerful Spirit. And this same Spirit comes to each of us, should we allow it, and if we do, Paul says, we will live in the spirit. Because if we live only by the flesh, the deeds of the body will result in death. Living in and by the Spirit will result in life, and the choice is entirely ours. Then, looking to the gospel, we can be assured that we are not locking ourselves into something impossible, but rather into a pathway of life, challenges, pain, frustration and all, but with the divine promise of eternal life as a reward. (And, note well, the knowledge that we are fulfilling God’s will induces a profound sense of satisfaction and happiness). And all this to be subsumed under a discrete, humble veil. We are told of the arrival of the king into Jerusalem, “on a colt, the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9). Now here was another situation about which I was a little ignorant. The terms horse, colt, foal, donkey, ass and mule were, for me, just lumped together. But to anyone who knows about such beasts they are not all the same: they are almost all very different. (The mule, by the way, is the sterile offspring of a male donkey and female horse). The unnamed king arriving in Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of an ass, means he was riding on a young donkey or ass (they being the same animal). They are biologically distinct from horses, although nowhere near as magnificent, the point being made by Scripture of course. And Jesus deliberately took that scene from Scripture to ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on an ass, big ears and all. This was a king who had conquered death (Lazarus), but not the one who would conquer the Romans…
So one could say that today’s readings as a whole are about submission and modesty. When talking of God, of course we are – and must be – humble and accepting. But it reminded me of a scene from the nineteenth century. The Emperor of Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II, in 1898 visited Constantinople, now called Istanbul, the then capital of Turkey, which was called the Ottoman Empire at that time. They were military allies. Hence the Ottomans catered to his whims. One was that he desired to visit Jerusalem, also then part of the Ottoman Empire. This was duly arranged, and as he wanted to arrive in splendor, the authorities had to enlarge the Jaffa Gate by which he was to enter the Old City. This is it, still present in Jerusalem today:
The gap made for the German emperor in 1898.
Then, on a white horse, the Kaiser rode into the city in style:
Some might say in the completely opposite way as described in Zechariah! The Kaiser however donated two churches (one Lutheran, the other Catholic, both still very much alive) plus a hospital which caters to the Palestinians to this day.
So we have here what might be called two events somewhat opposite in style. We are called as children of God to be obedient and accepting, convinced that God is not asking the impossible of us, but is expecting us to be as completely obedient and accepting as we can be. This is in the knowledge that God has gifted us with sufficient strength, which is to say our unique gifts from God, to obey what God desires of us. This will allow us to achieve the best in what is expected of us, and will welcome us fully when called to account. Let us recognize that and respond as fully and whole-heartedly as we can, knowing the Lord is always there to support, to help and to strengthen us. The Kaiser, by the way, ended up losing his throne having been at least partially responsible for starting and being defeated in World War One, and was obliged to live in relative obscurity in the Netherlands until his death in 1941. Certainly an example of pride coming before a fall. Most of us, on the other hand, are usually called to a less exotic standard of behavior (and probably much safer), but will still stand before the same judge with the same yardstick of accountability. Have we responded appropriately to the range of challenges we each face in life with love, sensitivity and Christian awareness which each has demanded? If we can answer “yes” with confidence and truth, then we can hope to be welcomed into heaven as a good and faithful servant. That is the goal now, and ever shall be. And with God’s eager and ever-present help, it will be so.
And this being a Very Patriotic Weekend, let’s end this way:
OnSiteStudios, “God Bless America” 2008.
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