Thought for the Week 29 March 2026

Welcome to our Palm Sunday service today.  The scene of Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey is very evocative and rich in symbolism and meaning. It’s also enigmatic. All four gospels record this event but with subtle differences. Today we are reflecting on Matthew’s account which, strangely, has Jesus riding two animals! How is that even possible? The grammar is unmistakable in the original language and Matthew is clear about this: “They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on” (Matt 21:7).  As Matthew does so often, he is referencing an Old Testament Messianic promise and points to Jesus as the fulfilment.

All four gospel accounts include the crowd signing “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord”. We often hear and imagine this as a cry of celebration and oyfulness, which makes sense given the context of Jesus coming to Jerusalem as triumphant kings in the past had done.  But this can equally be a cry for help. Hosanna means Save! Given the oppression the people lived under- economically and politically- they were crying out for salvation and deliverance and saw in Jesus this hope. Their expectations were soon crushed when he submitted to arrest and the indignity of the cross. Unmet expectations probably led to the cry to crucify him.

Another intriguing interpretation comes from Walter Wink who suggests Jesus’ action of riding in on a donkey, through the horse gate, is lampooning the human institution of monarchy with its pomp and ceremony. Wink says “We must reckon with the possibility that one impulse in the development of Christology (how we understand Jesus) was the attempt to insert Jesus back into the hierarchical world of domination by attaching to him honorific titles refulgent with power- the whole operation concealed behind a veil of obsequious devotion (itself a telltale sign of dominator values)”.

This also squares with what follows; not a conquering king but a suffering servant.

Nga mihi nui,

Brent