Luke 19:28-40

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this: “The Lord needs it.’” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
”Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

There are two ways to read this passage. 1) Jesus, as the Son of God, can predict the future and that’s what he’s doing here, describing what he has foreseen for his disciples. 2) Jesus, as the Son of God, loves humanity enough to embrace his destiny and so has made plans ahead of time for his entrance into Jerusalem, even though he expects that this entrance will lead to his death.

Surprise, surprise, I favor the second option. Not, particularly, because I have concerns about what Jesus knows or doesn’t know about the future. He’s been predicting his death in Jerusalem throughout his long trek there with his disciples. Rather, I believe that Jesus’ carefully made plans reflect his commitment to go to the city that will reject and crucify him because of his great love for that city and, indeed, all the world.

It was William Barclay, I believe, the Scottish New Testament scholar committed to making the Bible accessible to everyday readers, who once commented that there are two kinds of courage. There is the kind of courage the prompts someone to throw him or herself in the way of an oncoming car to push a child to safety. It is the kind of bravery that is instinctual, habitual, and is revealed in the moment of crisis. And there is also the kind of courage that sees danger coming a long way off, that has plenty of time to choose an alternative path, yet chooses to stay the course, to remain faithful, to endure the mounting fear in order to do one’s duty.

It is this second kind of courage we see in Jesus. He knows what lies ahead of him. He has seen it coming for most of his life. He has plenty of opportunity to flee to the path of safety. Yet he does not. He stays the course, endures the fear, makes plans to embrace it in love and wrestle it to the death.

By his stripes, Isaiah said, we were healed. And by his courage, I would add, we are set free from fear.

Prayer: Dear God, we give you thanks for the love and courage of your Son, and we ask that, seeing his example, we also might find the courage to endure the fears and challenges of our day for the sake of all your children you love so much. In Jesus’ name. Amen.