The so-called “Triumphal Entry” is full of divine irony. Mark’s account (Mark 11:1-11) consists of a number of contrasting images. For example, it presents us with…
- a humble king. Jesus does not ride into Jerusalem on a mighty steed as a triumphant military general or war champion. Instead, he humbly enters on a foal.
- a triumphant march which goes nowhere. The climax of the triumphal entry is noticeably anti-climactic. When Jesus finally enters Jerusalem it is too late to do anything other than look around and return home to his friends.
- a victory ride which is really a funeral procession. What appears to be the beginning of Jesus’ journey is really the end. His visit quickly turns sour. Within just a few days public opinion turns sour and he is murdered.
- a Jewish conqueror who rides into the clutches of the enemy – his own people. Initial opposition to Jesus does not arise from the godless pagans, but from those who share his religious heritage.
Through the juxtaposition of contrasting images, Mark reveals the irony of appearance and reality. All is not as it appears. There is more going on here than meets the eye. Mark wants us to see this, but in order to do so, we must shed our expectations and be open to what God is doing in Christ.
The ability to adjust our expectations is crucial to authentic engagement with God and others. Indeed, it is not too far off the mark to suggest that it was misguided expectations that killed Jesus. Though they appear relatively harmless, our expectations can create endless problems – especially if we constantly demand that they be met.
I call this “the tyranny of expectations” – the power that unrealistic, misguided, or inflexible expectations have to steal our joy. As the story of Jesus demonstrates, the tyranny of expectations can be lethal. Indeed, it is for this very reason that Jesus took every precaution throughout his ministry to guard his identity.[1] He could not afford to allow the misguided expectations of the crowds to prematurely short-circuit his ministry.
Mark’s Account
Mark highlights two significant settings in our story – the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem.[2] The Mount of Olives was associated with the arrival of the Messiah (Zechariah 14:4; cf. Josephus Jewish War 2.13.5, §261-63). According to the prophets, Jerusalem was the city from which God’s Messiah would rule the nations.
In order to get from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, Jesus obtains the use of “a colt that has never been ridden.” This is a unique move in Jesus’ ministry. Prior to this, he had traveled the Judean countryside by foot. This is the first and only time in the Gospels that we see Jesus riding an animal.
Mark devotes much detail to the acquisition of this colt.[3] The fact that the colt has never been ridden may highlight its sacred task (cf. Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3).[4] It may also underscore Jesus’ mastery over it (simply hopping on a colt that had never been ridden would be difficult), and by implication, Israel.
The story Jesus tells the disciples to pass on to the colts’ owner is interesting. The NRSV does not convey Mark’s play on words. The Greek literally reads, “Its master has need of it” where “master” could refer to either Jesus, the owner of the creature, or perhaps even to God.[5] Regardless of how the phrase is understood, it is clear that the disciples intend to return the animal to its owner when its task is completed.
Once the colt is obtained, the disciples throw their cloaks upon it to create a makeshift saddle for Jesus. As Jesus begins his journey into Jerusalem crowds begin to gather, throwing their cloaks and spreading leafy branches on the road ahead of Jesus. Through this “red carpet treatment” they pay homage to the future king (cf. 2 Kings 9:13).
All around Jesus, people sing a chorus (Psalm 118:25-26) from one of the Hallel Psalms (Psalms 113-118) – a series of psalms sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. “Hosanna” means “save us we pray, save us now” and was part of the usual Passover wish that the Davidic Messiah would come and restore Israel’s monarchy. The scene is reminiscent of the entry of Simon Maccabaeus – the violent, nationalistic, political revolutionary brother of Judas Maccabaeus – into Jerusalem about 160 years before. The scene is recorded in 1 Maccabees 13:51:
On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred seventy-first year, the Jews entered Jerusalem with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel.[6]
The people viewed Jesus as the coming Davidic king who would restore the kingdom of Israel to its former glory. Quite naturally, they expected Jesus to conquer by the same means that had proved effective in David’s violent overthrow of the pagans and Judas Maccabaeus’ violent resistance movement against Jewish oppressors.
Once Jesus arrives at Jerusalem, Mark’s text reads as if he enters alone.[7] He “looked around at everything” and then, because “it was already late” he returns to Bethany. “‘Late’ may mean not ‘dark’ but rather that the daily activity in the temple had begun to subside.”[8] It could also indicate something more ominous. It may refer to the fact that Jesus has arrived at Israel’s “final hour.” The language is emphatic. He had surveyed “everything” in Jerusalem and in the Temple. Having surveyed everything, the King has arrived “too late” to save Israel.
Divine Ironies
Throughout our story, we are struck with a number of divine ironies. As stated earlier, we experience a triumphant march which goes nowhere. Jesus’ victory march is really a funeral possession. It is “too late” to save Israel by normal means. Jesus, the Jewish Messiah rides into the clutches of the enemy, who tragically, are people who share his blood, his heritage, his faith. What appears to be the beginning of his journey is really the end. The evil he faces goes much deeper than politics, culture, or religion. It is an evil that is systemic on the widest possible scale, cutting through every human heart.
Into this dire situation, the King arrives, but not as expected. Jesus is the humble king. He does not come with weapons, war strategies, or nationalistic aspirations. He comes in peace, truth, and love. “While military leaders rode on horses, messengers of peace rode on donkeys.”[9] Jesus comes riding “an agricultural tool, not a weapon of war; a tractor, not a tank.”[10] He fulfills the Zechariah’s prophetic oracle:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
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. (Zechariah 9:9)[11]
The Tyranny of Expectations
Why would Jesus be dead within a week? What caused him to be rejected so quickly and completely? Quite simply: Jesus did not meet anyone’s expectations.
Who expected that the Messiah would be a prophet against Israel instead of the Romans? Who expected that the Messiah would be involved in heated controversy with religious leaders of all stripes? Who expected that the Messiah would associate with children, outsiders, and the marginalized? Who expected the Messiah to embrace the religiously unclean, the anti-patriotic tax-collectors, and the Jewish “renegades” who disregarded Torah?
Even if all these things are accepted, who expected Jesus to be dead within a week? Who expected him to show power in weakness and succeed through failure? Who expected the Davidic throne to be a cross and the Davidic crown to be woven of thorns? Who expected God to completely abandon his Messiah in his time of need and give him over to the nations to torture and kill him through crucifixion?[12]
Most significantly: Who expected life to come from death?
Jesus did not meet anyone’s expectations, and so, they killed him. His contemporaries expected a violent, nationalistic lion and instead they were confronted with a peaceful, sacrificial lamb.[13] Jesus did not become the Messiah that everyone expected. He was not who they were seeking, therefore it was easy to reject him. It was certainly easier to discard Jesus than to adjust their expectations.
Only after Jesus’ death and resurrection would the disciples begin to understand. It would take this to completely erase their old set of expectations which hindered them from seeing the truth.
One common denominator explains Jesus’ rejection, trial, and crucifixion: It was the tyranny of expectations that put Jesus to death!
Expectations are powerful. Because of this, they can be easily abused. Indeed, they can be oppressive. It is hard to be open to reality when our expectations aren’t met. It is difficult to surrender to God when God must conform to our expectations before we will submit to his will. It is impossible to be content with our current situation with unmet expectations.
For this reason, we ourselves must regularly consider how our expectations can distort reality and undermine our openness to God. What kind of king do you want? What kind of life do you expect to live under the king’s reign? What if God acts in ways you did not expect?
The tyranny of expectations holds the potential to sabotage every area of our lives – from the daily pulse of everyday existence to our relationships with others and our participation in community life. A number of examples should make this clear.
In regard to life in general: If we expect life to be easy, fair, instantly gratifying, and always upbeat and rewarding, we will find ourselves unable to face the difficult challenges that demand patience, practice, commitment, and self-denial.
If we expect our faith in God to exempt us from suffering, difficulties, trials, and doubts, then we set ourselves up for a fall. God does not guarantee that we will suffer less as Christians. (Indeed, an argument could be made that faith will complicate our lives more than unbelief.) Instead, God promises to be with us in and through all our trials and sufferings.
In regard to human relationships: If we expect love to be easy, full of sweetness, romance, and endless good feelings, then we will be unable to face the challenges of a real relationship. Deep love arises from unwavering commitment to another in spite of the unexpected challenges that arise. It is for this reason that marriage vows bring up all possibilities for prospective partners – “for better or worse, in sickness or health, for richer or poorer.” The sacred words that seal the marriage covenant set us up to fight the tyranny of expectations that will seek to thwart our commitment to one another.
If we expect marriage to completely fulfill our every need, take away our loneliness, and give meaning to all we do, then it will collapse under the weight of our expectations. This is simply too much for marriage – or any other relationship, for that matter – to take. Significant progress was made in my own marriage when my wife and I intentionally decided to quit loving the person we expected the other to be, and chose to love the person who really exists.
If we expect that raising children will be endlessly rewarding, then we will be surprised by the constant crying, frequent fights, violent fits, messy spills, endless clean-ups, and the perpetual need to raise our voice.
If we expect that by following a program (no matter how good or insightful) we will be guaranteed perfect kids, a perfect marriage, a perfect job, or a perfect church, then we will experience perpetual frustration (or, at least, frustrate others by trying to “sell them” on our discovery).
In regard to community life: If we expect church to be a social club, a place to meet all our needs, a constant source of comfort and encouragement, then we will be surprised when our beliefs are stretched, our commitment is challenged, and our contribution goes unrecognized. To expect perfection from the church (or any other group of people) is to invite frustration. No matter how hard we (or others) try, we will inevitably feel “out of place,” “misunderstood,” or “unappreciated” at times.
If we expect the pastor to be a new messiah, the one with all the answers, the silver bullet that solves every problem, the missing piece that makes everything perfect, then we are guaranteed a let-down… or worse! In Liberating the Ministry from the Success Syndrome, Pastor R. Kent Hughes humorously exposes the impossibly high expectations which can sometimes be attached to spiritual leadership:
The Ideal Pastor...
is always casual but never underdressed
is warm and friendly but not too familiar
is humorous but not funny
calls on his members but is never out of the office
is an expository preacher but always preaches on the family
is profound but comprehensible
condemns sin but is always positive
has a family of ordinary people who never sin
has two eyes, one brown and the other blue!
If the biblical witness is any indication, the one thing we can be assured of in regard to the leaders God uses is that no two are the same. Just consider the great diversity within Jesus’ own band of disciples: simple fisherman, tax-collectors (considered Jewish “renegades” who stole from their own people by throwing in their lot with the Roman enemy), and political zealots (who advocated violence against non-Jews and Jewish renegades –including tax-collectors – as an approved means in God’s holy war against infidels).
If we expand our view beyond the Twelve, we see an even greater variety of people God used to bring about his salvation. During my pastoral search, my mother-in-law (who is a chaplain in Louisville) sent me the following humorous piece:
PROGRESS REPORT: PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE REPORT
In our search for a suitable pastor, the following notes have been assembled as to progress to date. They are confidential information and shared here for your perusal.
To date, of the candidates investigated by the committee, only one was found to have the necessary qualities to serve our congregation in the office of Senior Pastor.
The following list contains the names of the candidates and findings on each.
NOAH: He is observed to have 120 years of preaching experience, but no converts.
MOSES: It is believed that he committed murder. He stutters. His former congregation reported that he loses his temper over trivial things.
ABRAHAM: He took off to Egypt during hard times. We heard that he got into trouble with the authorities and then tried to lie his way out.
DAVID: He is of unacceptable moral character with adultery on his record. There is an allegation of conspiracy to commit murder but this is unproven. He might have been considered for minister of music had he not ‘fallen.’
SOLOMON: He has an honorable reputation for wisdom but fails to practice what he preaches.
ELIJAH: He proved to be inconsistent, and is known to fold under pressure.
HOSEA: His family life is in shambles; divorced and remarried to a practitioner of a pagan religion who may even be a prostitute.
JEREMIAH: He is too emotional, an alarmist; some say a real ‘pain in the neck.’
AMOS: Comes from a farming background. Better off picking figs.
JOHN: He says he is a Baptist but lacks tact and dresses like a hippie. Would not feel comfortable at a church potluck supper due to his non-standard food requirements.
PETER: Has a bad temper and is believed to have denied Christ publicly, maybe more than once.
PAUL: We found him to lack tact. He is too harsh, his appearance is contemptible and his sermons are far too long.
TIMOTHY: He has potential, but is much too young for the position.
JESUS: He tends to offend church members with his preaching, especially Bible scholars. He is also too controversial. He even offended the search committee with his pointed questions.
JUDAS: He seemed to be very practical, co-operative, good with money, cares for the poor, and dresses well. We all agreed that he is just the man we are looking for to fill the vacancy as our Senior Pastor.
Thank you for all you have done in assisting us with our pastoral search. Pastoral Search Committee chairman
Through humor, this piece makes an important point: God has used a wide variety of servants to perform his will. If we were writing the script, we would not dare to include many of the people God does. One thing is for sure: there is certainly no one pattern! With this in mind, we must always be careful in our judgments. We would not expect many on this list to be doing God’s work, but they are the very ones God chose.
Conclusion
When we consider the excitement, joy, thanksgiving, and celebration of Palm Sunday, it is hard to imagine how short-lived all of this really is. How different this day is from the week to come! From Psalm Sunday to Good Friday in the space of a few days! A celebratory parade will be remembered as a funeral march. This brief moment of glory for a messianic hopeful will end in absolute failure.
What appeared as a hopeful beginning will come to a tragic end. The culprit: Expectations!
Let’s remember the tyranny of expectations. But let’s not confuse expectations with hope.
Our expectations should never be allowed to eclipse hope. We should always hope for the best. But when hopes are dashed, we seek to understand, and then, we adjust our expectations. For, unlike expectations, hope is positive, flexible, open, and submissive.
Indeed, for those willing to adjust their expectations, the triumphal entry truly is a hopeful beginning. This is the ruler that Israel and the world desperately need. This humble king is truly the only monarch that can save us from our sin. This triumphant march goes nowhere, because only by fully absorbing the “nothingness” of evil and sin can salvation arrive. This is both a victory ride and funeral procession because death will once and for all be destroyed. This conqueror who rides directly into the clutches of his enemies does this in order to embrace them as friends. When our expectations are adjusted, hope arises anew and we can once again joyfully see this as a “triumphal entry.”
Laying down our palm should be a sign of acceptance, submission, and fruitfulness. It is a sign of hope. We cannot maintain this posture unless we are willing to be flexible in our expectations. We must always remain open to God surprising us in the way he surprised our ancestors in the faith!
And, let’s face it: things almost never turn out as we expect!
God doesn’t meet our expectations. He exceeds our expectations – in ways we cannot possibly fathom or imagine. For this reason, we must never cage God with our expectations. We must never think we can know how God will meet our expectations. We simply know he will go beyond them. They are, ultimately, too short-sighted.
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
[1] This tendency is commonly referred to as “the messianic secret.”
[2] The account begins “at Bethpage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives” and concludes in Jerusalem.
[3] “Colt” refers to the young of any animal, although often a horse’s foal. In Matthew and John, the animal is the foal of a donkey.
[4] James Mays offers a provocative possibility: “the colt on which no one has ridden may recall the as yet unyoked cows that pulled the Ark (1 Sam. 6:7). James L. Mays, Harper's Bible Commentary (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988) [Electronic Edition].
[5] “Residents of the area around Jerusalem had to be particularly hospitable with their property around Passover season, when Jewish pilgrims from the whole ancient world came for the feast. The response to the potential question could have meant, ‘Lend these to Jesus, the teacher’ (Aramaic rab can be translated as ‘master’ or ‘lord’), or ‘Lend these to the service of God.’” Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993) [Electronic Edition].
[6] Carrying “beautiful branches and fronds of palm” were also part of Judas Maccabaeus’ celebration of the purifying of the Temple (2 Maccabees 10:7).
[7] “Such were the whirlpools of misconception into which Jesus launched his ministry… Even while Jesus stood in the circle of his own disciples, he was alone.” Shusaku Endo, A Life of Jesus (Mahway, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1978), 54.
[8] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993) [Electronic Edition]. He continues: “The ancient workday began at sunrise; the ‘evening’ offering in the temple was what we call afternoon (about 3 p.m.).”
[9] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993) [Electronic Edition].
[10] The full quote: “Where is the horse, the steed that bears the triumphant general, the untamable champion loyal only to the skilled commander, so beloved of great leaders from Alexander to Napoleon? It’s not here. In its place is a young colt -- hardly the symbol of leadership. Jesus seems to have no understanding of rank. After all the fuss about procuring, even sequestrating, the right animal, just the kind of action worthy of a king, he gets the wrong animal. He chooses an agricultural tool, not a weapon of war; a tractor, not a tank.” David F. Wells, Who Is He Kidding? http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2059
[11] “While this oracle points to the legitimate authority of Jesus, it also emphasizes the antithesis of the grand airs one expects of royalty: this man puts on no airs, rides no white horse, wears no shining armor; rather, even if he is a king with God-given authority, he enters the city as one less likely to be a user of violence than to be a victim of it. This "triumphal" entry, as it is usually termed, is in fact paradoxical and thus consistent with Mark's characterization of Jesus as one who disdains regal majesty while acting with unquestioned authority, one who prefers to describe himself publicly as a servant rather than as a monarch. Even so, the public acclaim here is for a Messiah, a deliverer: the shouts of adulators echo the coronation psalm (Ps. 118:25-26).” Carl W. Conrad, Mark 11-12 Notes http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/Mark/mk11notes.html
[12] “The most striking feature in the text of the passion narrative is the way it dares, without hesitation, to spotlight in front and center stage the feeble and helpless figure of Jesus.” Endo, A Life of Jesus, 144. Endo also points out that no miracles occurred during this entire time. God offered no visible assistance or relief.
[13] One frank confession of this desire for a nationalistic hero is found in Luke 24:21: “We had been hoping that he might be the man destined to liberate Israel.” Oddly enough, it seems that only Judas sensed that Jesus would reject this whole idea.
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© Richard J. Vincent, 2006
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Posted by: Lauren at May 19, 2006 8:29 PM
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