Matthew 21:1-11; Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66

“Go into the village…” Jesus gives precise instructions to the two disciples who prepare the way for him. It sounds very much like some of the instructions prophets have been given by God when they were sent on a mission.
The disciples are not questioning Jesus. None of them asks what to do if there was no donkey or if they were prevented from taking it.
The predictions in Matthew are a proof of the fulfilment of the Scriptures. Jesus knows what he is expecting.

The king is coming on a donkey. The prophets were right. This is not a king who is about to conquer the city. He is not armed and sitting high up on a horse. Jesus, the King of Peace, enters Jerusalem on a donkey. The people cover the path with their garments or with branches they cut off the trees. Did they cut the branches off palm trees or olive trees? We don’t know.

As they are approaching Jerusalem, some go faster and announce the crowd to the people of Jerusalem. The way they announce Jesus is very familiar to the regular Mass goer when they hear the Eucharistic Prayer: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’
They connect Jesus to the most important king of their people and call him ‘Son of David’ and at the same time to the saviour they were yearning for – ‘hosanna’, save us.
However, when Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd calls him a prophet. Those who haven’t heard of Jesus before would be confused: the saviour, the Messiah, the King of Peace, the Son of David, a prophet like there were many before him – or simply Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.

Jesus is welcomed to Jerusalem and is celebrated. The crowd around him is so enthusiastic that it seems impossible to predict the way Jesus was treated only a few days later.
Is this a warning for being part of a crowd? One day they celebrate someone and the next day they curse the same person?
It takes courage to go against a crowd as most people have a deep sense of belonging and don’t want to be excluded. However, crowds can easily be manipulated as we see even in the Scriptures.

Jesus stays quiet. He is aware of what is happening. Riding on donkey with a few disciples might have made people curious. A joyful and hopeful crowd is attractive. People who were on the way to Jerusalem joining the crowd.
The quote of Isaiah seems to reflect Jesus’ feelings. He renders himself to the Will of the Father and prays for the strength and courage to face and overcome the humiliations he would suffer.
In Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, he reiterates Jesus’ obedience to the Father. Jesus is humble and accepts his suffering even to the worst type of killing of his time: the death on the cross. Jesus dies a terrible death, but God then lifts him high up. Jesus Christ is the Lord – to the Glory of God.

These three Readings tell the story of Jesus from the preparation to go to Jerusalem to the ride on the donkey, the welcome, the questions about his identity and then to the suffering and exaltation of Jesus as ‘Jesus Christ, King of endless Glory’. We know that Jesus was able to predict what was to come, but with the Reading of the Passion, we learn more about the suffering Jesus had to endure.

The Passion starts with the traitor. Judas asks for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32). In Philippians it reads about Jesus that he has ‘emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave’. Now, the payment for his life is compared to the price of a slave’s life.

As Jesus was instructing two disciples to bring the donkey for his entrance into Jerusalem, he is now instructing his disciples to go to a specific place to prepare the Passover meal. The disciples have asked where they would prepare the meal for Jesus. Why not the meal for them – were they not intending to participate?
At the meal, Jesus predicts what would happen to him. He knew that one of his disciples would betray him. They are having a meal together, dipping their hands into the same bowls, and they can’t believe what Jesus is saying. Weren’t they the faithful followers of Jesus?
Jesus could easily name the person who was betraying him, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t interfere in God’s plan. Your Will be done…
Instead, Jesus blesses bread and wine as is Jewish tradition. The Passover meal is a meal of remembrance at which the Jewish people remember their ancestors’ flight from Egypt. They remember it in a way as if they themselves were the ones who were escaping from Egypt.
At Jesus’ meal, he asks his disciples to remember him. After blessing the bread and breaking it, he says: “Take it and eat; this is my body.” and after blessing the wine he says: “this is my blood, the blood of the covenant”. The disciples still don’t understand that Jesus himself is the Lamb of God. The Lamb that takes away the sins.

After the meal, they go to the Mount of Olives. In the Gospel according to Matthew, revelations are happening on mountains where one can be closer to Heaven and to God. There, Jesus predicts that even Peter would betray him. Peter doesn’t want to believe it. He has carried out healings in the name of God and has seen Jesus working miracles. Why would he not stand by Jesus as his faithful companion?
Peter is one of the three disciples Jesus chooses when he goes to pray in the garden of Gethsmane. Jesus is sad and stressed and asks them to stay awake while he is praying. Do they realise how stressed Jesus is?
Jesus would like to avoid the suffering. He prays for this cup to pass by him, but the disciples don’t support him in these prayers. They fall asleep. They would have been exhausted from their long walks and busy days they have had. In this situation only worries and stress can keep you awake. The disciples have not understood Jesus’ predictions and are surprised when Jesus is arrested shortly afterwards.

“Greetings, Rabbi.” The betrayal. Judas doesn’t call Jesus ‘Lord’, but ‘Rabbi’.
We don’t know why Judas betrayed Jesus. Was it for money or did he believe that Jesus wouldn’t be harmed but rather reveal his identity as the Messiah? He certainly regretted his action and even returned the money.
The chief priests and elders didn’t want to touch this money. They knew that it is ‘blood money’ and can’t be used for the temple. Weren’t they the ones who gave Judas the money in the first place?
Peter suffered from his betrayal against Jesus. He was so confident that he would never deny Jesus, and yet, he even cursed him. He was afraid he would have to suffer like Jesus did. He didn’t have the courage to admit his connection to Jesus. He betrayed him as Jesus predicted. When Peter realised what he had done, he wept.
Even Pilate attempts to clear himself of guilt. He didn’t want to take the responsibility for Jesus’ life or death. He thought that the people would certainly prefer keeping Jesus alive than the criminal Barabbas. He was wrong. So, he symbolically washes his hands of guilt. However, couldn’t he have saved Jesus?

Jesus could have saved himself some people said when they saw him hanging on the cross. He knew what he would have to suffer, but he didn’t run away. God’s Will would be done.
Many prophets have tried to escape God’s calling but had to give in to God. Jesus didn’t try to run away. He put his life in God’s hands. Jesus’ trial, crucifixion and death are connected to the fulfilment of the Scriptures.

Jesus is innocent. He is betrayed by several people. None of his friends speaks up for him. They are too afraid. The crowds that have cheered him a few days earlier have asked for his death on the cross.

Jesus is the Resurrection. He is not surprised when the disciples fail him. As he predicted after his last supper with them: “You will all lose faith in me this night, for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered, but after my resurrection I shall go before you to Galilee.”

BM