In 2006, John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg published The Last Week. The book begins with an unforgettable image: “Two processions entered Jerusalem on a spring day in the year 30. One was a peasant procession, the other an imperial procession. From the east, Jesus rode a donkey down the Mouth of Olives, cheered by his followers. On the opposite side of the city, from the west, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, entered Jerusalem at the head of a column of imperial calvary and soldiers. Jesus’s procession proclaimed the kingdom of God; Pilate’s proclaimed the power of empire.”
All four Gospels tell the story of the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey. Some have the people waving branches, some don’t. Some have the people spreading out cloaks, other don’t. Three out of four have the people shout the word “Hosanna” which means “save us!”
These two parades represent two ways humans imagine the reign of God on Earth. The Romans believed that the Casear was the Son of God. Many Romans actually worshipped him as a god. Heralds of Caesar would march into town proclaiming, “Behold the Good News of Caesar. He has brought peace on earth. Hail Caesar! Caesar is Lord!” The Romans believed that the only way to bring peace was to dominate everyone who was different than them. The driving theme of Empire is always, “Conform or die!” When everyone conforms and pays homage to the Empire, then there is no more fighting. This is the peace of Rome. The way to keep the peace is to build crosses and execute anyone who resists the Empire on them. Behold the Cross-Builders.
Jesus embodies a different vision of how God reigns on the earth. Jesus taught us that God is love (agape) and God’s love looks out for the good of ALL CREATION (not just humans). Jesus showed us God’s love by leading a love-motivated resistance to oppressive power structures, and standing in solidarity with those who are marginalized. The “true king” rides into the capital city on the back of a humble donkey, and stands with the oppressed. Behold the Cross-Bearers.
The truth is that we oscilate between these two parades on a daily basis. The skin suit that I was given at birth unfairly makes me the recipient of all the privileges of Empire. I am a straight white male citizen. The only thing I lack is uber wealth (praise God I don’t have that). It is easy for me to sit in blissful complacency, thus implicit complicity, while my marginalized siblings suffer. Hosanna! Save me. Save us, Lord Jesus.
This is Holy Week. Millions of people around the world will walk through the events of Jesus’ final week. I pray that we will be reminded and reignited with the vision of this homeless rabbi, the true king–and learn to stand in solidarity with the cross-bearers of the world, and put an end to cross-making for good.