The Frustrated Parade Marshall

The Frustrated Parade Marshall

Matthew 21:1-18
Karl Evans

This fellow was with Jesus since the earliest days of the movement, from the days in Galilee. He was not the first to come on board, however. He was just certainly one of the first and one of the most devoted.

Our hero had at first been an outsider. He was something of a loner. After time and after putting a great effort into Jesus' work he was finally a trusted part of the inner circle.

Now, on the long trip to Jerusalem, he was able to showcase his work. His ability to handle details of lodging and housing and support was really beginning to pay off. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to find just the right accommodations. This kept the tiny band of wanderers from coming unglued entirely.

His work was unsung. Few apart from Jesus paid any attention to his successes and his toil. But he knew slowly and surely he was working his way into a position of strength within the group. This was important.

As the little band gathered in every town, people came to see Jesus. They wanted healing, or to be seen with Jesus, or to challenge his authority. They wanted to invite him to their home for dinner or to spend the night.

First, though, anyone who wanted to see Jesus had to deal with this fellow. He had things organized and wanted to keep them that way. He had an elaborate little system of procedures, simple yet adequate. This kept things on an even keel.

These procedures also helped ensure when they left even the larger towns such as Jericho the same small band went on together. Thus they left behind the citizens of the smaller towns to wonder who had really been among them.

When they were out on the road again, there was work to do. Our hero would pick up the pieces and get the group ready for the next town. He would tell them what the town was like, who was important and who was not. He would go to various disciples and tell them about a specific person they might try to find and talk with.

Then, while the group was in town, our man double-checked everyone's assignments, then began to prepare for the next community. He had worked all these communities before in the short period of time he had traded in the area. He personally knew just about every important person in the nation. Now he had an opportunity to put those old acquaintanceships to good purpose. He was very good at what he did. Jesus knew he needed this man for the mission.

Jerusalem was a huge challenge. It was much larger than the other towns they visited, larger even than Jericho. There was more wealth, more power, many more self-claimed important people. There would be many persons resistant to being moved around by a forceful intruder from the north.

But it was not an impossible task. Judas knew he was up to it. With any kind of luck the little group would survive Jerusalem in good order. They would make their visit to the Temple, burn their incense and call it a day. They would sacrifice a dove or two or perhaps a lamb during the Passover festival. They might even celebrate the Passover together as a family before they left town.

Our man knew it was critical to be ready to leave quickly. But he also knew it was important to Jesus and the others to be in Jerusalem at Passover.

"Next year in Jerusalem!" This had been the rallying cry of the Hebrews at Passover since the days of the Captivity. Dozens of generations of families have gone by since the captivity. Yet many families had not seen any family member able to stand at the Temple during these holy days. Many of these men and women would never have another opportunity.

This was the great opportunity, and it would be done properly if everyone would just stay in step.

Probably the person who was most likely to get out of line was Jesus himself. He had a way of doing things on his own which frustrated the best of plans. But one could not complain too much. After all, he was what this whole parade was about.

But our man was confident. Had he not brought the group this far safely? His plans were ready. Even the procession to the Temple was in order. First, two or three of the disciples would come carrying banners proclaiming the salvation of the nation.

Then the other disciples would come walking in order of age. Our man tried to come up with a marching order that recognized some criteria of rank within the organization. He deserved to lead it, but he knew the others would not go for this. Their egalitarian spirit deeply frustrated him.

But populism would be all right in this instance. The disciples would be moving around greeting people and letting the world know their faces. They would kiss the babies and tease the children. They might even carry a banner proclaiming "This year in Jerusalem!".

Then Jesus would come riding a chariot our friend had arranged with a local friendly chariot rental service. There would be none of the rent-a-junker stuff, either. This had to be first class.

Then the women and anyone else of lower class who wanted to join in would come at the end.

Then on to the Temple. There the great welcome would spontaneously erupt when the crowd recognized who was coming.

Oh, yes, our hero. He would not be directly in the parade. He was much too busy for participation. Besides, marching was for the ordinary folk, like Simon and James. Our man still had trouble with the nickname Jesus had placed on Simon. Jesus used the silly word "Peter." Calling him "The Rock" seemed to refer more to the state of Simon's mind than anything else.

But with the procession, our hero would march proudly, moving forward and back. He would walk slightly to the side, keeping the whole organization in order. Someone had to check the timing and speed and discipline for maximum crowd effect. He would watch the faces of the crowd, checking for responses.

Of course, they would probably ask him to sign a few autographs. He wouldn’t really mind.

But wouldn't you know it. Some things went wrong and our hero was nearly frantic.

First, the chariot wasn't there on time. Jesus insisted on riding a donkey which one disciple found tied at the gate of the city. Oh, the horror of it! The Son of Man, the King of the Jews, riding a jackass! This embarrassment rather than the royal $400 per hour chariot which they had already contracted!

This was not a typical Jerusalem crowd. The Jews had an ancient rallying cry of the people at Passover, "Next year in Jerusalem." Many people in the distant towns took being in Jerusalem at this time of year very seriously.

Then, because they came as pilgrims, the additional crowd of beggars and thieves and pickpockets showed up to conduct their own businesses. Others brought out trinkets and fast food and hats and even palm branches to sell to the pilgrims headed for the Temple. Pilgrims have always been an easy mark.

In the milling around, in the confusion, the crowd started gathering without any order. The disciples who were supposed to lead the procession lost their banners to beggars looking for clothing. These people would steal anything!

The disciples were forced to tear some palm branches off the closest trees just to have something to wave.

Worse than that, by the time they got the branches cleaned and ready, Jesus had already started his donkey ride up the street. Jesus was just beginning to press his way through the mob of people. These were not the dignitaries of the city who should have been at the parade. Rather, they were riffraff who gathered just to see what the excitement was. The disciples could only follow along and wave their palm branches in the air.

Other people saw the branches. Some thought this looked like a good thing. It was a traditional parade activity for the Jews, of course. Boys quickly scampered up the trees and cut more branches to sell to the parade watchers for waving and for fanning themselves.

Soon the whole mob was just sort of slowly stampeding its way toward the Temple. It moved at the slow pace of a less-than-eager donkey. At first, no one really knew why they were going to the Temple.

All the slogans our hero had drilled into the disciples were lost. The disciples scattered among the crowd of tourists and beggars and palm branch sellers. Finally someone picked up an easy one which seemed to stick. Shouts of "Hosanna!" and "Here comes the King" sounded through the crowd. Then the crowd began to suspect the meaning of the parade.
It's easy to join in a parade as long as you are not the one who has to pay if the revolution fails.

Our poor hero, now just struggling to keep up with the crowd, was simply lost. All his planning, all his struggles were wasted. They trampled all his weeks of thought and preparation for this day under the feet of these undisciplined new followers of Jesus. They didn't even know his name!

Our man was heartbroken. He began to make rude comments about the clumsy newcomers who had made the parade their parade. He scorned the wandering disciples who wouldn't help him get things organized.

This illiterate mob with no sense of timing was destroying all of Jesus' work. They simply had no idea what was appropriate action around the Son of Man. He might be the King of the Jews, the One who rightfully belonged on the throne, but the crowd did not know how to treat him.

Our hero began to curse this mob which forced him out to the sidelines. They pushed and shoved as they tried to get closer to the one who would bring in the Kingdom of God.

Judas cried "But this isn't right! Get back in line! This is supposed to be a royal parade. It is certainly not a street dance after a victory by some foreign gladiators!"

Grabbing and holding, trying to make people follow the pattern he had so carefully laid out, he failed. Judas couldn't get these new followers of Jesus to fit the patterns of the well-planned parade. Our hero became so frustrated he wanted to shake from his feet the dust of the whole mess.

At last one woman who had been trying to get past our man for several minutes lost her patience. As the parade moved yelled in his ear, she yelled at Judas. The whole crowd could have heard her voice. "If you don't want to move along with Jesus, stand aside. Don't block the parade! Don't block those of us who want to be with him! If you do want to move with Jesus, join the parade. Don't gripe about it! Join the parade or move over!"

What? Join the parade? An invitation to join the parade? Our hero who had masterminded the whole thing?

Our hero who had laid the best plans, although circumstances had forced them to be laid aside?

Our hero who had been with the group from the beginning? Someone who had been a follower of Jesus for less than ten minutes was now telling our hero to join the parade?

They were ignoring our hero with deep credentials of long standing. They were pushing the months of trial serving Jesus and his ministry aside.

Now, with the rabble clearly taking over the procession, Judas had to act. The rabble was indeed taking over the entire process of Jesus’ ministry. He would have to force the crowd and Jesus to make the shift. They must move from operating as a rampaging mob to being a steady governing body for the New Kingdom.

It seemed to him the only way to do this was to shock this crowd to its senses. They needed to be brought to their knees by some great miraculous event.

He had seen Jesus do miracles. He had seen the lame walk, and the blind see. He had been there at the feeding of the five thousand. He knew what Jesus could do, if Jesus were forced.

But here was the problem. Jesus would have to be forced to perform the greatest miracle of all time. This would bring the whole nations to its knees in front before its new king.

So our hero made his plan, laying out in his minds the actions and responses which would finally lead to this great miracle. There would have to be a trial, perhaps even an attempted execution. But there, at the last second, Jesus would save himself. When Jesus would walk away, everyone everywhere would finally know this One was the rightful King of the Jews.

The confusion and clamor of the rabble grew as they escorted Jesus to the great temple of the Lord. Quietly, Judas Iscariot drifted away from the disciples and made his way to the High Priests.