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Matthew 21:1-11 1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ 4 This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5 ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ 10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ 11 The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’ Zachariah 9:9-10 Reader: The people who gathered for the Jesus-parade would have been familiar with the Hebrew text from their tradition, Zechariah’s prophecy that included this hopeful image: 9 “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion. Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem. Look, your king will come to you. He is righteous and victorious. He is humble and riding on an ass, on a colt, the offspring of a donkey. 10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem. The bow used in battle will be cut off; he will speak peace to the nations. His rule will stretch from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.” DWELLING IN THE STORY Dramatist: My cousin dragged me along. I wasn’t really sure what was going on, but he said I wouldn’t want to miss this parade. Yeah, I’ve heard of this Jesus-guy from Galilee. Heard some people talking who had just come to Jerusalem from Capernaum where this rabbi had been teaching. They were talking about people who were coming from all over to wherever he is hanging out just to hear him. Some people try to get up close and personal with him because word on the street is that he healed some people, maybe even brought someone back to life. All I know is that the stories are obviously spreading, and there’s a turnout today of Roman soldiers to check it out so the authorities must be getting nervous about him. My cousin seems to think this could be “it”—our ticket out of this Roman occupation—and he’s hoping to see a lot of people marching alongside and hopefully there will be a display of power from Jesus that will get the people to rally. We got here early to get a good spot. Decided not to be down on the road but instead stay up on this roof so we can get a good look. I’m just glad to be up here because if trouble starts, I’m outta here! A little distance is just fine with me. Don’t get me wrong, I think things need to change and a lot of us Jews are tired of paying taxes to Caesar, who controls everything through his local lackey, Pilate. But I’m afraid. I’m afraid that things will get stirred up and life will get worse, not better. I’m afraid of being here, actually. What if I become known as a protestor, a rebel-rouser? I’ve seen what they do to their political rivals, to those who dare to question their power, their “divine right” over all things, all people, all matters of life and death. And then I see Jesus coming… But he isn’t galloping in on a horse girded with a sword. He is riding on a donkey!