S. Advent 1.09 “As You Least Expect Him” Luke 19:28-40

Advent means “coming” and Jesus is always coming as you least expect Him. This, I think is the essential point of our Gospel this morning. He is the unexpected King coming in unexpected ways. His ways, means, manners are all different than what we would associate with a King.

You would expect a King to be rich. This one comes poor and lowly. You would expect a King to come with an army and servants. This One comes alone. You would expect a King to have His own transportation. This One comes on a “borrowed” steed. You would expect a King to follow all the laws of our land, but this One doesn’t. He has His own.

It is the Sunday we know as Palm Sunday, but it fits so well with the first Sunday in Advent, first Sunday in a new church year. Advent is about preparing to celebrate Christmas and preparing to receive Christ when He returns again in glory. And what He told us last week of His coming—that it will be at a day and hour none expect nor can predict, is richly fulfilled in our Gospel today. If you learn something about how Jesus came to His royal city at the beginning of the week in which He fulfilled all things and brought an end to this old age, then you learn something important about how He will come again, to you. Good things to know…

My favorite part of this story, I must confess, is the Jedi mind trick with the donkey. You would expect the King of Righteousness would be ultra-well behaved, but this One isn’t, by our standards. Not having His own donkey, He sends His disciples to town to take one for Him. I like that. It teaches me Jesus is not One for following our rules. It tells me that I need to learn His ways, because the old rules I’m accustomed to don’t apply with Him.

The disciples, you may recall, were just itching to do some miracles. They believed Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and as His followers, they were given power and authority from Him. Now, they just couldn’t wait to do some of those neat tricks the prophets did. Healing the sick, raising the dead, or calling down fire from heaven, like Elijah did to consume the recalcitrant sinners. This one James and John wanted to do on a Samaritan village that would not receive them. “Lord, shall we call down fire from heaven to consume them?” they offered politely. And really, put yourself in their place: if you had that kind of power, wouldn’t you just be dying to try it out?

But Jesus spoiled their fun that day. He reminded them He has come to save men’s lives, not destroy them. No fire from heaven. No fun for James and John. But they did get the nickname “Boanerges” “Sons of Thunder” hung on them for this apparently.

And here, the last week of His three year public ministry, Jesus lets the disciples have some fun. This is unexpected. After three years of reigning in their more athletic instincts with the miracle working, He turns them lose to go and “borrow” someone else’s donkey. As my friend Barry likes to say “They shot people for stuff like that in ‘Vegas in 1857” They’d shoot people for stuff like that in 1^st century Israel too—“borrowing” a donkey not your own.

But Jesus decides this is a day to ride, not walk, and He needs a donkey, His and David’s preferred means of transport around Jerusalem. So He tells two of the disciples to go into the village, where they will find a donkey colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it, and if anyone says “Hey! What are you doing taking that donkey?” Just say “The Lord has need of it.”

Now, in my mind I see this performed with the same two finger wave as in the Jedi mind trick, when Obi Wan goes to the storm troopers at the check point: “These are not the droids you’re looking for… you can let these pass.” And they do. Nice trick. So the two disciples see the colt, loose it and start walking away and the owners come barreling out of the house and say “Hey! Whoa! Why are you talking the colt?” And they go [two finger wave] “The Lord has need of it.” And just like out of the movies, the angry owners become calm and go “The Lord has need of it. OK. That’s fine then…” Even though they probably have no idea at all who the Lord is and later wonder what happened to their colt…

A beautiful scene from Scripture. How to boost a colt without any fuss from the owners.

It’s not really stealing either, if you think about it. Jesus, after all, made the colt and their owners. It all belongs to Him, really. But He has been so reluctant to assert those rights. It’s unexpected right at the end of His public ministry for Him to do something like this.

And a donkey? If you’re going to “borrow” an animal, why not a fiery Arabian thoroughbred? They had ‘em back then, you know. I mean, why “borrow” a Prius when there’s a 911 GT3 right down the street? But Jesus is like that. He’ll break our rules just to humble Himself some more, just to show that real majesty doesn’t need to show off. Real power takes the lowliest place. The King of Kings rides a donkey not a warhorse. He comes alone and unarmed and unpretentious. Friend of sinners. Kind to animals. Riding in to die not to rule. Strange King…

He inverts the usual ancient triumph procession. After a great victory, an Emperor would have a triumph, a parade with warhorses, elephants, lots of soldiers. But here, before His magnificent defeat, Jesus comes riding in on a donkey’s colt. And yet, the crowd hails Him as a conquering hero. They praise Him for all the mighty works they’ve seen. But He’s coming to do His best one—dying alone and powerless to save a dying world, to take death’s sting without resistance and so break it forever, for us all. If they only knew the things that make for Peace, they would have sung a different tune that day!

Still Jesus comes as we least expect. Not by a show of power, but by a humble Word of forgiveness, a bit of bread and wine which are His body and blood—in this way He comes: not to the huge throngs but to two or three lost souls, gathered in His Name. He comes to surprise and save.

He comes in the too familiar words of an ancient liturgy that comes to life for those who hear with more than their ears and see with more than their eyes. Looking, listening by faith this way, you might find yourself in the story in a surprising place, not as a Jedi disciple, nor one of the adoring throng, but maybe where I found myself… as the donkey. Jesus sends His servants to loose me from the post to which I was tied, weighed down with so many burdens and takes me away with Him. And when my old masters cry out, His disciples do the two finger wave and say, calmly: “The Lord has need of this one…”

So we ride together, Jesus and I, through crowded streets of the royal city to a cross where a new world begins. When you least expected it, the Master snatches you from a dull donkey’s life and makes you companion to the King of the Universe. Not what you expected? Well that’s how Jesus is. Ride with Him a bit further and you’ll see He has more and better gifts up His sleeve: life and salvation and Peace that surpasses all understanding, that guards heart and mind, on the road, with the King. Amen.