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by Nathan Buck

Please read last week's blog post before continuing with this one, if you haven't already.

We are helping the adolescence of tyranny every time we pick up our tribal issues, and equate them to Jesus' mission.

Look at Luke 19:28-44. It’s lamb selection day for the Jewish Passover, and Jesus comes riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people cheer, shout "Hosanna!" and lay down their cloaks on the road to pave the way and express allegiance. But allegiance to what? Why are the Pharisees so nervous? And why did Jesus weep outside the city, as if the city was already lost?

According to scholar Ray Vander Laan, the palm branches and the shouting of "hosanna" reflect the victory of the Maccabees just before the Hasmonean Dynasty. It was a time when the Seleucid Empire had conquered Israel (called "Judea" at that time). Antiochus III promised Israel they didn't have to be Hellenized (made to forsake their beliefs and practices for Greek ones), but many Jews started taking on Greek religious practices anyway. Antiochus IV came to power when Antiochus III died. Antiochus IV replaced the Jewish High priest, Onias, with Jason who bribed his way to power and was committed to Hellenizing the Jews. 

Jason removed Judaism as the religion of the city. Jason is later replaced by Menelaus, who let his brother steal valuable religious items from the Jerusalem temple. This lead to revolts by the Jews, after which Antiochus IV made it illegal for Jews to observe Jewish religious practices. Then came the revolt of the Maccabees (lead by Mattathias and Judah). They overthrew the Greeks, freed the land, and set up the Hasmonean Dynasty. There was a great procession (parade) as leaders entered the city, during which the people waved palm branches as a sign of the peace they would now enjoy as a result of the final battle that cleansed the land of Greek influence.

Going back to Luke 19 and Jesus' procession into the city, why does He weep after he gets there? Why does he say the crowd is missing the point on what would bring them peace? Why is it that eventually their cheering would lead to a siege on the city and the destruction and death He describes in verses 42-44?

According to Josephus, the early church historian, every so many years on lamb selection day, there would be parades like this. A hero or group would march into the city and a riot would start as people hoped this might be the moment when Rome was driven out of Jerusalem - just like in the time of the Maccabees. The Romans would often respond with ruthless violence, slaughtering everyone participating as well as anyone in the area of the riots.

So, that's why we see the Pharisees get nervous as Jesus rides in and the people start cheering. What the people are cheering is, "hosanna" which means "save us" or "deliver us." This cheering is also why Jesus weeps. He knows the hearts of the people, and He can see they are looking for political freedom, a savior from God who had divine power to wage war and overthrow the Roman occupation. Jesus could see the path they were committed to walking and where it would lead them. The warring, the unrest, and the tribalism would never accomplish the peace they needed, even if for a season they gained the peace that they wanted. The people would always be primed for tyranny, unless something significant changed inside of them.

Jesus' way did not continue the tribalism and division that allows tyranny to take root. He went to the heart of the issue and invited us to follow Him FIRST, above all other concerns. Following Jesus will enable us to exemplify His unity and peace, even as we go through turbulent times. Following Jesus will raise our eyes to what is True in and beyond our experience, so that we can commit to His mission and not imperfect shadows of His mission. Whether we are engaged in evangelism, social justice, politics, or any other sphere of our culture, if we are divided against other followers, then we may NOT be following Jesus, no matter how noble or emotionally powerful our narrative may be.

Jesus did not participate in intersectional ideology, and he didn't quibble over the immorality of worldly governments or leaders. Jesus saw the truth of every circumstance. He was gracious toward the hurting, whom preservationists had overlooked or oppressed. He confronted the progressives for their departures from God's morality. He taught those who thought they knew what the right answer was. He avoided the entanglement into political agendas by recognizing we should "give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God's." And He passionately laid His life down for the mission to redefine this world's values, through followers who would maintain their focus on Him and teach others to do the same. He undid sin and death, overturning the primary forces that motivate the evils of our world. Never is there a relent by Jesus in regard to His Spirit and His followers influencing the world. And never was that influence partial to the tribalism that leads to tyranny.

Reflect on this (often):
- Am I divided against fellow believers? If so, why? How can we both believe something is of God so strongly, and yet be divided? What are we missing?
- If I am going to confront other believers on an issue, why am I certain I see it clearly? What could I be missing that they see?
- If I speak publically, will my words build up, heal, unify, and bring to discussion? Or am I venting my grievances and fertilizing the soil of tyranny?
- How do I interact within the unity and peace of Holy Spirit, already given to followers of Jesus, if my ideas may be in conflict with other followers? What unifying thread does God see, that we are missing? Am I willing to let Him show me?

In all things, even the disarray of our culture and politics, God is sovereign and He sees the path forward. Only He can prevent us from walking down the path to tyranny. Are we willing to pause and seek Him and His perspective beyond the narratives we play and replay? Will we lay aside the temptation to preserve or progress our interests, so that we can advance His way of living as of FIRST importance?

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