Every year we are starting this Holy Week listening to the episode of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey and being cheered upon by the crowds of his disciples and followers, all of them fired up by the promise that he might be vindicated as the Messiah, which is why they acclaim him as the king of Israel, the son of David. This scene, which we find in the four gospels, has even been named as the “triumphant entry” into Jerusalem, an understanding that without doubt would have been alien to the mindset of Jesus, who always tried to avoid that the expectations of a messianic leadership could grow around his person.
The events that happened in Jerusalem in the following days, which we also listen to in today’s passion narrative, and which will culminate with his shameful death outside the city walls within just five days from today, are a cruel reminder about the fragile meaning that an enthusiastic crowd may carry: today’s approval will soon turn into deception, and later on into outward rejection, because Jesus is not going to fulfil the expectations of the people who were longing for a political leader who might guide them towards a more prosperous life and turn them into a powerful and respected nation among its neighbors.
The contrast between the episode of the so-called triumphant entry into Jerusalem today, cheered and applauded, and the way Jesus will exit the city carrying the wood of the cross, mocked and spat upon, couldn’t be greater. Only a group of women will remain at his side, knowing that the gospel Jesus preached with his life and his words has to be embraced and understood in the heart of every single person, far from the multitudes who only project upon their leaders their own dreams and ambitions.
Jesus did never allow himself to be fooled by the crowds who were asking for a messianic leadership to make their nation great again, and announced several times that they themselves would end up demanding his death, as it turned out. As followers of Jesus, we should avoid the ever-present temptation throughout history of populism and of yielding to the longings of enthused crowds of diverse political and social signs, always eager of finding leaders who can deliver their own targets and goals. The gospel of Jesus, yesterday, today, and forever, is a path of loving self-giving of one’s own life, which is made real in the encounter with our neighbor, far from the crowds and their wishes and longings, as Jesus himself showed us with his own life.
