FAUSTI - "Your king comes, sitting on a donkey's foal" These words announce the coming of the Messiah (Sof 3,14 -Zc 9,9). The disciples see the great promise come true before their eyes, but they do not understand it, even if the prophets have predicted it. The Scripture and the events of the life of Jesus, which are the fulfillment of it, will be understood only after His glorification, now imminent. Jesus is the king, the Anointed One of the Lord who comes. He is coming towards His city, carrying on Himself the perfume with which Mary consecrated Him the day before in Bethany. The crowds came to meet Him, acclaimed Him and followed Him for the works He had done, the last of which was the gift of life to Lazarus. Even before, when He had given the bread, they wanted to make Him king. Jesus is able to guarantee food to live and to make live those who die, The crowds meet Him like a king who comes to visit: they carry palm branches, a sign of victory. He is acclaimed King of Israel, the One who comes in the name of the Lord, to free the people from the mortal oppression in which they find themselves.- Jesus has His reservations about these acclamations. His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways (Is 55:8), He expresses His royalty by choosing a donkey, The donkey, a humble animal of service, indicates the Messianism of Him who is gentle and humble of heart. It is true that Jesus gives bread and life, but not as a sign of power, but as a sign of love, He makes Himself bread and gives life. His kingship is shown in the things that will happen to Him in His passion, when He will overcome our violence by offering Himself as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. Like living water he sat on Jacob's well (4:6), now as the Messiah sits on the donkey. The kingship of Jesus is the same as that of God, who manifests His glory on the cross. He gives us His freedom, which is to be at the service of one another. His command is to love as He loves us. And love consists in service. The donkey is the image of the Son, who bears the burdens of His brethren: "Carry one another's burdens, so that you may fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal 6:2). Just as they did not understand His gesture and His Words in the Temple (2:22), so they do not understand these things, that is, His gesture of climbing on the donkey and the Words of Scripture that are fulfilled in it. Only the Cross will make the Glory be understood. John does not place himself in the present of action, but in the future: only after his glorification will both the Scripture and its fulfillment in Jesus be clear. The object of remembrance is Scripture and what they did to Jesus, not what He did. The reason for the enthusiastic welcome is the testimony of the crowd that had been with Him when He gave life to Lazarus. With Jesus came the hour when the dead heard the voice of the Son of Man and came out of the graves (5:25). Then we know Who is Lord. Just as Lazarus came out of the tomb, so now the crowds come out of the city, meeting the coming Lord. But above all, they must come out of their false expectations to meet the Saviour of the world. Jesus is welcomed as the triumphant one over the ultimate enemy of man: it is the Messiah who conquers death. It is in fact the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29), the Son who shows how much the Father loves the world (3:16) to attract everyone to Himself.
FAUSTI - "Your king comes, sitting on a donkey's foal" These words announce the coming of the Messiah (Sof 3,14 -Zc 9,9). The disciples see the great promise come true before their eyes, but they do not understand it, even if the prophets have predicted it.
RispondiEliminaThe Scripture and the events of the life of Jesus, which are the fulfillment of it, will be understood only after His glorification, now imminent.
Jesus is the king, the Anointed One of the Lord who comes. He is coming towards His city, carrying on Himself the perfume with which Mary consecrated Him the day before in Bethany.
The crowds came to meet Him, acclaimed Him and followed Him for the works He had done, the last of which was the gift of life to Lazarus. Even before, when He had given the bread, they wanted to make Him king. Jesus is able to guarantee food to live and to make live those who die,
The crowds meet Him like a king who comes to visit: they carry palm branches, a sign of victory. He is acclaimed King of Israel, the One who comes in the name of the Lord, to free the people from the mortal oppression in which they find themselves.- Jesus has His reservations about these acclamations. His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways (Is 55:8), He expresses His royalty by choosing a donkey, The donkey, a humble animal of service, indicates the Messianism of Him who is gentle and humble of heart. It is true that Jesus gives bread and life, but not as a sign of power, but as a sign of love, He makes Himself bread and gives life. His kingship is shown in the things that will happen to Him in His passion, when He will overcome our violence by offering Himself as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
Like living water he sat on Jacob's well (4:6), now as the Messiah sits on the donkey.
The kingship of Jesus is the same as that of God, who manifests His glory on the cross. He gives us His freedom, which is to be at the service of one another. His command is to love as He loves us.
And love consists in service.
The donkey is the image of the Son, who bears the burdens of His brethren: "Carry one another's burdens, so that you may fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal 6:2).
Just as they did not understand His gesture and His Words in the Temple (2:22), so they do not understand these things, that is, His gesture of climbing on the donkey and the Words of Scripture that are fulfilled in it. Only the Cross will make the Glory be understood. John does not place himself in the present of action, but in the future: only after his glorification will both the Scripture and its fulfillment in Jesus be clear.
The object of remembrance is Scripture and what they did to Jesus, not what He did.
The reason for the enthusiastic welcome is the testimony of the crowd that had been with Him when He gave life to Lazarus. With Jesus came the hour when the dead heard the voice of the Son of Man and came out of the graves (5:25). Then we know Who is Lord.
Just as Lazarus came out of the tomb, so now the crowds come out of the city, meeting the coming Lord.
But above all, they must come out of their false expectations to meet the Saviour of the world.
Jesus is welcomed as the triumphant one over the ultimate enemy of man: it is the Messiah who conquers death. It is in fact the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29), the Son who shows how much the Father loves the world (3:16) to attract everyone to Himself.