Each year at Passover, Pontius Pilate, Governor and representative of the Roman emperor, came to Jerusalem from his coastal residence in the west. He entered Jerusalem at the head of a column of imperial cavalry and soldiers. From the east, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey.
Two processions: Jesus’ procession proclaimed the kingdom of God; Pilate’s proclaimed the violent military power of empire and Roman imperial theology, worshiping the emperor as god. Pilate’s procession embodied the power, glory and violence of the empire that ruled the world. Jesus’ procession embodied an alternative vision, the Kingdom of God.
Which procession will each one of us choose?
It is easy to just wave a palm branch at church, sing a few rounds of “Hosanna,” and go home. The actual praise and worship Jesus invites me to enact on Palm Sunday is far riskier.
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