PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD — GOSPEL BEFORE THE PROCESSION (YEAR A)

Gospel               Matthew 21:1-11

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Friends, Pax et Bonum! Today, we come to a very important day in the life of the Church, Palm Sunday of the Passion of Christ. This celebration ushers us into the Week of weeks, the Holy Week. On this day, we remember Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. We also commemorate such a journey in today's liturgy. The liturgy for this Sunday provides the reading of a Gospel before the procession into the Church begins. In year A, this liturgical year, the Gospel passage is Matthew 21:1-11. Let us dive a little deeper into it.

We need to set the stage by looking at the movement of Jesus. He moves from Jericho where he healed two blind men (Matt. 20:29) toward Jerusalem. The author of the text beautifully tells us that in moving to Jerusalem, he came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives (Matt. 21:1). Read the passage again, omitting the detail about "Bethphage on the Mount of Olives" and you would realise that the text flowed without any loss in sense. This suggests that the detail about "Bethphage on the Mount of Olives" is crucial to the author and the reader ought to take particular interest in it. This is the first thing we should look at. 

The location, Bethphage, is very interesting. The name "Bethphage" in Hebrew is "Beit Phagi" (בית פגי). "Beit" is "House" and "phagi" is "figs". This makes "Bethphage" mean "House of figs". Additionally, Bethphage is on the Mount of Olives. It is very likely to find Olive trees there. Why are these important? Read further and you will notice that the author simply said "others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road" (Matt. 21:8). No specific tree was named. However, geographically and culturally situating where the journey started from, thus "Bethphage on the Mount of Olives", we could glimpse that among the branches carried and spread on the road would be fig branches and olive branches. Likely, there was not a uniform choice for the branches, but a mixture. We get the general idea of Palms from John 12:13: "They took palm branches and went out to meet him". Let us push this detail further, looking at "figs". 

Remember that in Genesis 3:7, Adam and Eve "sewed FIG LEAVES together and made loincloths for themselves". We should learn that fig leaves quickly wilt. That was what Adam and Eve used to cover up their nakedness, their shame, the guilt and the result of their sin. God provided a permanent cover for them. Thus, "The Lord God made for the man and his wife garments of skin with which he clothed them" (Gen. 3: 21). To obtain a garment of skin, an animal has to be killed. That was the first 'sacrifice' of an animal in Scripture. God did that to save man. Here, in Matthew, we find the people likely spreading "fig" branches. This could point to the presentation of human frailty and our fruitless efforts to cover our sins. Subsequently, Jesus will be killed in Jerusalem. We can liken his death to the killing of the animal in the Genesis 3:21. Jesus' death will serve to provide a permanent and lasting cover of our shame. 

The second detail we can consider is that the author has Jesus sitting on two animals. In fact, he sent TWO disciples to the village to bring an ass (or donkey) which is tied and a colt that was with it. Two is a legal number. Thus, “A single witness shall not suffice… only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be sustained” (Deut. 19:15). In the other Gospels (Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-38), two disciples are sent. However, Jesus sent them with words that if anyone asks why they are untying the animal, they should respond accordingly. In Mark and Luke, they were actually asked and they responded. However, in Matthew, no one asked the two disciples anything. The Gospel according to Matthew has a Jewish audience. It is possible to assert that the audience or readers of Matthew understand the significance of TWO and do not need to ask further questions. That brings us into the question or the issue of discipleship and companionship. The issue is that in every mission, you need the presence of the other to make your point right. Sometimes, the presence of your fellow shields you from being asked certain questions. We all need that type of friend. 

Staying within the scope of thought of discipleship, what do the two animals teach us? I think that we have a practical example of discipleship, especially in the Holy Week. We have an ASS (or a DONKEY) and a COLT. The donkey is the mother. It is bigger. A colt is a young donkey. Relatively, it is smaller. We should see that wherever the mother donkey goes, the younger donkey will follow. That should be a good attitude for us. That, in Holy Week we should follow Jesus closely, even in the path of suffering. 

These are two thoughts from the Gospel to further our reflections and considerations.

Pax et Bonum