Rewriting the Palm Sunday Story: Reflections on Luke 19:28-40

March 17, 2013 by Alyce McKenzie

Continued from Page 1

Rewriting the Ending is God's Job...and Ours

My rewrite would keep the protagonist as he is; the Messiah without pomp. It would keep the immediate supporting cast as they are portrayed in Luke in the confines of this particular scene, disciples devoted to his mission.

But I would completely rewrite the outcome. It dawns on me suddenly, after all this time and thought, that that is what God does in the Resurrection. It's not my job. But, at the same time, it is my job, with God as my helper. On a daily basis, from now throughout Holy Week, Easter Sunday, and beyond, it is our job to rewrite the ending. It is our job as the church. It is our job as Christians in a world filled with vivid scenes where greed and violence reign.

Palm Sunday, the "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, ought to fill us with revulsion at its outcome. It ought to fire us with rebellion at the assumption of its inevitability. It ought to inscribe on faithful hearts the words: "Not again. Not this year."

Sources Consulted

E. Earle Ellis, The Gospel of Luke, The New Century Bible Commentary Series

I. Howard Marshall, The New International Greek Testament Commentary on Luke

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About Alyce McKenzie

Alyce M. McKenzie is the George W. and Nell Ayers Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

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