10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" ¹¹ The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

I don’t know how long I have been reading and trying to figure out this passage from Matthew, but I do know that for at least the last seven or eight years, I have viewed these verses as one of the places in scripture where somebody messed up. In each of the other Gospels, Mark, Luke, and even John, the triumphal entry of Jesus through the city gates of Jerusalem is very cut and dried: there is one donkey (all of them refer to it as a colt and Mark and Luke specifically describe the young animal as not being ridden upon), a whole lot of interested observers, and many people waving branches and shouting exultations. Mark and Luke even have the same back-stories as to how this colt was procured by two disciples (this also happens to be the same story as we find in this morning’s reading from Matthew).

However, Matthew has this one difference that is so glaring, that most people, including myself up until recently, think that the author was either very tired when he wrote this and just made an error, he didn’t know the Hebrew language as well as he thought, or somewhere along the line, there was a monk that messed up in copying it.

This difference, as mentioned earlier, is that Jesus sends the disciples out to find a donkey … and a colt. Throughout the rest of the passage, every time that the author makes reference to the beast of burden that carries Jesus, it is always done in the plural. The disciples put their cloaks on them. Jesus sits on them.

So what do we do with this strange little notation? Do we act as if its not there? (which, I am sure, many would like to do.) Do we chalk it up to a mistake? Or do we take the difficult stand that God, through Matthew, is actually revealing something about this event that we don’t get in the other accounts?

I have no problems admitting that I swung from a combination of the first two camps (act as if its not there or call it a mistake), to the last camp (where God is actually trying to say something). And here’s why.

Apparently, there was a custom revolving around a colt, and the first time that they were to be ridden. It seems that "an unbroken colt was introduced into service while accompanied by its parent".

Now take that new piece of information, and set it into the rest of the story where Jesus is headed into Jerusalem to cheers, and shouts of acclimation, with braches being placed in front of the animal. Imagine how an unbroken colt would react in that environment: even for a novice like myself, I can tell that the young donkey would be anything but settled. What calms the colt? Being right beside its parent.

All of a sudden, Jesus "riding" on two donkeys doesn’t seem strange, or wrong, but absolutely necessary. Both animals would need to be there for the colt to be able accomplish its job of carrying the man from Nazareth into Jerusalem to begin his final days of earthly ministry.

But beyond bearing some light as to the way of the donkey (which, I suppose, has merit in certain circles), what else are we to derive from this passage? I think that the answer to that question lies in the subsequent events of Holy Week, especially on Maundy Thursday (the day of the Last Supper and Jesus arrest in the garden of Gethsemane) and Good Friday (when Jesus was convicted, crucified, died, and was buried).

It is on these days, as the crowds of supporters that we recognize today become but a distant memory that Jesus appears to be completely isolated. Yes, Jesus disciples were with Jesus for that Last Supper, but where were they once Jesus went to the Garden to pray? They were sleeping. Where were Jesus followers when the Sanhedrin was unfairly trying him? Well, we know that Peter was denying his Master three times. Where were Jesus supporters when Pilate offered the choice between Jesus and Barrabas? Although they may have been there, their voices were certainly not heard. Where were the followers of Jesus when he was being crucified? With the exception of the women and the Beloved Disciple, we do not know. Where were Jesus’ disciples while he was being buried? They were locked behind a door, fearful that they may be killed next. All of these examples point to the fact that he is alone.

And yet, like the colt in the Gospel of Matthew, he is not. Jesus is not alone. Like the colt, Jesus is being supported in the midst of this maiden, and for that matter only, journey to the cross, and is being supported by his parent; by God the Father. At the conclusion of the Lord’s Supper Jesus speaks of this assurance when he says, in reference to the Cup of Blessing, "I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom." There is no doubt, only the confidence that God will support each of them to a new beginning. He is not alone. While in the Garden, Jesus is praying to his Father. He is not alone. During Jesus arrest he says to Peter, "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?" He is not alone. Even after his conviction and humiliation before the Romans and Jews and he is carrying his cross to Golgotha, God shows support by inserting Simon of Cyrene to help with the burden. He is not alone. Even while he is hanging on the cross, we hear, as recorded in Luke, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they doing" and "Father, into Your hands, I commend my spirit". Even in those closing moments of life when breath was so hard to acquire, he leaned on the presence of his parent, who he knew was listening. Even in the midst of situations where he appeared completely isolated, he knew that he was not alone.

This past week Austin and I traveled down to Hanover, Pennsylvania to visit with my maternal grandparents, Austin’s great grandparents. It had been a little over a year since Austin had seen his great grandparents so as far as his two year old mind is concerned, this people who he’s being introduced to, as well as the home that he is being asked to fall asleep in, are completely new. The first few hours that we were in the new space on Sunday night, Austin stayed as close to my hip as possible. If I was standing up, he was holding my hand if not my leg. If I was sitting down, he was up in my lap, placing his head on my shoulder.

Over he next few days, he stayed pretty close. He began to head out and explore the house and his great grandparents on his own but after a few minutes he would be running back through the house yelling, "Daddy, where are you? Where’d he go?"

During one of those times I happened to be outside picking up the mail for my grandmother and Austin started to lose it. Somehow grandma (GG to Austin) was able to angle him over to the window and as soon as he saw me, he was okay.

Austin was taken into an environment that he did not know, but as long as he knew that he had support he was able to ‘go, go, go’ like he does when he’s running around here. He ended up becoming so comfortable with his new surroundings that he was able to help to put his great grandfather to bed on Tuesday night (well, we gave him grandpa’s slippers but he was more than willing to pull the blankets tight). Austin just needed to know that he was not alone and he ultimately thrived in an environment that could have been very difficult.

As we move through our lives, there are periods of time when you enter into unfamiliar and uncomfortable surroundings, where you aren’t sure where to turn, and you aren’t sure what to do. Maybe that time revolves around a sickness in your family, that has begun to drain whatever financial, emotional, and spiritual reserves you had. Maybe it’s with your kids, where you are at a complete loss as to how to respond to their actions or inaction and you are left floundering. Maybe its at your job where the call to service that you once felt has now been replaced by a daily sense of unease. Maybe it’s in a relationship, where a love that was once easy to recognize, has now has gone into hiding. Maybe it’s in yourself, where that craving that you thought you could once control, has ballooned into something that controls you. In each of these scenarios, you can feel incredibly uncomfortable and alone. We’re not all that unlike Austin running through my Grandparents house with purposeful steps, yelling, "Daddy, where’d you go?"

However, as our scripture shows us through something that many people would simply call a mistake, this is not the case: we enter into all of these situations with the support of our eternal parent, God the Father as felt through the movement of the Holy Spirit. You are not alone. The support of God is right there beside you, ready to grant you the assurance of a supportive word through a colleague, the strength that you need through the reassuring touch of a friend, the understanding that you crave from the diagnosis of a caring professional.

Even though Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem in humble fashion, he, like the colt on which he rode, did not come alone. He came with the guidance and support of his Father. Take this knowledge, and in all of the challenges that you face, in all of those uncomfortable spaces that you may face, know that you can be like the one who traversed through all of the trials of Holy Week. Trust in that guidance; lean on that support. It will be there. Life can be very uncomfortable. But you are not alone.

Oh holy Lord, what amazing power Your Word holds. Even in the midst of that which, at first glance, appears to be a mistake, can, in fact, reveal another example of Your glory. As we celebrate this triumphal entry help us to do so knowing that Your son, even though he was traveling in uncomfortable places, did not travel alone. He went with You, right beside him, guiding and supporting him all the way. Help us to know that this level of care is there for each of us, all of the children that are found in the body of Christ. God, we do thank You and praise Your name. Amen.