At the beginning
Of his final week on earth, Holy Week,
Jesus entered Jerusalem
Not as a military hero, on a horse,
But on a donkey.
The people expected
A messiah to liberate them
From Roman occupation,
To bring home the scattered tribes,
Restore the temple.
The vision of Jesus
For a new Israel was different,
No distinction between people,
No display of military power,
No patriotic speeches.
The Kingdom of God
Would be universal forgiveness,
Looking at relationships in a new way,
Not as power or payback
But as love.
Jesus is forever
Coming into our world
On a donkey,
On a leaky dinghy,
In the back of a lorry.
We’ve looked for him
Often in the wrong places,
In magnificent building, in powerful people.
Lord, help us to see you
In the humble.