ALIVE: Chapter 166, The Royal Donkey

It was a difficult parting. Lazarus didn’t want to leave his sisters, his homeland, but he had to obey Jesus. Meanwhile, he still feared what Jesus would encounter in Jerusalem. As he made his journey east, he felt as if he was literally being torn away from Mary and Martha. Without his sisters and their chatter, being alone for the first time since he went to hades, the memories of that experience percolated into his consciousness until it became a flood. It was so horrible, so dark, so purposeless. The destiny of mankind. Being away from its Maker, away from the beautiful earth brimming with life. Souls were wandering aimlessly with nothing to look forward to, not even relief. Nothingness. He thought of what Moses said about what the world was like before Creation, formless and void. He shuddered to think of having to go back there again. Then, as if the gift of a cool breeze on a blazing hot day, he remembered Jesus and all the miracles, especially when He called him out of there. How did that happen? Would He call others out too?

Lazarus hiked across the country. He was glad to be alive, to breathe in the aroma of the olive and fig tree leaves, to sleep and wake up every morning with the sun. The sun. He wondered if anyone else on earth appreciated the quality of light of the sun when it lands on an object. The brightness is like a kiss, warm and loving. Beauty.

When he finally arrived at the shore days later, he had to find the harbor. But not right away. First, he walked to the shore and peered out across the Mediterranean Sea squinting his eyes to look for an island. Nothing but water, but such a clear massive sea. Lazarus had never seen that royal blue color before in his life, never. It amazed him how rich it was. He spotted a man nearby with a bright friendly face and asked for directions to boats going to Cyprus. The man, pointed north.

Once on the boat en route, resting with nothing ahead but time and sea, Lazarus fell back into his haunting memories of the dark misery of hades. For the first time since his return, a buried memory started to surface. He wasn’t sure if it was a memory or a thought. Did I see John the Baptist there? Jesus told me about the baptizer, but I had never met him, how would I know if that was him, except intuition. Ridiculous. I still don’t understand why Jesus didn’t come with me to escape. If they want to kill me, they certainly want to kill Him. It doesn’t make sense. With what power did Jesus call me out of hades? Was He more powerful than death? I remember Mary telling me how he even resurrected a young man, the only son of a widow, who was dead. I really was dead! For four days! How could that young man and I could be called back from death? Damned Eve, damned Adam! The curse is so horrible.

Then it hit him.

Could it be that Jesus went to Jerusalem  because He…. No, perish the thought. The thought lost no steam. Does He want to be killed? Why? He is human, He too will just die some day. Why does He want to go to that prison of doom so soon? He is still young, with plenty of years and healings ahead. If He too is captured in hades, how can He let Himself out? At that moment his head jerked up and hit against a hard object. Ouch!!  Lazarus closed his eyes looking for relief from the pain and possibly answers, and received neither.

Lazarus was beside himself, and there was no one around to talk to.

So he kept talking to himself in his mind. Wait; it’s coming back to me now! That man who I saw in hades who I thought was John the baptizer. He was gaunt, scraggly, but there was something about him, something different. That man John looked at me with joy. That was the strange thing. He was the only one there who smiled! He must have been waiting for Jesus to arrive to free them, and he knew when he saw me it would be soon! Wait! Wait! Did I hear John announcing that Jesus was coming to release them from hades!! No one believed him, they were so miserable, and thought he was crazy, especially the people who had been there for centuries. The new ones had some hope, but no sense of time. But now, this minute I am the only one who knows that John was speaking the truth! Jesus wanted to die, so He could go to hades and release everyone!!!

Lazarus drew a deep breath of shock. His body trembled, goose pimples popped up, he suddenly felt chilly.

Lazarus forced himself to stop thinking. It was too much. He stood up, and walked around the boat, looking at the sea, catching his balance when it rocked, and went up the stairs, looked around, no. Went down two flights, and walked around until he found a dark secluded place. He stopped and when he felt safe, he didn’t weep, he wailed, he cried, undulating wailing and crying as quietly as possible while his face was getting drenched and tears poured out of eyes and nose. He must have cried for an hour before the intensity of the hades death experience, and that Jesus’ saved him, to intentionally irritate his enemies. And his escape from Judea, and the thought of the relief of the salvation of all of those miserable prisoners in hades from the beginning of time, and his ignorance and thoughts of his spiritual poverty. Poor Lazarus all alone  with these revelations. He was exhausted from the intensity of it all and he couldn’t go back and tell his sisters. He didn’t know where or when, but he hoped to meet John the Baptist again. But what will death be like when hades is destroyed? The train of his thoughts hit a concrete wall.

…

Meanwhile, once he was sure that Lazarus was safe, Jesus and His disciples started for Jerusalem. Everyone was quiet. There was nothing to talk about. They were mostly alert waiting to see what would happen to them or to Jesus. This trek to Jerusalem felt more like a funeral March. Several days passed in silence. Even setting up camp was a solemn affair.

When they arrived at Bethphage, near the mount of Olives, Jesus sent Phillip and Bartholomew to the nearest village. His reputation preceded Him. The news spread fast about the raising of Lazarus making Jesus more famous than ever. He told Phillip, “When you get there you will find a donkey tied next to a colt, untie them both and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, say, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them to Me right away.”

Everything was done according to prophecy. Remember the long night when Jesus stayed inside the tomb of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi? He didn’t sleep. They were meeting. The spirit of Zechariah reminded Him that night of what he had prophesied five centuries earlier. Zechariah said, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is He, humble and riding on the colt of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9)

Jesus knew that His disciples needed a lift and He knew it was coming. They had to stop focusing on the sadness that is temporary and fix their gaze on that which is ultimate and lasting.

Phillip and Bartholomew went to the nearest village as directed. “Look! There they are!” Bartholomew looked over at where Phillip was pointing and added, “Why am I ever surprised? Let’s go!” It went exactly as Jesus described. Phillip was surprised that the man let the animals go so easily. When they returned to Jesus, He was delighted to see them. He approached the animals and petted them and spoke to them. The donkey nodded his head up and down in response as if he understood exactly what Jesus was telling him and agreed. Bartholomew said, “Here, let’s put my cloak on him and then you can get up.”

Jesus hoisted himself on the donkey tethered to its colt tagging behind. By then many of the townsfolk had gathered to see what was going on. A young man recognized Jesus and told everyone He was there! It was a day of celebration for Bethphage, to be able to welcome this Celebrity to their small town. Women poured out of their homes untying their aprons. Everyone wanted to join in the merriment.

The disciples were confused by the people’s joy and their own anxiety all mixed up together. Some men and women even removed their outer garments and laid them on the path of the donkey carrying the King of Israel, like a red carpet for the dignitary. Others cut palm branches from the trees and spread them along the way. James thought he had never seen such a welcome before and was in awe of the exuberance. The contrast between the enmity of the Pharisees and the honor from these people, both resided in his mind together, not in conflict, but surprisingly in harmony which astounded him. How could that be? Maybe he shouldn’t have raised Lazarus from the dead; that was the last straw of those jealous Pharisees. It was never about Jesus breaking the law, he thought, the truth came out. It was about keeping their system alive and with it, their precious position over the common people. James stopped thinking; there was too much going on around him.

As Jesus passed with James and His other disciples walking close behind, the people they passed joined the procession. Everyone, on the side and behind them chanted together “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” Over and over again they heard this refrain as they paraded out of Bethphage .

As usual, there were a couple of Pharisees in the crowd who were also on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. The one said to his friend, “See that. We’re losing; the world is going after Him.”

The procession went all the way to the village where Phillip and Bartholomew had picked up the animals. The owner saw the procession and Jesus in front riding on his donkey. People were still cutting palm tree branches and laying them on the road. The donkey raised its head up high, for this was truly the most important day of its life and she knew it. The colt on the other hand was oblivious and looking for milk. It had been a long walk for the baby.

Jesus dismounted and thanked the owner, who graciously received the lead. The donkey’s owner did not know what to think of what happened because he hadn’t heard about the raising of Lazarus.

John exclaimed, “That was fun!

Jesus then turned to the crowd and thanked them for their recognition. “We are on our way to Jerusalem for Passover now. I thank you for your kindness. Perhaps we will see you again in Jerusalem for the Passover. Shalom.”

The people dispersed going back to their villages and to their work.

The twelve disciples formed a circle enclosing Jesus in the middle to protect him, like a team huddle  waiting for instructions from the quarterback, or coach, all eyes on their Master and hearts filled with apprehension again, Jesus said with firmness and bravery, “Let’s head for Jerusalem.”

They kept formation with Jesus in the center of the moving group like an amoeba floating down stream until they reached the outskirts of the village where few people were. The group walked in silence. There was nothing to say. Jesus was deep in thought.

It wasn’t far to go from the Mount of Olives into the City. When they could see the city walls Jesus stopped and gazed upon the sight. Suddenly the men noticed that Jesus had grown melancholy and seemed to be weeping. He said quietly as if to Himself and the whole world at the same time, “If you had known true peace O Jerusalem, what that is, but now peace is hidden from your eyes.The  days will come upon you, when your enemies will hem you in, and compass you around, and hold you tight in their grasp on every side, and they will  dash you to the ground, and your children within you; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another; because you didn’t know the time when God visited you.” Jesus was truly sad about the ignorance and hubris of man, and what enormous joy and peace mankind deprived himself of because of it. The fall of Jerusalem happened ten weeks of years later.

Not all the disciples could hear what Jesus was saying. Instead they all sat and stared at the sight of Jerusalem, with all its life and death, with its power and meekness within. It had always been a destination for feasting and worship, but it seemed as if a cloud caste a shadow over Jerusalem while Jesus was talking.

After a while of contemplation filled silence, Jesus lifted His head and said, “Come on, let’s go. I want to see my mother. You men find yourselves places to stay and we will connect tomorrow at the temple.”