This is a challenging day. The story has been pushing us in this direction - Jesus will enter Jerusalem for the last time. There is tension and excitement and a strange apprehension in any of the gospel accounts.

It is the same for us…for me this week.

We know what comes next. We can’t stop wanting to hear the story, but we are always guilty of jumping ahead. It’s for our own good, I suppose. The weight of Jesus’ journey into the religious capital - on the eve of the greatest festival in the Jewish calendar - under relentless scrutiny…it is too much to dwell on.

So, we hang on to our Easter expectations.

Those expectations include the knowledge that everything will turn out okay. The cross loos, but the empty tomb beckons. We are good news junkies, so we play this morning’s gospel lesson as a parade. My bible (most Bibles) put the telling headline over this chapter: Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

But I have trouble finding the triumph.

The welcome is strange - coats on the ground and branches in the air. Crowds ahead and behind - shouting and singing to a city ‘in turmoil…’Who is this?’ The people ask the dancing crowd around Jesus. “This is the prophet Jesus…” is the reply.

The prophet Jesus. Not the conqueror. Not the one who leads the revolution. Not ‘our king.’ This is no parade. It feels (especially these days) like a protest march. A frustrated, energized population will take this glorious chance to speak their collective minds in a creative (and provocative) way.

There was a problem with the state of the religious leadership. The ‘church’ of the day is either lazy - going along to get along - or it’s badly broken. The leaders are coveting and protecting their power and status, and no one willing (or able) to call them to account. Except Jesus.

Jesus has been calling out the leadership. His longest discussions and harshest criticism is reserved for those who use their knowledge and position to grind people down. Between his debates with the guardians of religious decorum (and his willingness to show compassion those who seemed beyond help, Jesus has convinced this branch-waving crowd that they can use their voices. They have heard (and seen) enough. They will trumpet this Jesus into town and dare the ‘authorities’ to do something.

All the authorities - religious and civil – have ‘earned’ this moment, and each will play their part. This protest is not just about one thing; it’s about everything all at once.

And once again, we find the gospel describing scenes that seem too close to current events.  Millions of people in the United States (and around the world) are protesting this weekend. Government is (mostly) indifferent or dismissive of the protesters. The Christian Church is divided - some scorn the protests as the work of the devil, others are in the front lines waving signs and calling it kingdom work.

And they are singing the 21st century version of ‘Hosanna…’

This is a language thing - where we have turned the meaning of a word on its head. Our hymns carry hosannas as glorious, joyful and full of bright smiling praise. But hosanna is actually a cry for help. Hosanna means ‘save us.’

The people protesting are not praising anything. They are crying out for a return to decency. Their chants are cries for help - a demand to be saved from the chaos of the current administration. Sure, not every government can (or will) appeal to every citizen, but this level of outrage is in a different category. It begs for a miracle.

Jesus’ first miracle is surviving an assault on the moneychangers and sellers of sacrificial animals. He shuts down their business with a very hands-on display of indignation. Then he sets to work healing people. The scribes and chief priests are amazed, but powerless - maybe the crowd has made them careful - but Jesus walks away from the protest at the end of this day, and leaves the city for Bethany. So why the parade? What good is accomplished by this seemingly spontaneous crowd crying for help?

There is plenty of symbolism in this episode to keep us diverted. There’s humility, there’s spontaneous outrage; loud noises and disruptive crowds. But Jesus doesn’t lead the noisemaking. Jesus models action.

Into the temple. Make a statement. Disrupt the patterns of the moneychangers. Show the authorities he means business. Show the people what is required.

Friday is coming. The cross awaits. And I’m not sure that this palm-waving, table-flipping moment is the thing that seals Jesus’ fate. The pharisees had been suspicious for a long time. The Passover presents the perfect opportunity.

This ‘parade’ that’s not a parade is just Jesus being Jesus. Offering a very public demonstration of his determination to give God back to the people - and to lead the people closer to God.