OK, OK - I know its not a real holiday, but consider: this is the eve of the day, according to the synoptic gospels, when Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. Accordingly, it may well have been a day of preparation for him.
We know from the gospel of Mark that Jesus spent the night before his entry in Bethany, a town just beyond the Mount of Olives and to the East of Jerusalem. Out to the west of Jerusalem, some sixty miles or so, was Caesarea, home base for Pontus Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea and Samaria.
As custom and necessity dictated, the Roman governor would spend the week of Passover inside the city of Jerusalem, projecting Roman power and ensuring, as much as was possible given the circumstances, a peaceful festival.
Then and now, Passover is celebrated by Jewish people as a remembrance of their escape from captivity in Egypt. It was a politically charged festival during the Roman occupation, as it reminded the Jewish people of a time in their history when they cast off oppression and established their own destiny.
And so, for our purposes, I'm thinking about two groups preparing for Passover week (now our Holy Week). First, we have Pilate and his Roman soldiers, heading to the Fortress Antonia within Jerusalem, to ensure peace through power. On the other side, we have Jesus and his band of misfit disciples, reading to enter the City to proclaim power through peace.
What do you think the two men (and their followers) were thinking on this eve of preparation?
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