Kings, Colts, Crowds, Cloaks and Kenosis

Writing in Scientific American, Tim Lomas explores the "magic" of untranslatable words. He starts by listing 216 such words. The list now stands at 601. But one word is missing: kenosis.

Palm Sunday.


Clearly, this is one of the most joyful days of the Christian year. It's a day that involves a king and a colt, plus crowds and cloaks.

Jesus arrives in Jerusalem as a king. He's riding on a colt. And crowds are laying their cloaks on the ground before him as he rides. They cry, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Matthew 21:9). The people are tired of corrupt King Herod. They want Jesus to be their ruler.

We know this story well, and it's easy for us to grasp the meaning of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a colt while crowds praise him and roll out the red carpet by spreading their cloaks on the road.

The crowds go wild, and so do we. We wave our palm branches. We want Jesus to be our king and to rule our world with love and justice. Everyone is shouting, jumping and jostling to get a better view. The king, the son of David, is coming!

But the Palm Sunday story is not just about a king and a colt, or a crowd and their cloaks. ...