Would Jesus Like a Parade?

On June 14, perhaps for the first time in its history, the United States will imitate the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea by throwing a military parade in the nation’s capital. Spectators will get to see which army has the biggest cannons, the most tanks, the best missiles, and the greatest airplanes. In Russia, the military parade celebrates Victory Day; in China, it celebrates National Day; in North Korea, it’s about Military Foundation Day. In the United States, it’s the president’s birthday.

Westar is famous for conducting the Jesus Seminar (1985–96), raising the questions, what did Jesus really say and what did he really do? One question not raised was what would Jesus think? Specifically, what would Jesus think of a military parade?

Did Jesus ever witness a military parade? It is possible that he did because Rome seemed to love these things. In the capital, military parades were called triumphs, and triumphs celebrated the victory of a military commander over Roman foes. Most people who visit Rome today know or learn about the triumph of Titus due to the Arch of Titus that still stands. The arch has several panels that depict the spoils of war taken from Jerusalem, a winged goddess Victory crowning the emperor, and several other images related to the divinity of Titus, his various accompanying bodyguards, and, of course, his great war chariot, somewhat like an ancient tank. The whole arch is of Titus, by Titus, and for Titus, and somewhere in there his father, Vespasian, also approves. It was not an arch about making Rome great again; Rome was already great. It was about displaying greatness, which is what military parades intend to do.

Jesus never saw a Roman triumph, certainly not in Rome, but it is possible he witnessed a Roman military parade as it entered Jerusalem at Passover. Every Passover Roman legions paraded into the city in chariots, on horses, and on foot. They had their battle gear to display—not tanks, of course, or planes, but spears, swords, and armor. Presumably, they were impressive, perhaps scary, and maybe exciting to see. If Jesus ever beheld this site, and if it happened when he was a boy, he might well have watched with awe—the impression Rome wanted. It’s easy to imagine how, when he was older, the awe of Jesus’ younger self would have been displaced by disgust.

We do not have any historical evidence to go by to answer the question, what would Jesus think of a military parade? We can only imagine that on a larger scale the Jewish people did not appreciate the Roman occupation of their land and their city. Indeed, eventually the occupation led to violence, to the invasion by Titus, and to the triumph displayed on the Arch of Titus. The Christian gospels, however, contain an imaginary event (one with a possible historical context) that we can draw upon when asking what Jesus would think.

The scene, of course, is the Entry into Jerusalem recorded in Mark and copied by Matthew and Luke. Jesus enters Jerusalem from the east descending from the Mount of Olives mounted on a donkey and hailed with cheers of hosanna by the crowd. In the gospels, this happens at Passover, so it occurs at the same time Pilate would have entered Jerusalem from the west mounted on a stallion and followed by his legions. The two scenes play off each other like a comedy. The Jesus entry is a satire of the Pilate entry, the donkey contrasts with a stallion, and palm branches are in place of spears and swords. The cry “hosanna” or welcome is likely not the cry that Pilate heard. The gospel writers make the Jesus entry very serious, using it either to fulfill prophecy (Zech 9:9) or to demonstrate the status of Jesus as God’s chosen. However, the historical element comes into play here, as well.

Outside of the interpretations of the gospel writers, we know that the Mount of Olives played a secular role. Since popular folklore suggested the Mount of Olives was the location from which an end-time battle would be launched, the mount was a location for public rallies, protests, and acts of resistance, perhaps like the Washington Mall or downtown Los Angeles today. The fact that Jesus rides a donkey, which represents humility, suggests that the entry into Jerusalem, along with its satirical elements, underlines the Jesus saying, “How blessed are the poor.” The Jesus saying might be the ultimate statement of satire, for while Rome displays its might and its wealth, while it indulges in its extravagance, the Jesus movement celebrates joy in poverty and solidarity in humility.

What would Jesus think of a military parade that displays extravagant wealth, uses money for all the wrong reasons, and celebrates a birthday extravaganza soaked in corruption? We probably all know the answer, which is not much. If he acted, Jesus would hold another parade, a parallel parade, celebrating nonviolent resistance and upholding compassion for the persecuted. Perhaps the right thing for the American people to do is to hold a June 14 alternative parade, as Jesus would do.

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