The preacher Jesus arrived in some style in Jerusalem yesterday and, to the astonishment of religious and civil authorities, he was greeted by large and enthusiastic crowds all along his route into the city.
In what some suggested was a deliberately provocative gesture, he arrived on a donkey which had been tied to a doorway in Bethany near the Mount of Olives, just outside the city.
Both civil and religious authorities in Jerusalem have a much-commented-on penchant for pomp and ceremony and Jesus's decision to enter the city on a donkey was seen as a comment on that.
Some of his supporters threw cloaks and branches on the road in the donkey's path, in what was widely described as a triumphant entry by the preacher. What surprised most commentators was that it was widely believed the Jesus campaign was finished and that his popularity had reached an all-time low, not least because of the severity of some of his recent comments.
Lately however he has begun to attract large crowds once more, mainly of the sick and their relatives. Indeed it was claimed that on his way to Jerusalem he stopped briefly at Jericho where a blind man called Bartimaeus (meaning the son of Timaeus) was begging by the roadside.
When he heard Jesus was in the area he shouted loudly at the preacher to help him. Local people were deeply embarrassed at this effrontery and told him to shut up. But he kept shouting. Jesus heard him and called him over. He asked Bartimaeus what he wanted. "I want to see," he is reported to have replied to the preacher. Jesus told him his confidence had healed him and it was claimed Bartimaeus could see from that moment.
Such stories had helped revive the preacher's flagging campaign and had brought out the crowds wherever he went. Yesterday in Jerusalem was no exception. What was unusual is that some of the people chanted "We hail him who comes in the name of God. We hail the King of Israel".
It is not thought that either the religious of civil authorities would be pleased at this. A spokesman for King Herod would not comment last night, while Governor Pilate was away for the weekend. A spokesman for the High Priest, Dr Caiaphas, dismissed the crowd's chants as "preposterous".
No one is clear why Jesus has come to Jerusalem at this time. Passover is next week, a bit later than usual this year, and the city will be very crowded. It is assumed he has come to muster support. He has not been in Jerusalem since the preacher John died. It was said he feared for his own safety and indeed he has talked about his own imminent death a number of times since, as if to feed the rumour that there was a plot hatched by the religious authorities to have him killed.
Such a plot has been vigorously denied by spokesmen for the Sanhedrin, the council of chief priests. Last night a source close to the council expressed disquiet at the presence of Jesus in Jerusalem at this time. "Has he come to cause trouble?" he asked. "If so we cannot stand by. With the crowds this week the potential for public disorder is great and he has said he came to turn brother against brother."
However, and despite the many miracles the Jesus campaign claims the preacher has performed, most of Jerusalem's populace remained unmoved by his arrival yesterday. But a spokesman for Dr Caiaphas expressed concern at the number of "highly respected people who have fallen for this charlatan. Some of the most unlikely Pharisees still have a open mind about this fellow. Indeed, if they were not so afraid of the justifiable ridicule that would be their lot, I do not doubt they would be more open about this."
As if to flush such people out, Jesus said last night "when someone believes in me he does not believe in me but in the one who sent me. I am here as a light so no one who believes in me will have to stay in the dark. But I do not judge the person who does not do what I say. Judging is not what I am here for. Someone else will do that. My job is to help. What I do and say is what I was told to do and say." And few understood him.
