"When dawn spreads its paintbrush on the plain, spilling purple... ," Sons of the Pioneers theme for TV show "Wagon Train." Dawn on the mythic Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico, looking toward Raton from Cimarron. -- Clarkphoto. A curmudgeon artist's musings melding metaphors and journalism, for readers in more than 150 countries.

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Palm Sunday--Triumph?

"Palm Snday," 5 x 7 140 lb Fabriano Artistico cold press paper
I wonder what Jesus thought, as a  crowd gathered outside Jerusalem's walls to welcome him, shouting praises and waving palm fronds.
Did he smile? Or remain grim lipped, thinking about the ordeal before him in a few days?
I don't much care for glorified paintings of the  so-called "Triumphal" entry, as it is labeled in John's account.
He may have smiled at the cruel irony, or he may have managed to smile and nod in compassion at the adoration of the common people, the people he knew the religious authorities exploited without compassion. Did he wave, or speak, or just endure? We don't know.

After all, he was one of them, a dark-skinned Mideastern Jew with a big nose, weathered by lots of time outdoors in the desert sun. 
All pictures of him show a white robe and white skin, smiling at the crowd. I doubt he had a white robe either...it would have been filthy with dust. It was probably brown and or a gray. One of his greatest pleasures was having his feet washed about all those dusty miles he walked.
Then again, he probably soaked in the moments with his calmness, with his self-assurance and integrity...knowing he'd need it all in just a few days.
Today's watercolor is rough, I intend that. A ragged rabbi, sitting on a little donkey, as people shout praises.

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