Palm Sunday is known for the parade. Every year we begin Holy Week with a re-enactment of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem complete a procession of palms and loud hosannas. However the gospel of Luke’s version of this story does not have palms or hosannas. Nor does Luke have the fickle crowds who adore Jesus today, but call for his crucifixion on Good Friday. The multitudes that cheered Jesus unto Jerusalem in the Gospel of Luke were his faithful disciples who had journeyed with him throughout his whole ministry. These were folks whose lives were forever changed by witnessing the deeds of the power of God through the miracles, exorcisms and teachings of Jesus. This ragtag group of sinners, lepers, tax collectors, women, fishermen, poor people and yes even some Pharisees came into Jerusalem in a makeshift royal procession setting their King Jesus on a donkey and laying out their ragged, sweat stained cloaks on the ground for him to ride in on.
These disciples had high expectations for their King Jesus. After living in oppression under the brutal power of the Roman occupation, they imagined that Jesus would restore the Davidic kingdom and chase the Roman army away with a cosmic force greater than any of their military might. However, Jesus’ power did not come from force, rather his power was peace. Throughout his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus told his disciples several times that his way of peace was a threat to the powers of the day and that when he comes to Jerusalem, he would be killed those who feared him, the very powers and principalities that his disciples thought he would defeat. However Jesus also told them that in the end he would have the ultimate victory of life over death, but his disciples just couldn’t hear it. They could not wrap their heads around anything other than a military victory.
We remember that Jesus came into Jerusalem during the celebration of Passover. Every year at that time Jewish people from all over came into Jerusalem to celebrate the Exodus, the freedom of their ancestors from slavery in Egypt. Part of this celebration included a parade into the temple where they sang a song about a king victorious in warfare coming to the temple. This was their song in anticipation of the Messiah yet to come. As they drew near to the temple the pilgrims sang, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!” As they stood outside the gates of the temple they sang, “Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.”
As the people are thanked God for their salvation they remembered, “The stone that the builders have rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” This seems like a strange verse to us. Our modern day cornerstones are only small blocks of cement used memorialize the origins of our buildings. However in ancient Israel, the cornerstone was a 400 ton stone cut precisely to be used to determine the straightness of the other stones of a building. If the cornerstone was just a little off, the building was not going to be straight. The psalm affirmed that those who were thrown away, those who were seen as not worthy are made critically important. God has heard the cries of the rejected and has lifted them from their oppression so that they may continue God’s work on earth.
As the pilgrims continued through the gates of the temple, the priests and choirs that surround the entry sang to them, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the House of the Lord.” And the pilgrims go into inner temple to give their sacrifices in thanksgiving to God.
Some note that at the same time the religious pilgrims were parading into the temple there is a second parade coming into the temple on the west side. Pontius Pilate, the Roman Empire’s representative entered into the temple in order to “keep the peace” in the city Jerusalem during the turbulent time of Passover. His troops with shields, spears and brute power were moved in to take control of the crowds and show them who was really in charge.
Amidst the chaos and conflict between the religious pilgrims and the Roman Empire, in comes Jesus on the east side of the temple. Making his way from Bethany down the Mount of Olives, then the steep incline up to the temple Jesus draws with his disciples praising him, singing the same song as the religious pilgrims, however they are singing, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” Curious what is happening, there are now three competing kings. The song the religious pilgrims are singing was about the Messianic King to come, then there was Pontius Pilate and his army representing the ultimate earthly king, the Roman Emperor. And then we have, Jesus -full of a different kind of power- making his entrance riding a humble donkey, surrounded by his somewhat ragged group of followers…[Jesus] was no triumphant warrior or conquering power coming into the holy city…[he] was the King of Peace.”+
The disciples as usual were clueless as they sang and danced around Jesus. They had no idea that their celebration would lead to the cross. However some in the crowd, the Pharisees knew exactly what would happen if the Jesus parade clashed with the religious procession or worse yet the military parade. So they gave him a friendly warning, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” They wanted Jesus to tell the disciples to tone it down so as to keep everyone safe from harm. However Jesus responded by telling them, “if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” He was telling them, if you try and stop me, God, the one who is real peace will come to set things right. This is not Pax Romana, but the Pax Christi, the peace that is established that comes from a right relationship with God. If you try to obstruct that kind of justice, why even the very stones will cry out for justice for those harmed by war and violence, those who are enslaved or suffer degradation. For all of creation longs to participate in the drama of salvation.
So if you happened to be in Jerusalem on that day, what parade would you be in? The religious procession, the military parade or the Jesus parade. Yes, as Christians we would all like to claim a place in the Jesus parade. However, by doing so, are we also willing to accept the crucifixion as part of the Jesus parade? We might be tempted to say, “Don’t rain on my parade.” Don’t tell me that I have to sacrifice, don’t tell me that I have to change, don’t tell me that my world will be turned upside down.
My sisters and brothers in Christ, the good news is this, by claiming your place in the Jesus parade, you are claiming your place in the Kingdom of God where Jesus reigns as a different kind of king, a king of sinners and outcasts, the poor and the oppressed. A king for all of us. This is the king “who has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly…filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.” This King’s power comes not from might, but from peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding. The peace that knows that God is in charge and that God’s justice will always reign and that not even the violence of brutal armies or even nails on a cross to can contain God’s aim of abundant life for all of God’s creation.
May it be so.
Amen.
+"Into Jerusalem," commentary by Kate Huey at SAMUEL, i.ucc.org: Sermon Seeds (http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/march-28-2010.html)
1 comment:
Good job! I like asking questions in sermons and leaving them unanswered. I had a professor tell me once that was a terrible thing to do. That likely explains why I think it works. Yours certainly does.
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