Parades
and Persecution
Palm
Sunday Worship – April 13, 2014
Today is all about the parade – the parade of palms as we witness Jesus coming triumphantly into Jerusalem and the people of that community being so excited and delighted that he was there that they went out to greet him, laying their cloaks and palm branches on the ground. I love Palm Sunday parades – there is an excitement to this day that is different than the rest of the year. I loved participating in the palm parades of my childhood in church, even the music of today is has a different rhythm, than other hymns. Excitement is in the air – can you feel it?
David Lose wonders if: “that’s what it was like for the first crowds who welcomed Jesus. Actually, I’m fairly certain it was far more exciting (for them), as many had probably heard Jesus teach or watched him heal or feed or comfort. Those who had no first hand experience of Jesus had probably heard the stories of others and came with excitement. What did they look for on that day so long ago? A prophet? Yes, but more than a prophet. A king? Perhaps, though they had no idea what kind of king.
I think they wanted a taste of heaven, a palpable feeling of the kingdom of God they’d heard him talk about. A break from the dismal routine, a sense that life mattered and that there was something beyond what they could see and hear, a relief to misery, healing for what was broken, hope to replace discouragement…and more.”[1]
A taste of heaven is the potential of what we can
experience when we encounter the Christ – so this palm parade is packed with
potential and possibility. Who doesn’t love a parade?
Ride on, ride on, the time is right:
the roadside
crowds scream with delight;
palm branches mark
the pilgrim way
where beggars
squat and children play.
Jesus parades into Jerusalem at the height of the
Passover festival season – – the excitement of Jesus coming into town creates
this wondrous spontaneous joyful parade experience– and the crowds gather and
shout and sing and celebrate – hosanna in the highest – blessed is the one who
comes in the name of the Lord! So what changes? What happens after the triumphal entry – what
causes the crowds to shift from adoration to loathing? How do we go from
celebration to execution in less than a week?
The procession into Jerusalem according to Matthew –
leads right to the temple gates and Jesus goes in and witnessing the chaos and
disarray of the sellers and moneychangers doing their business in the temple
grounds - Jesus reacts – reacts in a physical way and pushes tables over –
throws out the money changes and the sellers and in the process angers even
deeper the temple authorities.
He then goes and teaches – and makes outrageous
statements about who God is and how God wishes people to live their lives radical
things he speaks - things like – the widows mite is more valuable to God than
all the gold the rich man left - and then he told stories about wicked tenants
that killed the landlord’s son when he came to collect the rent – and the chief
priests and Pharisees realized that he was talking about them. And when he was asked about what was really
important to God – Jesus dismissed all the 623 rules /the laws that the temple
upheld about food and cleanliness and how to handle dead bodies and divorce and
the proper way to sacrifice a goat and said –come on folks – there is only a
couple of these rules that really matter to God and it is pretty simple- love God completely – with all your heart, and
all your mind and all your soul and after that love yourself and love your
neighbour. And all the rest will take
care of itself. And the people start to wonder about the rest
of the laws – are they not important too?
Sung – vs 2 Ride on,
ride on, your critics wait,
intrigue and rumour circulate;
new lies abound in word and jest,
and truth becomes a suspect guest.
And so when Jesus indicated that quite possibly that
the physical presence of the great and glorious temple would be destroyed –
what was heard was sedition – and on it went throughout the first three days of
the week – stories about bridesmaids and parables of talents –became words of treason
and treachery and somehow what Jesus had to say – these ideas, these words
these stories they were dangerous – dangerous enough to be called subversion – dangerous
enough to be called treason - dangerous enough to challenge the authorities –
dangerous weapons of destruction – these words, these ideas these stories were
enough for a crowd of ordinary folks – the Hosanna singers – enough for them to
become the crucifixion crowd.
But
maybe it was not all as it seemed during the parade – and maybe they were
looking not to adore and worship Jesus but instead had expectations that Jesus
may not have lived up to for them. So
when these ordinary folks that called out Hosanna as Jesus came into town – that
we may have heard it as a sign of celebration and excitement. It was probably more… the word Hosanna is not
what we may think it is for although – we probably hear it as a celebratory
word – it is a subversive word – so when the crowds call out:
“Hosanna
to the son of David!
blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
What
they doing is asking for change – calling out for transformation - Hosanna is a
plea to God asking God to come and save them. The people are crying out for God
to save them from Roman oppression. I'm told that hosanna is an Aramaic word,
where most of the gospel of Matthew is written in Greek. This remains in it’s original
Aramaic language. In that time for the
people to ask anyone other than the Roman Emperor to save them was an act of
treason, so calling out to God to come and help them was done in a language
that most of the Romans would not have understood. While the Romans would have
realised that this was a different language they would not have sensed the
potential for revolution that comes in that word: Hosanna!”[2]
Sung – vs 3 Ride on,
ride on, while well aware
those who shout and wave and stare
are mortals who, with common breath,
can crave for life and lust for death.
So the crowds are calling out for an act of treason. And throughout the next five days of Jesus
life, decision are made that change the world.
This is a week of pivotal moments – and like the characters in the story
that witness the events of this week, we too have choices to make. Like Judas choice to betray and Peter choice
to deny – we need to choose what we believe and what we will stand for. Like Caiaphas choice to plot to have Jesus
arrested and the Sanhedrin choice to fear what they do not understand - we too
have the choice to be open to new ideas, new understandings and not be afraid
of what we do not understand. Like
Pilate’s choice to wash his hands and fail to make a decision and chose not to
take a stand but instead to bend to the status quo – that is our choice as
well. We too have a choice to stand for
and with the truth or to back down when our culture says it’s not a popular
choice.
Do we follow Jesus parade through the streets of
Jerusalem – do we stand beside him in the temple – do we share a meal at the
Passover feast – do we stay and watch in the garden – and then witness the
arrest, and subsequent trials where justice and mercy get lost or do we go inside
our homes and shut our doors and ignore what is going on around us – and show
up Easter morning to celebrate when all the difficult stuff –all the hard and
painful stuff is finished? We have
choices - do we hear this story as an
interesting event that happened a couple of thousand of years ago to a group of
people of another time and another place or do we hear this story as something
that is relevant and timely to us in Lion’s Head/Pike Bay in 2014. Does this story really matter? – will it make
a difference? – can we see God at work not only in that week 2000 years ago –
but here and now and in this week that is also called holy.... The message of
Jesus is our message – the stories, the ideas the words – they are as relevant
now as they were where they were first spoken – and they are as challenging now
as they were then too– so do we hear – are we listening or are we too going to kill
the messenger?
Sung vs 4 Ride
on, ride on, though blind with tears,
though voiceless now and deaf to jeers.
Your path is clear, though few can tell
their garments pave the road to hell.
Have you had of enough parades? – but wait - there is
still one more to go. But this parade is not so much a celebration as a witness
to an execution. This next parade is a
· parade
of ignorance,
· of
cruelty,
· of
violence,
· of
torture
· and
ultimately of death –
The parade to Golgotha processes through our Holy week
rituals. It is a risky parade to participate
in – because you do not know what you will encounter on the journey. You do not know if you will end up as the one
who betrays or denies the Christ, . You
do not know if you can stay awake and watch – or if you can drink the cup and
eat the bread, you don’t know if you will run the first chance you get when the
going gets hard. As perilous parade
processes past and we have a choice about whether we will be participants or
not. Do you have the courage to walk on this dangerous path? – knowing that it
is not going to end well.
Each and every step we choose to take during this week
we call Holy gives us the opportunity to witness anew that even though we walk
sometimes in darkness, even though the road is littered in deceit and sorrow
and betrayal and denial – even though, it seems as if despair and death might
win – it doesn’t! and God is with us and
God gets in and life is transformed and God has the last word! Will we allow this story to touch our hearts,
to challenge our minds, to confront our demons, to follow Jesus no matter how difficult
the path becomes? Before you say yes, beware– we are about to be challenged, we
are about to encounter some difficult truths and some ugly circumstances . Because this parade is not about palms and
rejoicing - no this parade, this – this
is a parade because we called out “crucify him” – this is a parade that leads
to an crucifixion.
Sung vs 5 Ride on, ride on, God's love demands.
Justice and peace lie in your hands.
Evil and angel voices rhyme:
you are the man and this the time.
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