Palm Passion Sunday

Sometimes I think we wonder how the people could have crucified Christ. Why on earth were they so violent? We judge them as evil-doers, as narrow-minded, short-sighted zealots who couldn’t see who Christ really was. We see ourselves as different from them. Afterall, we didn’t put Christ on the cross—we didn’t call for his death—they did. They betrayed him where we have been faithful. Right? We love and praise Christ. We don’t condemn him or call for his death. Right?

Right. Well, sort of. See, the thing of it is, if we pay attention to the story, we will see that there aren’t a group who loved Jesus and a group who betrayed him—not as far as the masses are concerned. If we pay close attention, we will see that they are all the same. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds were there—thousands upon thousands had come for the Passover celebration. They would have made their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem and they would have filled the streets. So when Jesus came in on the donkey it wouldn’t have been just one or two people coming to see, not a small parade but thousands upon thousands walking toward the city, camping out in the area, reuniting with friends and family, sharing the story of Passover where God brought them out of slavery to the Egyptians. Of how God liberated them and then led them to the promised land. They would have recounted these stories of oppression and slavery—the bitterness of their years under the Egyptians and would have felt like they were repeating history as they lived under Roman rule. The stories of God’s liberating work would give new hope for liberation from the Romans. They would have shared stories of Moses and Aaron and Miriam and their leadership and been hopeful for another leader who could deliver them to a new life. The climate would have been charged with excitement, anticipation, and some desperation for the promised one to finally arrive.

And then we see Jesus coming in on a donkey—the Jesus people have heard about—this healer, this teacher, this man who has not been afraid to stand out and take a stand and it dawns on them—the oppression and the need for a leader and here is this man who’s done so much—clearly an agent of God.

Could it be?

It must be!!

The Messiah!

He’s here!

Hosanna in the Highest!!

He’s here. It’s time! We are going to be saved! God has sent us a new leader—he will save us! He will deliver us from Roman oppression. We will be freed to live in the Promised Land as God’s people again. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna! Save us! Hosanna!

And we hear the excitement and the energy—the momentum behind Christ. And so he spends the week teaching the people—reviewing the lessons he’s shared in the last 3 years of his ministry and people become more and more hopeful for the day he frees them. The people are behind Jesus—they want him to be the Messiah—their savior—their liberator.

And then something happens—this story of deliverance from the Romans comes to a shrieking halt. It slams into a brick wall. Jesus is arrested. He doesn’t fight back. He hardly even says anything. He doesn’t break out of jail. He doesn’t rally these followers to free him so they can all conquer this oppressive authority.

This liberator doesn’t do any of that. Doesn’t free them or even free himself. He can’t be the Messiah of the kingly line of David—he’s a coward and a fake! He’s a fraud and they’ve been deceived. They’re hurt and disappointed. They trusted him and his teachings and it turns out he’s just a fraud.

Kill him! Kill the liar! Kill the wannabe Messiah! Kill the “Savior”! if he’s really so great, he’ll save himself.

And they call for his death. Not because they are evil people, but because they feel betrayed. This man who they thought would do so much did nothing. He didn’t even try to fight. He embarrassed himself, but worse yet he embarrassed all of them by allowing them to follow him.

And he deserves to be punished. Period.

And so he is. He is beaten and mocked and spat upon. He’s stripped of his clothes and hung on a cross to die. He was murdered. Crucified doesn’t fully convey what happened. Jesus was murdered. And as far as most can figure it…rightfully so.

He was a rebel rouser.

He fraternized with prostitutes and thieves.

He led and misled the people

This man deserved to die.

And so he did—after hours of agonizing pain on the cross—he breathed his last.

That’s where our story is supposed to end today—with betrayal and death.

A so called leader hanging from a cross—naked and alone.

A defeated people walking by to see this coward they only wish could have saved them. And a handful of disciples—heartbroken and crying, astonished and dumbstruck that their Rabbi is dead.

That’s where our story is supposed to stop today. That’s all there is in the lectionary. We are supposed to have to leave in the discomfort of those moments until we come back next week.

But the thing about us as Christians is we can’t simply see things one way. We don’t just see devastation and destruction when it happens—we see a need for hope. We don’t just see the sick, we see the possibility for healing. We don’t simply see death—we also see life eternal. We refuse to be bound by the bad because through Christ we live in God’s hope. And today is no different. Yes, the story of today ends with death, but we can’t help but tell the rest of the story….we have to go on to tell what happens next.

Today we will celebrate holy communion—we will take the bread and the juice and remember the body and blood of Christ—though his sacrifice comes through death—we don’t concentrate on his death when we partake—we concentrate on his resurrection—the new life he offers. If we took communion focusing simply on his death, it would be rather morbid….but rather when we take the body and blood of Christ, we are not celebrating death—rather we celebrate the rest of the story—the story of life.

We take the body and blood of Christ and celebrate life---Christ’s resurrected life and our lives transformed through him. We can celebrate life and deliverance because we know the rest of the story. We know that this story is one of liberation—not the liberation from the Romans that was hoped for but true liberation—freedom from sin and death. We are free to live a new life in Christ—free from the chains of our past, free to be healed of our deepest wounds and free to love as Christ loves.

Because we know the rest of the story we know he was not a coward or a failure, but rather the ultimate victor who conquered the most evil powers there are—not for his own benefit, but for ours.

Jesus did not come as the Savior the Jews anticipated. He did not liberate them from an earthly rule as Moses had. Instead he offered them and us something much greater—freedom in life—and life after death. Christ offered us something much better than we ever could have anticipated—forgiveness for all of our sins, freedom to have an open and honest relationship with God despite our failures, and freedom to be restored to community even after we have committed the most egregious of errors. Christ gives us freedom. It may not have been what was expected or hoped for, but sometimes, we fail to see the whole picture. We fail to grasp what we really need and are blessed when we don’t get exactly what we want.

As you come to the table today, I hope that you will see and taste the body and blood of Jesus Christ. And that you will take it with a grateful heart—thankful for the ways God has defied your expectations.