Stephen Waller
THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION: PALM SUNDAY
Isaiah 50: 4 – 9a
Psalm 31: 9 – 16
Philippians 2: 5 – 11
Mark 14:1 – 15:47
Hosanna. Save us, Jesus. Hosanna. Save us. Save us. Save us.
What do you think Jesus was thinking as he heard the shouts of Save us upon his entry into Jerusalem? Hosanna, Save us! Hosanna, Save us!
Jesus knew what the week would bring. He knew the shouts of Hosanna would fade as the week progressed. He knew that those he loved who followed him would abandon him, leaving him alone before the Romans.
I believe that even with the shouts of Save us, Hosanna, Jesus entered Jerusalem deeply saddened because He did know…not only what was ahead for him as the week progressed, but saddened to come to terms with the reality that his beloved followers would, in His final days and hours, abandon Him, leaving Him alone before the Romans.
Yes, they shouted Hosanna, Save us, but then they fell away when things got difficult. That is what they did in response to His “saving them” in a manner they did not want or expect. They fell away. They abandoned Him.
And us? What about us? We also just shouted Hosanna, Save us, Jesus. We want Salvation. We profess to be his friends and followers, to love Him. We know what we want our salvation to look like. We too, expect Him to “do it” our way.
Many of us will also fall away. It is hard to follow this Man/God. It is hard to go with him step by step through the last week of His life on this Earth. So, like His early followers, we step back and find safe places to be, other things to do, other ways to spend the days and hours of Holy Week without having to deal with the awful messiness of Thursday night, Friday afternoon and the painful silence of Saturday while his lifeless corpse lies in Death.
Just like those early followers, we do want Salvation, but we want it on our terms…terms that do not include such intimate actions as washing one another’s feet; terms that are too tired to stay awake as He prays that this cup may be avoided; terms that cannot bring ourselves to stand with Him before the Romans of His day…..or the “Romans” of our day; terms that make it almost impossible for us to be present as He is nailed to a Cross and dies. We want salvation. Yes, but we want it clean and antiseptic. So, like His first followers, we stay away. Jesus’ Way of the Cross, His Way of Salvation involves blood and death and darkness. We spend our days trying to avoid all three of those harsh realities. No one wants to be close to the death of someone they love…so when we have the opportunity to stand close to Jesus, we flee.
What will you do with the rest of Holy Week? What excuses will you concoct to not be present during the Great Three Days? Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday night….
This Jesus is not only your Friend, but your Savior. He will give His life for your life. Does that gift permit you and me to withdraw into our comfortable diversions so that we skip the love and the messiness of Holy Week, of what He does to Save us, jumping from Hosanna today to Alleluia next Sunday?
The people who revised the Book of Common Prayer made provision for those who jump from Palm Sunday to Easter. They understood that many would want to avoid the hard stuff of our salvation, they changed Palm Sunday into The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday…the writers of the BCP were making a provision on the Sunday before Easter Day for those of us who would skip the events of Holy Week. That way, we all get to at least hear one reading of the Passion…This year from St. Mark.
Still, I ask myself and I ask you a simple question: after shouting Hosanna today, Save us, are we going to abandon Our Lord, our Friend and only show up when it is again fair weather?
The Way of the Cross is not fair weather. Salvation comes with an awful price. Following Jesus means getting ones hands and feet dirty in the messiness of this life where many suffer from all manner of disease, disrespect, degradation and depression.
What will we do not just this week but during the weeks and years to come as we strive to be His disciples? Holy Week shows us the cost of discipleship. Where will you be?
AMEN.
