By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, RectorThe Palm Sunday story sets up a contrast between the love people expressed which cloaked their secret hopes and the tragic betrayal that came when those hopes were not made real.
The people greeted Jesus in the streets of Jerusalem hailing him as the new king with shouts of "Hosanna." What they hoped for bore little to no resemblance to what they actually got, and within a week, the love and adoration would unravel to chaos and death.
Literature and entertainment media give us various images of kings and queens that depict as close as we can come to reality all the way to satire, and then to simple fantasy. When the movie staring Helen Mirren came out with her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II we saw a dignified and almost tragic figure trapped in the tight confinement of her role. From controlled expressions to actions dictated by tradition, place and decorum, we saw a woman of deep conviction and love for her country trying to deal with the mystifying world outside her palace walls clamoring for her to be something she didn't know how to be.
In another entertainment venue we see a depiction of Henry VIII in a show called "The Tudors." Here we have political complexities mingled deliciously with soap opera energy and beauty.
Further down the ladder we have Mel Brooks in his comedy "History of the World -- Part II" making outrageous and silly decisions, capriciously saying, "It's good to be King."
The list of images goes on and on, but I wonder what was the image the people of Jerusalem had in mind when Jesus approached? No doubt a warrior to lead an uprising against Rome seeking independence. But how could they have expected someone who preached healing and peace to be their instrument of war? People of all times have a tendency to hear what they want to hear, and somehow put their words in the mouths of those they choose as leaders. Quite often the same energy that places people on pedestals will be used to tear them down.
The events of that Holy Week will be recounted through liturgies and sermons this week. But today I'd like to spend some time on the side of the road with the people meeting Jesus at the gate of Jerusalem. They laid down garments and once those ran out, found palms. I mused about this for some time in a stream of consciousness and wondered if what they did made much sense. Why throw your clothes on the road? It's a waste of good clothes that'll only get dirty and might get ruined. They should have started with the palms which are much better suited to the purpose, clean up easier and are bio-degradable. If they were trying to impress Jesus what else might they have given? As I mused about what I would like to give I came up with a very different list.
First I'd give my ears to listen to what Jesus was actually saying and try to refrain from putting into his mouth the words I'd like to hear from him.
Then I'd give him my eyes. I'm a visual kind of person. I like to see someone when they talk so I can read their body language. I'd try to see his face and expressions and how they matched the words I heard. Some of what he said is strange to my ears, so my eyes would have to check it out too. Was there a wink in his eye or a smile no one else caught, you know the kind that says he's pulling your leg and not even he can keep a straight face. But I have to see the face that says the words so I can tell for myself. How about you? I'd give him my eyes.
Then perhaps my head. I might give that if my ears and eyes told me it's ok. To think about what I heard and saw. To weigh these things, and see how they made sense to me. I'd think about what he said and if I could live with it or do without it. Or if I need to do with it and can't live without it. My head might tell me. But my head doesn't always get it right.
I'd need to give my heart. My heart is always right, but it's the thing that I try to hold onto. That's the puzzle though. Unless you give it, you don't know who's going to take care of it. We have to trust. I like my heart and I don't like when it hurts, but I trust Jesus. I think I'd put my heart out there.
They called him a king. That's not what he called himself. They didn't use their ears. They wanted him to be something he's wasn't. When we don't see who someone is, we miss out on who they are. They did that to Jesus, and I wonder how often I do that, or how often others who proclaim him as king still do it.
After these rambling and strange musings, I continued and began to wonder why he rode the donkey into town in the first place. He knew what they were up to. But he went anyway. He wasn't going to let false expectations stop him from going where he needed to go. Jerusalem, death and resurrection. Long trip down a short road. He walked through their hopes and fears. He led the way but they missed the point. Funny how people can see different things in the same place. But they got him. Or thought they did. I guess he got them in the end. That's what he wanted in the first place. To get them. He did it through their false ears, their blind eyes, their muddled heads and their stone hearts.
That's not what a king would do, but it's what God would do and does. Reaches into us where we are, through what is false and what is good and lets us know that he is life and love and peace in his own way. Part of Holy Week is to meditate, muse if you will, on the gifts God gives us through promise and action. It's also a time to muse about who it is that we follow and the gifts we offer in order to do so.
We finished a series of study and worship with St. Andrew's and Holy Communion this past week, and this week we'll combine in some of the services. In a segment I taught on the early church and the issues leading up the creation of the Nicene Creed, I talked about "competing Christianities." The teachings had gotten very far apart to where Christians in one place couldn't even recognize the Jesus described by other Christians. Since part of the purpose of this series was to see how ancient issues get played out in today's world, it's not hard to see that Christians today preach very different "Jesuses." All the more reason Palm Sunday is so important to recognize who it is that we welcome into our hearts. Take time to listen, to see, to think and to love. Oh, and don't throw your clothes in the street. It's really a waste, it's a short sighted decision on the spur of the moment. Rather, give yourself. Amen.
© 2008 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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