Today was Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday. We celebrate the day that Jesus entered into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with His disciples and, ultimately to begin His passion. We are reminded that when Jesus entered the city, He was met with crowds of people, having heard of the signs He was performing, they spread out their cloaks and cut palm branches to lay in the road before Him proclaiming "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest."
We are also sharply aware that within less than a week, many of these cries of "Hosanna!", turned to shrill demands to "Crucify Him!" How does this happen? How can the perception of Jesus turn in so short a time period?
Certainly, we need to think of the authoritative voices of the time. Caiaphas, the high priest, pointed out to the Sanhedrin that it was better for one man to die than the whole nation. So they set out to get Jesus and brought Him in like a thief in the night for a mockery of a trial. One wonders if they were more concerned about their power fading, or the fact that if things got too unruly, the Romans would bring the hammer down on them. But they, at least, had a motive for turning on Christ, after all, they weren't too fond of Him to begin with. The thing that amazes me is how quickly the people turned on Him.
But I wonder if I should really be that surprised. It still happens to Jesus every day.
Sunday we go to church, sing hosannas, praise God, take part in the Eucharist, then we leave the building, and even after consuming His flesh, somehow we leave Him at the door.
I'll admit that sometimes I don't even make it out of the parking lot before I louse it up! I sit in the pew asking for the grace to be more like Christ, then the next thing you know I'm sitting in the parking lot thinking, "What is this moron doing?!?!"
I have never seen the phrase 'What is this moron doing?' in the red words in my bible, but there I am muttering them under my breath, because I'm in a hurry to get some munchies before the Patriots' game.
But this is small potatoes compared to our true mirroring of the people in Jerusalem. Look at their betrayal. It is led by a few authoritative voices, swaying some of the public and the rest of them just go along with the crowd. And we all do this in a million different ways, every day. Maybe there are people talking about someone else at the office (or school, if I have any younger readers) and we just sit there quietly as they tear them apart for no reason. Or worse yet, we jump in just so they don't think we're at all like that 'weirdo'. Remember:
"I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." Mt. 25:40
Jesus did a lot of teaching in the temple that week, but in the end, they turned their backs on His teachings too. How often do we ignore God's lessons? Sometimes it's because we think they are too difficult to follow, sometimes it's just because they don't fit in with what society is teaching, and sometimes it is just because it doesn't fit in with OUR plans. But in the end, when we ignore God's teaching, we sin against Him. I heard a great talk on sin once by a priest who suggested to his male high school students that whenever they thought about sin (particularly of the sexual type) that they should picture Christ on the cross dying for them. (Can you imagine being a teenage boy with your girlfriend, kissing a bit and then....BAM! there's Jesus dying on the cross flashing through your mind. I'm sure that he inspired a few quiet weekends at 'Lookout Point' through this suggestion.)
But remember, whenever we go against His teachings, we sin against Him. We ignore what His hopes are for what we can be. We disregard and cast aside His love for us. We walk Him to Golgotha.
More egregious still, as this played out, nobody spoke up. His own disciples were scattered. Where was Lazarus? What about the paralytic? The man born blind? The Samaritan woman from the well? ALL TEN LEPERS!?! Nobody stood up to witness for Jesus and tell the 'authorities' that what they were doing was wrong. So what do we do when our leaders and authorities go against God's teachings? Are we the voice crying out for Jesus? Or do we hide, thinking that message has no place in the public square?
"Well, God is one thing, but I can't impose my beliefs on other people." To hide behind this, is to deny yourself a voice. And if you're a Christian, then denying a voice to your principles is to deny a voice to Christ. We are lucky to live in a place where we cannot have any body's views imposed upon us. But don't forget, it is also a place where every voice belongs in the public square, and any idea or principle can win the day. It is not fair for anyone to run you out of the public square just because they choose to live in the darkness.
In the end, we all know that without Jesus' passion and crucifixion, we would not have His resurrection to celebrate. We would not have His sacrifice for our sins. It was all part of God's plan from the beginning. But it seems to me there are a lot of lessons to be learned from the way that this innocent, loving, compassionate carpenter turned teacher who just happened to be Emmanuel (God with us) was put brutally to death because the people who loved Him on Sunday, were willing to stand by as witnesses to His murder only five days later. They all scattered and turned their backs on Him. Reflecting on these things, and realizing how much our world needs His teaching, let's try, instead, to come together and turn the world towards Him.
Have a great Holy Week!
God bless!
P.D.O.
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