Palm Sunday – the Gateway to Holy Week

05
Apr

Scripture: Matthew 21: 1-11

It’s Palm Sunday, the gateway to Holy Week. In this time of the corona virus, it will be a holy week such as none of us have ever experienced before.  Today we should be processing around the church waving palms. Singing some of our favorite Palm Sunday Hymns like Ride on Ride on in majesty. – click the link to hear a beautiful video of Kings College Cambridge singing this.

A New Tradition 

This year, we had planned to start a new tradition, with St George’s and Lowville United joining together to worship on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.  But we won’t be able to get together on Maundy Thursday for a Seder Supper – “eucharist with a small e” –  followed by sharing the bread and wine of the Eucharist (capital E). Nor worship together on Good Friday in their beautiful church.  Instead we’ll use the Internet to meet as best we can. (Details on our website.) On Easter Sunday: no Sunrise service on the escarpment, we’ll miss seeing the church beautiful decorated with flowers and purple replaced by white, and hearing the uplifting music.

New Ways to Mark Holy Week

Sadly, this year won’t be a bit like previous years, I have been thinking about Holy Week and Easter and how we can follow Jesus through his last week in this time of isolation and distancing. Most of us have more time to think about what it all means. We can read the story day by day in Scripture or we can choose a book or blog to read/ listen to each day. And there are may online resources to help us, (See Ideas for Holy Week in the time of corona virus restriction)

The final stage of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem

Map showing the path of Jesus approach to Jerusalem
Jesus Route from Jericho to Jerusalem took him through well known and friendly territory, where he was joined by rejoicing followers

Holy week starts today, with Palm Sunday, when we read about Jesus Triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  According to Luke, Jesus left Jericho, where he had met Zacchaeus – the tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus – and was on the final leg of his journey to Jerusalem, a walk of about 17 miles. He knew that this was dangerous. He’d already warned his disciples three times that he was going to be killed. He could read the signs. The religious leaders were becoming more and more concerned that his message was disruptive to their comfortable status quo, although they clothed their concerns in terms of blasphemy and heresy. How much longer could they let this go on? How much longer did Jesus have to get his message across?

Following the examples of the Hebrew Prophets

When the Hebrew prophets thought they weren’t being listened to, they enacted their messages in their own lives. Jeremiah used a ruined loincloth to represent the way God will ruin the pride of the Israelites (Jeremiah 13:1)  and Hosea used the infidelity of his wife as an example of the Israelites’ infidelity to God. Maybe  Jesus had this in mind when he entered Jerusalem – how could he use his own actions to get his message across?

Using a well known prophecy

Palm Sunday - Gateway to Holy Week" the text of Zechariah's prophecy
Jesus chose this prophecy from Zechariah to enact his message

This was not a spur of the moment idea. Jesus has thought and planed this.  He chose to enact a prophecy of Zechariah, who envisions a final vindication for Israel:  Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9 (NRSV)). 

The temple leaders, and indeed the faithful Hebrew people, would have recognized Jesus actions as the fulfilment of this prophecy of Zechariah: By Jesus’ time, it was generally considered to refer to the coming Messiah, who would be not only triumphant, but humble. The Hebrew here is important; the word translated as victorious better translates as righteous and triumphant  doesn’t mean meek or gentle, but has the annotation of being poor or afflicted. There are important thoughts as we celebrate Palm Sunday, the gateway to Holy Week

A pre-planned event

And Jesus surely had made his arrangements with the owner of the colt in advance, and set a password. “The Lord needs it”.  Now, at Bethphage, about two miles from Jerusalem, was the time to set those plans into motion. He sent two of his disciples to get the donkey.  Matthew’s gospel, as translated, reads as if there were two animals, a donkey and a colt. Zechariah’s prophecy uses “poetic parallelism”, a popular form of Hebrew poetry where the second line (on a colt) emphasises the first line (riding on a donkey). 

What message was Jesus sending?

When they brought the animal back to Jesus, they put cloaks on the donkey and Jesus sat on them. The crowds entered into the spirit of the event and joined the parade and followed Jesus into Jerusalem, where he certainly caused a stir.

 

 

And what massage was received?

What messages did the religious and the political leadership see in this dramatic act? Jesus was, in effect saying I am the Messiah, the king, the one you are waiting for. How did the different groups interpret the message? 

By the Religious leaders

The Religious Leaders, who had already labelled Jesus as a troublemaker would have been outraged. And worried, as much at the accompanying crowed as Jesus himself. How did this itinerant preacher have so much support? How would the people react if he was arrested? They had some work to do to manage the crowd before they could make a move.

By the occupying Romans?

The Romans, the occupying power, would have seen it as a threat to their rule, and as an insult to the Governor and by extension, to the Emperor.  It was just before Passover, when religious fervour and anti-Roman feelings were high. Extra soldiers would be coming into Jerusalem, as would Governor Pontius Pilate. He would arrive on a great stallion, surrounded by soldiers and flunkies. Who is this nobody parodying the Governor with his own pathetic procession? And claiming to be a king, no less.  They would have to keep an eye on this usurper.

By the Ordinary People?

But what about the ordinary people? There are actually two crowds in Matthews account. Firstly, the crowd who accompanied Jesus the two miles from Bethphage to Jerusalem (I’ll call them the country crowd). But also the crowd they met when they entered the city (the city crowd).

Villagers cheered Jesus

The Bethphage folks would be well acquainted with Jesus, as he had often visited his friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus, who lived in the village of Bethany just down the road.  According to John, Jerusalemites who had heard Jesus was coming for Passover came and joined the villagers.  Their reaction was to welcome Jesus with praise and delight.  Their messiah, deliverer, king had come. They needed this diversion. At Passover time, they remembered how God freed the Israelite slaves from slavery in Egypt.  Now they needed freedom from the Roman occupation.

Could this be the one the prophets had foretold? Was this the saviour the Psalmists sang about? They used words from Psalm 118 to welcome him, a psalm to welcome a saviour. “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Hosanna is a Hebrew work meaning save us. This was their saviour! No wonder they waved branches and praised Jesus.

Townsfolk – no so much!

The city crowd wasn’t at all as sure. As well as the citizens of Jerusalem, pilgrims had come from all over to celebrate Passover.  Some would have been Roman Citizens, as well as being devout Jews. “Who is he?” they ask. They didn’t know Jesus and the deeds he had done. So, they didn’t know what to think.

Who was Jesus

Who was Jesus: Usurper? Troublemaker? Puzzlement? Or long awaited Messiah? Who is Jesus to you? If you are listening to or reading this, you probably identify with the country crowd who welcomes Jesus as their saviour.

Palm Sunday as the gateway to Holy Week in past years and this year

This Palm Sunday, you are probably remembering past Palm Sundays when we have all re-enacted the joy of the country crowd and welcomed our saviour with palm branches as we have processed around the church. Sadly, we won’t be doing that today. Instead, today, I have a branch from an evergreen tree on my front door.  (Matthew just says they waved branches, only John says palm branches) It’s my way of welcoming Jesus into my Jerusalem, into my home and life. And I will join with others in an online worship service to praise the King, who entered Jerusalem to die.

Palm Sunday is our gateway to Holy Week in our lives

Welcoming and Praising Jesus should be part of our lives every day, not just on Palm Sunday. We welcome Jesus when we become Jesus to these around us, with acts of love, kindness and compassion. As we maintain physical distancing and isolation, this means being patient with those we are isolated with, not always easy, and reaching out by whatever means we have – I hope your phones are well used – to extend friendship especially to those who are alone or are in quarantine. And don’t ignore compassion to yourself, self-care.  Give praise and thanks for the many blessings we have.  And have a sanctified and blessed Holy Week. Easter will follow, with resurrection Joy.

This Palm Sunday, enter the gateway to Holy week with praise and compassion in your hearts. Hosanna and Alleluia, Amen