Palm Sunday

Through this Lenten Season, we have been walking with Jesus through the last days of his life. We began with Monday, the day that he "cleansed the temple" or, as I called it, "trashed the temple." Tuesday, he returned to the temple to teach and confront the temple authorities with the realities of their sin. Wednesday, Judas cut a deal to betray him. Thursday, he and the disciples shared "The Lord's Supper" and then walked to the Garden of Gethsemane where he was arrested. Friday he was crucified. And Saturday, his lifeless body lay in that cold dark tomb while his disciples were left to wonder if all of their dreams had been destroyed.

Today we return to the beginning, to Sunday, to Palm Sunday. Today we celebrate his entry into Jerusalem.

To set the scene, let's look back a few days to another processional into Jerusalem. In their new book, The Last Week, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan describe the journey that Pontius Pilate made to Jerusalem. They call it an "Imperial Procession." Pilate lived in Caesarea by the Sea, a new Roman city on the Mediterranean coast. Jerusalem was far too inland, far too insular, far too provincial, and far too Jewish for him and he visited there only when necessary. For Passover, it was necessary.

You will remember that Passover was the celebration of freedom from the ancient oppression of Egypt. Now the Judeans lived under the oppressive rule of Rome. In Pilate's day, the-Judeans were celebrating freedom from the Egyptians while suffering under that domination of Rome. It was a perfect formula for civil strife and it was Pilate's job to keep the lid on things.

So, before the Passover celebration, he took military reinforcements from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

Imagine the Imperial procession's arrival in the city. A visual panoply of imperial power: cavalry on horses, foot soldiers, leather armor, helmets, weapons, banners, golden eagles mounted on poles, sun glinting on metal and gold. Sounds: the marching of feet, the creaking ofleather, the clinking of bridles, the beating of drums. The swirling of dust. The eyes of silent onlookers, some curious, some awed, some resentful. (page 3)

The message was very very clear - don't mess with Rome! Get out of line and we will take you out!  

There was a second message in this imperial procession and I suspect that this is the one that most Americans miss. Pilate not only represented the ruler of Rome, he was the personal representative of god in Rome. He came as the representative of the "Imperial Cult." "Imperial Cult" is a phrase that scholars use to talk about the religion that focused its worship on Caesar. They believed and proclaimed that Caesar is the "son of god" and that Caesar is "god."

If the first message can be summarized as "don't mess with Rome! Get out ofline and we will take you out," the second message is equally clear - "You can have your religious celebration but the god who really rules lives in Rome and your God is too weak to do anything about it."

When Pilate was in Jerusalem, he lived in a fortress called "The Antonia." The Antonia was adjacent to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The governor and the army that proclaimed that "Caesar is god" lived next door to the most sacred site in Judaism and from that fortress the soldiers maintained their oppressive peace in the temple and in Jerusalem.

Shortly before the Passover Week began, the Imperial Procession arrived: Pilate representing the god in Rome, Caesar, his wife, a long column of soldiers clad in full military garb, prancing horses, wagons full of provisions, and gorgeous waving banners. This procession came from the west.

On Sunday, another procession came from the east. A rabbi from up north, from Galilee, came riding a donkey down the Mount of Olives, through the Kidron Valley, through the gate in the city wall and into Jerusalem. This is a very different procession!

As I read the story again, I am taken by the amount of time that Mark gives to describing the planning that was involved. Clearly, Jesus has made preparation for this colt to be available. Clearly, there is something almost secretive about the planning; the disciples do not know about it. And when they are told to get the colt is almost as if there is a password arrangement - go to such and such a place and someone asks you say

this, "The Lord has need of it." This is not an accidental processional.

When the colt arrives, the crowds are ready. Who told them to be there? Somebody did! This little parade into Jerusalem has been well planned. In the sixties, we would have called it a demonstration. This is street drama, a public proclamation.

And what is the message of this processional? Pilate's message was, "Get out of line and we will take you out. The ruler in Rome is really your god." What is the message here?

Some put their cloaks on the colt to provide a kind of peasant saddle for the rider. Others put their cloaks on the road to provide a royal roadway for the rider. And.they waved palm branches in the air and shouted "Hosanna." That means “save us” or “this is the one who saves!” the question is, save us from what?

And they shouted, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord." Remember, Pilate came in the name of Caesar! This crowd shouted "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord." "Blessed is the coming of the Kingdom of our ancestor Davi

Do not miss it! This is an alternative Kingdom. Pilate represents the Kingdom of Rome. Jesus represents the coming of the Kingdom represented by King David.

What in the world do we have here? We have another kingdom and we have another King. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus summarizes his message with these words. "The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospe1." The Kingdom is the Kingdom of God and the King is Jesus! And that is the message of this peasant processional that weaves its way down the Mount of Olives, through the little Kidron Valley and into the city of Jerusalem.

So why rehearse this history lesson? What is the day about? It is about the Kingdom that will thrive when all other kingdoms have passed away. It is about the Kingdom of God. It is about our decision to be a part of that Kingdom or not. It is about the choice we make to anoint Jesus as King of our lives or to serve some other person or thing.

In a profound way, this is a day of judgment. This is the day when Jesus stands in judgment of all other rulers and kings. This is the day when Jesus stands in judgment of all who exercise authority over others and the way in which that authority is used.

As Jesus rode down the Mount of Olives, the pretense and the glitter and the power that masked the evil embodied in Rome was stripped aside and the evil was seen for what it really was. And today, when we celebrate Jesus as King, we strip away those things that mask all the evil that violates Jesus' fundamental rules for life; you shall love the Lord your God with all of your being and you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Above all, we celebrate that Jesus is King -- that Jesus is Lord and that the Kingdom of God is near. Today, we choose to believe the gospel.

Amen.