PALM/PASSION SUNDAY

May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

SEASON: PALM/PASSION SUNDAY
PROPER: A
PLACE: St. John's Parish, Kingsville
DATE: March 24, 2002

TEXT: Matthew 26:36-27:66 – The Passion Narrative: Truly this man was God’s Son!
Isaiah 45:21-25 - Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth.
Philippians 2:5-11 - And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.

ISSUE: The crucifixion of Jesus is the result of his great compassion for and the raising up of the poor, which was a terrible threat to the authorities. The crucifixion is also Jesus’ position as Lamb of God, sacrificial lamb, who offers himself completely that all may see their worth as the forgiven and loved children of God. It is the greatest story of the revelation of God’s grace.
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The Passion Narrative of the Gospels is considered to be the oldest part of the full Gospel Narrative. While we cherish many of the sayings, the parables, and the healing miracles of Jesus, the passion narrative is the real heart of the Gospel. It is the ultimate gift in which Jesus, the Son of God, messianic hope and the Christ offers himself completely, and fully to death on a cross, revealing the profound sacrificial love that takes away the sins of the world. It is truly the greatest gift of grace. It is important that we make and effort to fully understand the depth of what it means that Jesus’ death on the cross takes away the sin of the world. “He died for my sins” is a common expression among Christians, and is a kind of pat answer as to the meaning of the life and ministry of Jesus. But, the question is what exactly does it mean that Jesus removes the sin or sins of the world?
It is first important to understand the human efforts of Jesus in his ministry. What comes across rather clearly is that Jesus was concerned for the social and political predicament of the larger population of the time. His time and efforts were largely aimed at the poor and the oppressed. The poor made up about 98 percent of the population, while a rich and greedy 2 percent of the population was in control. Jesus’ ministry was largely given to an affection and understanding of the conditions of the poor. The refrain of the Gospel came to be the first shall be last and the last shall be first. The poor were expendable and considered to be a little value. Women had no status, and especially widows were vulnerable to be taken advantage of. Blind, lame, sick, deaf, and indebt prisoners were declared to be the shamed and condemned as having been cursed for some sinfulness. Throughout the ministry of Jesus his efforts in parable, healing, and sayings were largely directed as raising up the down trodden. Many of Jesus’ parables assured the peasantry of God’s undeserved loving grace. The raising of Lazarus according to John’s account of the Gospel was a sign of how God intended through the ministry of Jesus Christ to raise up, and to call forth the expendable folk considered to be of no worth, and without power. The healing of outcasts, the teaching that a God of caring love who gives dignity to all men and women, and the raising up of 98 percent of the population was a terrible threat to the 2 percent rich and powerful. It was a threat to the Sadducees who ruled in Jerusalem. It was a threat to the ruling Roman power. They wanted to benefit from those they had conquered by maintaining exorbitant taxation, and to keep the famous oppressive Pax Romana, or Roman Peace. When the time and place was right, the enemies of Jesus had their way by arranging for the crucifixion of Jesus. The crucifixion was completely humiliating and took from Jesus all honor. Badly abused, stripped naked, and hung with criminals on a cross was the ultimate humiliation. Their intention was to make him look cursed. He is set between two criminals. God would not let this happen to one who was of prophetic, and divine stature. The greatest humiliation was imposed. Jesus was crucified because of his intention to raise what was considered to be fallen. It was indeed a political and social ministry. He attempted to remove the implication that the poor and the afflicted were cursed, and reclaim their status and honor as people of God. Their separation from God was being intentionally restored, and thus their sin (or separation from God) was being taken away. In this sense he was messianic, but appeared as an humiliated and complete failure.
In time, the other side and the deeper dimension of Jesus’ crucifixion and what his crucifixion meant became understood. By the time the gospels were being written they began to see that Jesus’ crucifixion and death was truly their new hope. By the time the Gospels are being written, both the Temple in Jerusalem and Jerusalem had been destroyed. There was no place for offering sacrifices, and no central place of worship as Jerusalem had been. The place in which persons could approach God and come close to God in worship, and to offer the required sacrifices for their sense of sin and separation from God had been eradicated and destroyed. Their place of worship, and their place of relationship with God was now non-existent. Their ready access to God was seemingly denied. But then, whose ministry and life had been solely given and poured out completely to raise-up and restore those alienated and separated from God. Who had taught that in returning to God in faith, you found your hope and restoration? Jesus, of course. The act of being crucified on the cross had made him the new sacrificial lamb that takes away a person’s alienation from God. They could no longer offer the sacrifice, so it is offered for them through Jesus Christ. He becomes the new Temple, where people find the presence of and the redeeming healing, and abundant undeserved love and grace of God. The message is that through Jesus Christ men and women would find their way to the love and the forgiveness of God. Neither snatching at, nor grasping at equality with God, Jesus’ human likeness and humility becomes the access to the presence of God. This understanding of the death and crucifixion as Jesus being the accessibility of all people to the presence of God was what the early Christian community saw in Jesus Christ.
The Passion Narrative also makes it rather clear that not everyone could see that meaning of Jesus’ life and ministry. Isn’t it curious that the Passion Narrative tells us that many of the people of the time were confronted with a choice? They could choose Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the Messiah. The name Jesus Barabbas literally means “Jesus, son of the father.” Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, is also identified at his baptism and at the Transfiguration as “This is my beloved Son” by the voice of God the Father. And many who are easily led by the bribery of the authorities, and the fierce aggression and power of Barabbas to bring about revolution choose Jesus Barabbas to be released. The implication here is that the world is often duped into thinking that force, power, crude aggression, manipulation is the way that saves humanity. When, in fact, all it does is create more hatred, vengeance, and continuing pain and suffering. The people of Jesus’ time saw the result of Jesus Barabbas in the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple. They were without the saving grace of God. It is in the faithful devotion and loyalty to Jesus, the Beloved Son of God the Father, that they world finds the God of Peace, and remains close too, and within the realm of God’s Kingdom of love, and hope.
I do not want us to be glib about the profound meaning of the Passion of our Lord. That is to say, that if we all choose good ole Jesus everything in life will turn out just fine. Phrases like “Jesus Saves” and “Jesus takes away the Sins of the world” have little worth without the deeper understanding. And neither is it appropriate to say, “With Jesus, everything will turn out just fine.” Jesus’ own crucifixion denies that very fact. Life does not always turn out the way we want it to, nor does the Gospel promise a “Rose Garden.” You can count on a cross. But you know the importance of love and forgiveness; you know the importance of God in your life. You have a life with direction with Jesus Christ that is centered in serving him, raising-up the poor and the afflicted, and know that whatever comes, we are never beyond the reach of God’s love and forgiveness. Nothing separates us from the love of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is in him we place our loyalty, our commitment, and our trust.