Through Political Protest….
A Sermon for Palm Sunday
On Matthew 21:1-11
For the People of First Austin: a baptist community of
faith
April 9, 2017
Jared Slack and Griff Martin
Jared: So what is
this day?
Ever since I was
little, Palm Sunday has always been a bit confusing for me. As a child,
not yet fully understanding it’s relationship to the wider narrative of
Lent and Holy Week, I got quite a kick out of coming to church on this special day,
and getting to march up and down the aisles waving palm branches while my
family took photos and vigorously cranked the film on those old school
disposable cameras.
But now, with some 30+
Easters and Holy Weeks under my belt, I don’t really know exactly how I’m
supposed to act today. You’d all probably judge me if I grabbed a branch of my
own and joined in with the children’s choirs and sang at the top of my
lungs.
Something about that
just doesn't seem right.
So, what in the world
are we supposed to do with Palm Sunday? Is it supposed to be a parade of sorts
where we gather to celebrate the coming of the Christ?
For a person new to the
stories of the Bible and had you just heard this passage out of Matthew for the
first time, you might think this was the case… that this was a celebration
heralding the arrival of a much beloved, much anticipated prophet and leader.
But for those of us who
have been around a while, we know that this is all actually a prequel to some
of the darkest events in the history of our faith tradition.
...that far from being a
welcome celebration, that each waving palm branch, every smiling face, and
hands lifted in excitement are tainted by Jesus’ coming betrayal and gruesome
death.
Because we know what's
coming this week…
We know what really
awaits Jesus in Jerusalem… and unfortunately it is not the success and acclaim
that our palm waving parade is anticipating.
Jesus’ entry on Palm
Sunday has a dark side to it. It’s a day where the hopeful dreams of Jesus’
followers were ultimately destined to be broken… because there was
brokenness all around.
broken economics,
broken politics,
broken religion,
broken systems,
and broken people…
Griff: But there’s
more…
And today on Palm
Sunday we march right into that broken world, which is exactly what God does,
God loves to enter our lives using the broken places. The cracks and the broken
places are always where the light and grace get in. So it’s no surprise that
God decided to enter into this broken world and then that Jesus would ride
right into the heart of the broken world, the city of Jerusalem.
And typically that is
what we celebrate this day… Jesus and palms and a crowd that is cheering him….
Sometimes we ponder how the cheers turn to calls to crucify him… sometimes we
look at how this time the disciples led and how sometimes following Jesus means
stepping out first…. But typically as preachers we try and use this Sunday as a
moment of celebration, the light before things get really dark.
And when we do this we
miss what might be the biggest implication of this day and the main message…
and here’s the warning it’s political…. Because Jesus is political, which
frankly I find myself saying a lot these days and I am really tired of having
to say it. Because the fact I have to say it as much as I have means that we
have missed it as a church.. Jesus was political, very political. Because
politics is not simply republican or democrat, liberal or conservative, pro
president or anti president… politics is so much more than that, as is that
calling of the church, politics is how we get along as individuals and the
systems we put in place to make the world run. It has to do with power and how
all are treated. And Jesus is all about that, and Jesus is quite political as
is this parade.
You see this day, this
parade is a huge political statement because it’s not the only parade in town….
Pilate had a parade as well this weekend and Jesus' parade is making a clear
statement in response to his….
Jared: Jesus enters
from the East
Because on this day, Jesus rode in from the opposite
side of Jerusalem, and he seemed quite intent on placing his arrival in stark
contrast to what was taking place on the other end of the city with Pilate. It was
as if Jesus had masterfully staged this spectacle as a piece of street theater
paying a not-so-discrete homage to the Prophets who heralded the coming of a
triumphant king, humbly riding into town on the back of a donkey…
Even more, the Gospel
of Matthew tells us that Jesus began His parade at the Mount of Olives. While
that may not seem all that significant to you and me, it was an incredibly
powerful statement for the Jews. You see over the years, prophecy after
prophecy had promised that the coming messiah, the one who would come to
liberate them from their bondage, would enter the holy city from this very
place.
So, Jesus and all those
lining the parade route were well aware of all of this… each and every one of
them was ready and waiting to see with their own eyes the triumphal entry of
the king who would take a stand against the powerful, fear mongering rulers of
the age and bring peace to their lives.
The
Kingdom of God that Jesus came to announce was the polar opposite of Rome’s,
because Jesus and Pilate came from opposite places and for opposite purposes…
Griff: And Pilate
enters from the West
Pilate arrived in
Jerusalem on Sunday. He entered the city from the West, which was the major
entrance to the city and he had a major entrance himself. It was a display of
power and wealth that was created to put fear and awe in the soul. Pilate’s
entrance was a parade, with many cavalry and soldiers. It was a display of
Roman imperial theology.
There was one simple
purpose to this little parade; Pilate was essentially saying, I know you Jews
are about to celebrate your holy days, but let’s make sure that celebration
does not get out of hand and you forget who is really in charge. Celebrate your
God all you want, but don’t forget whose you truly are and if you need a
reminder, look at all the soldiers surrounding you. The Roman emperor is
Son of God, Lord, and Savior (words they used, words that are quite political
still today for us).
It was a huge parade,
and the parade got it’s message across.
Rome is powerful.
Rome is not scared to
use violence.
You can’t revolt
against Rome.
Pilate’s arrival did
not go unnoticed that day. The people there to celebrate Passover saw the
parade and they understood the message that Rome was sending them. They knew
whose they were.
Jared:
The Way of Jesus is Political Protest
And it’s into the
reality of this oppressive regime that Jesus comes preaching a message of his
own.
A message that takes
aim at Rome and calls out Pilate’s grasps for power. A message that exposes the
myth of how empires prop themselves up with fear and intimidation. A message
that sheds light on the pervasive belief… the illusion…the lie really… that
it’s through violence and war and oppressive policies that you maintain control
and promise things will get better.
Jesus walked the
streets of Jerusalem that day calling upon anyone who would listen and inviting
everyone he met to live in a new way in the world. To open their eyes to the
fragility of Pilate’s claim on their lives and rise up against this system of
abusive wealth and power that cared for nothing and no one but the rich and
influential.
And he chose to do all
this on the back of a donkey…
Which makes me think….
who chooses to ride a donkey in a parade?
Not someone who cares
about appearances.
Not someone who’s
trying to overwhelm you with their power and grandeur. Not someone who flaunts
their wealth or brags about their influence.
Certainly not someone
like Pilate.
No… Pilate’s parade was
led by huge horses, powerful animals used in battle, animals turned into
weapons. An animal that for centuries has been used as a symbol of triumph and
victory…
But Jesus does’t ride
in on a horse… he rides in on a donkey.
And so this parade,
wasn’t really a parade at all… it was a protest movement that took to the
streets of the very city in which political might was being put on
display.
And so the entirety of
Jesus’ political message has now arrived, announcing that we don’t have to live
in a system of fear, violence, greed, or power anymore. That there’s an
alternative way.
It’s a message that
Jesus has been preaching over and over again about who we are, whose we are,
and how we are supposed to live - this message that flies in the face of the
Roman system, is about to reach it’s full conclusion.
Griff:
So what has changed?
So today is about more
than children coming in to church waving palm branches…. Which actually is what
we do, when Scriptures get too rough for us, we often turn them into children’s
stories. We do it with a good deal of the Old Testament and we do it with this
text too. Because children waving palm branches is easier to talk about at
lunch than the revolutionary and political aspect of Palm Sunday- to think
about what Jesus is standing in opposition to- power, wealth, unfair treatment
of the powerless and a system that allows for all those things- maybe we don’t
want to think about what Jesus rode in against on Palm Sunday because it might
make us realize that we are attending the wrong parade today. It might make us
ask if we are on the opposite side of Jesus on some issues.
Last season on House of
Cards one of the major story lines centers around a young activist being
imprisoned in Russia. At one point during an attempt to rescue him, he is asked
if all he has done has been worth it personally, esp. since his activism seems
to not have really worked. His response, “Yes, I am still trying to
decide if this is something I am willing to die for, however I can say that
even having something in my life that I can ask that question of- would I die
for this- has given me real life.”
And that question is
everything. What would you give your life for?
So what is that for you
today? What do you believe in so deeply that you are willing to give all for?
And then what are you doing about it.
One of the fears I have
regarding the church today is that we have forgotten the difference in prayer
and protest. We think we can simply pray things away, that we can give things
over to God and all will be well. Prayer is most certainly the first step, but
it is not the only step.
Recently few weeks ago
I heard the brilliant Catholic sister Joan Chittister interviewed and the
subject of nuclear weapons came up, her reply left me speechless: “Please God let me not die in
a nuclear war’ surely is not a real prayer. We can stop nuclear war ourselves
by stopping the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Humans created them and now
it’s our time to uncreate them, to destroy them.” The line stopped me because
the theology behind it is terrifying- prayer is not only giving things to God,
but doing our part.
As they say in the
black church, you pray with your feet.
Why are we scared to do
this today? Because I don’t think Christ following has changed, I think Christ
followers have changed. We have chosen safety and security over following,
privilege over risk, the institution over the movement and culture over Christ.
We have made Christianity as option, an add on, compartmental instead of that
which is your all… maybe we have forgotten our call to Christ will often put us
at odds with the world around us, including both political parties.
And this means things
that make us really uncomfortable…. For instance as a church that is located
downtown, how do we join Jesus in the fight against power, wealth, unfair
systems of discrimination and a system that keeps people in place when it comes
to the issue of homelessness. Do we become an emergency shelter, do we take
some of the relationships we have started with our homeless neighbors and move
into the direction of really inviting these people into our lives and around
our tables, do we work harder for better mental health facilities, are we vocal
against the systems that put homeless people into a trap they can never
escape? What do we do the help fight the K2 crisis, the one that we saw
someone the victim of as we all entered this sacred space this morning? Because
we must do something.
It seems to me that
would be Christ following. Not just asking the questions, but doing something
about it.
And if we don’t…well
church we better put our palm branches down and go join the other parade
because that is where we belong.
Jared:
Whose Parade Do You Want To Be In?
So the question we have
for ourselves this morning is the question of which parade we want to join in
on.
The parade that flaunts
power and excess?
Or the parade that
subversively offers peace?
The parade laden with
false promises of security and safety?
Or the parade that
takes you down into the risky, adventurous flowing waters of the
Gospel stream that preaches freedom and hope are offered to all
without exceptions?
The parade meant to
strike fear?
Or the parade meant to
instill hope?
The parade that’s
intent on keeping everything how they’ve always been?
Or the parade that’s
offering the Good News of a brand new day with endless
possibilities of what our community of faith can be about in this world?
Whose parade do you
want to be in? What message will you rally around?
Because today, on this
Palm Sunday, we have the opportunity to make a choice… and may we all choose
wisely. AMEN.
*artwork: Hosanna in the Highest! Painting by Hanna-Cheriyan Varghese, hanna-artwork.com
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