Palm Sunday 2007

Let’s make an assumption that the crowd that cheered and went out to meet Jesus at the city gate knew the 200-year-old story of Simon Maccabeus. Palestine was then governed by Antiochus Epiphanes, a terrible ruler. A person could be put to death for the practice of Judaism. In 167 B.C. Antiochus set up an alter in the Jewish temple from which he proceeded to offer roasted swine to the God Zeus. This is referred to as the ‘abomination of desolation’ in the book of Daniel] Antiochus was attempting to change Palestine, to turn toward Greek ways and away from Jewish culture. The Book of First Maccabees in the Old Testament Apocrypha illustrated Antiochus policy, ‘They put to death the women who had their children circumcised, and their families and those who circumcised them; and they hung the infants from their mothers’ necks" (1:60-61) [See Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, The Last Week; A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus's Final Week in Jerusalem.]

Mattathias, an older Jewish priest, gathered his five sons who in turn gathered up all the weapons they could find and they help launch a guerrilla war against Antiochus. After the death of Mattathias, his son Judas, called Maccabeus (which means ‘the hammer’], defeated Antiochus and was able to cleanse the temple. The fighting continued for 20 years, back and forth. Judas and another brother Jonathan died in battle, and still another brother Simon took over leadership of the guerrilla war. Thru diplomacy Simon Maccabeus achieved Judean independence that would last for almost 100 years. During this war of independence we read of the following celebration. "On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred and seventy-first year, the Jews entered Jerusalem with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel" (I Mac. 13:51)

Here comes Jesus. See him coming from the country into the capital city, followed by those who have come to believe, perhaps he is the Messiah. Do not think of Jesus coming merely as a religious teacher or priest; ‘like here comes the preacher man.’ Rather, think of Jesus coming into the city as a liberator, perhaps he will be like Mattathias and Judas Maccabeus, this will be the one who will set us free from the oppression of Rome. Jesus triumphal entry into the busy streets of Jerusalem on Good Friday was a provocative and symbolic action, in the words of Oxford scholar George Caird, more a "planned political demonstration" than the religious celebration that we sentimentalize today.

For many in the crowd that welcomed Jesus this was more of a political than religious march. Donkey is large peace sign, designed to show the disciples, the crowd, Jewish and Roman leaders, that Jesus come in peace. The donkey is a ‘white flay’, a sign of non aggression, of humility, that says, ‘I come into the capital city unarmed and with no intention of violence.’ The donkey is a sign that Jesus come to Jerusalem not as a Macabeus but more like a Mennonite farmer. He does not come as ‘the hammer or the nail’ but as the victim. He comes not to take life but to lay his life down.

As a hammer, after he had cleansed the temple he would have called Jewish men to gather their weapons and set off the spark of revolution to gain Jewish independence. I think this was the Messianic expectation of Judas, Peter, James, Martha and Mary. But Jesus wimped out and comes to town on a Mennonite donkey.

 The passion narrative gives the reasons why Jesus was executed. According to Luke: "We found this fellow subverting the nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King" (Luke 23:1–2). In John the angry mob warns Pilate, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar" (John 19:12). Jesus is accused of subverting the nation and of being in opposition to Caesar.

Story to disciples, if you going to follow me, need to be prepared to carry the cross of suffering, need to be willing to lay down your weapons and be prepared to die for cause of justice and peace. This is the way of Jesus, who said “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus does not call us to worship him, to bow down and throw our coats in front of him, to wave palm branches and sing him songs; to he calls us to be willing to follow the path of obedience that may lead to suffering. Here is an excerpt from “Followers, Not Admirers,” by Søren Kierkegaard;

“It is well known that Christ consistently used the expression ‘follower.’  He never asks for admires, worshippers, or adherents.  No, he calls disciples.  It is not adherents of a teaching but followers of a life Christ is looking for.  His whole life on earth, from beginning to end, was destined solely to have followers and to make admirers impossible.
 To want to admire instead of to follow Christ is not necessarily an invention by bad people.  Admirers are only too willing to serve Christ as long as proper caution is exercised, lest one personally come in contact with danger.

 Now suppose that there is no longer any special danger, as it no doubt is in so many of our Christian countries, bound up with publicly confessing Christ.  The difference between following and admiring still remains.  Does not the Way – Christ’s requirement to die to the world and deny the self – does this not contain enough danger?  The admirer never makes any true sacrifices.  He always plays it safe.  Though in word he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, will not reconstruct his life, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires.  Not so for the follower.  No, no.  The follower aspires with all his strength to be what he admires.  And because of the follower’s life, it will become evident who the admirers are, for the admirers will become agitated with him. Even these words will disturb many – but then they must likewise belong to the admirers.”

I think the donkey may be a symbol of ______.

‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘why are you doing this? Just say this, ‘the lord need it and will send it back here immediately…and they brought the colt to Jesus.”

The disciples are obedient. Jesus asked them to go fetch a donkey and they do it. Glenn Tinder in his book, the Fabric of Hope, claims that maintaining hope is largely a matter of obedience. "People who strive, without pride, to meet the responsibilities they encounter in their historical and personal situations will . . . encounter Christ."

In Saul Bellow’s Mr. Sammler’s Planet, Sammler gazes at the face of his dead friend Elya Gruner as he prays, "Remember, God, the soul of Elya Gruner, who as willingly as possible and as well as he was able, and even to an intolerable point, and even in suffocation and even as death was coming was eager.., to do what was required of him.... He was aware that he must meet, and he did meet -- through all the confusion and degraded clowning of this life.., the terms of his contract. The terms which, in his inmost heart, each man knows... For that is the truth of it -- that we all know, God. . . ."

Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘why are you doing this? Just say this, ‘the lord need it and will send it back here immediately …and they brought the colt to Jesus.

Disciples grandchildren to their grandfather, “Tell us again, what happened the day Jesus went up to Jerusalem?”

“Well, we had been preparing to march into capital city for long time. We thought this may to the time when the people would rise up in support of Jesus, be the spark of the revolution. The great day arrives, and wouldn’t you know what Jesus asks me to do, but to go and get him a jackass. I said to Jesus, “you want me to go fetch you a donkey? And he said, ‘that’s right. Go to the next village and you will find the donkey I need just as you enter the town and they will give you the donkey. You password is ‘God needs a donkey.” You say, “God needs a donkey” and they will give us the donkey for the day.”

If Jesus needed a Jackass, than surely Jesus needs me. We need to be willing to think of ourselves as needed by Jesus, that we are like the donkey; we carry Jesus into the city.

Other day I meeting with Hindu teacher, Buddhist teacher, Unity teacher, Jewish teacher, Christian Science teacher, interfaith teacher, and we were asked the question ‘why are you at this Round Table?’ I was conscripted by my Rabbi, I was asked by my priest. I wanted to represent Buddhism, Hinduism, Christian Science, Unity, Catholic Church.

When my turn came I first stated that I was present to extend hospitality and to learn. When it came to representation, I felt I was not representing Mennonite or Church of the Brethren views as much as I was representing Jesus. To which one sharp tongue replied, ‘I’m glad to see that we have Jesus with us today.” I recalled a quote from Carl Barth, ‘church is the provisional representation of Jesus Christ.’ I remember Jimmy Carter’s address to the Mennonite Church when he said we were ‘little Christ’s.’

Am I available to Jesus? Am I willing, if asked, to carry Jesus? If called, am I willing to represent Jesus?

When I was a child we would play a game we called ‘lions and tigers’. My cousins and I would each choose an animal to represent and romp around the yard or the living room, acting very much like the animal we pretending to be. Most of the time we were changelings, I would begin as a deer, but if I found myself in trouble with the wolf, I would quickly change into a tiger or a lion with a mighty roar. In the end everyone was either a lion or a tiger.

My contribution is needed by God. I am asked to carry Jesus, to represent Jesus. I have a part in the play. My resurrection will follow my representation. I am willing to carry the life, teaching, the message of peace, I am willing to bear a cross, I am willing to play the part of Jesus, like representing a lamb. No one ever choose to be a lamb. Sometimes a ram, but never a lamb.