Lent 6 year A Sermon Palm SundayJesus has come to town for a meal.
Like all the other tired and dusty Jewish pilgrims… on the road that day…Jesus and his friends are coming for a sacred meal…the Passover…the oldest Jewish festival to honour the saving acts of God.
Yes he’d been travelling toward Jerusalem for months… preaching and teaching and healing…
but given the order out… for his execution…
you’d think he’d stay away…
Some of those who travel with him… believe he’s the promised messiah…the anointed one of God …the one who’ll restore the throne of David… and Israel… to their rightful place in the world…
But others… lurking in the shadows… tracking his every move… others are certain he’s dangerous…
a trouble maker…
out to challenge the religious authorities.
Still others… Roman spies … are watching him closely…they don’t want any trouble… with so many thousands coming in to the city for the festival of the Passover…[kind of reminds you of Wanaka when the Air Show is on, doesn’t it]
And there’s Jesus…riding into the city…among throngs of other Jewish pilgrims.
Making quite a show… of his claim to the royal throne of David… riding on a donkey as kings had before him…daring people to compare him with the ancient prophesy…See Jerusalem daughter of Zion
'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey….'
Not one of the pilgrims… would miss the symbolic reference to Israel’s kings…
Like the great pilgrimages we see today…in the middle East…they flooded into the city gates…
And today all Jews… still long to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem…at least once in their life time.
The focus of the Passover pilgrimage... and the meal they’ll share together... is hope...hope in God.
Hope in the only one who can bring deliverance – hope kindled by the telling... and retelling...
of the story of God...
delivering the people from slavery in Egypt.
Even in Jesus’ time the Passover was oldest Jewish religious festival...based on ancient memories and rituals... handed down by storytellers throughout the centuries... and finally preserved in the scroll of Exodus.
Passover refers to the tenth and final plague... that broke the will of Pharaoh to let the people go...
In the ancient story of the Exodus...this pestilence killed every unprotected firstborn child...
and what saved the children of the Israelites...
was the blood of a sacrificial lamb...
poured out... and wiped across the door posts of their homes...
God had instructed Moses to say
Bread and wine word slide
‘And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses ... and when I see the blood, I’ll pass over you...and the plague shall not be upon you...
to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be a memorial; and you shall keep it a feast ... for ever.’
The blood of the sacrificial lamb... would save them. God would deliver them from bondage.
And so the pilgrims come... wave after wave...
into the sacred city of the Jews...the city itself a symbol
of the day when all God’s promises are fulfilled...
all oppression, exploitation and cruelty… are ended…
the day when all creation…
is restored to right relationship with God.
Like all the other tired and dusty Jewish pilgrims… on the road that day…Jesus and his friends are coming for a sacred meal…the Passover…the oldest Jewish festival to honour the saving acts of God.
Yes he’d been travelling toward Jerusalem for months… preaching and teaching and healing…
but given the order out… for his execution…
you’d think he’d stay away…
Some of those who travel with him… believe he’s the promised messiah…the anointed one of God …the one who’ll restore the throne of David… and Israel… to their rightful place in the world…
But others… lurking in the shadows… tracking his every move… others are certain he’s dangerous…
a trouble maker…
out to challenge the religious authorities.
Still others… Roman spies … are watching him closely…they don’t want any trouble… with so many thousands coming in to the city for the festival of the Passover…[kind of reminds you of Wanaka when the Air Show is on, doesn’t it]
And there’s Jesus…riding into the city…among throngs of other Jewish pilgrims.
Making quite a show… of his claim to the royal throne of David… riding on a donkey as kings had before him…daring people to compare him with the ancient prophesy…See Jerusalem daughter of Zion
'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey….'
Not one of the pilgrims… would miss the symbolic reference to Israel’s kings…
Like the great pilgrimages we see today…in the middle East…they flooded into the city gates…
And today all Jews… still long to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem…at least once in their life time.
The focus of the Passover pilgrimage... and the meal they’ll share together... is hope...hope in God.
Hope in the only one who can bring deliverance – hope kindled by the telling... and retelling...
of the story of God...
delivering the people from slavery in Egypt.
Even in Jesus’ time the Passover was oldest Jewish religious festival...based on ancient memories and rituals... handed down by storytellers throughout the centuries... and finally preserved in the scroll of Exodus.
Passover refers to the tenth and final plague... that broke the will of Pharaoh to let the people go...
In the ancient story of the Exodus...this pestilence killed every unprotected firstborn child...
and what saved the children of the Israelites...
was the blood of a sacrificial lamb...
poured out... and wiped across the door posts of their homes...
God had instructed Moses to say
Bread and wine word slide
‘And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses ... and when I see the blood, I’ll pass over you...and the plague shall not be upon you...
to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be a memorial; and you shall keep it a feast ... for ever.’
The blood of the sacrificial lamb... would save them. God would deliver them from bondage.
And so the pilgrims come... wave after wave...
into the sacred city of the Jews...the city itself a symbol
of the day when all God’s promises are fulfilled...
all oppression, exploitation and cruelty… are ended…
the day when all creation…
is restored to right relationship with God.
So naturally…there’s an atmosphere of celebration as they approach Jerusalem...not only for what God has done... but in anticipation...of what God will continue
to do...to bring salvation and deliverance to those enslaved to bondage and tyranny.
And it’s right into this context… Jesus makes his audacious… and unmistakably regal entry…
into Jerusalem…The symbolism of riding on a donkey could not be missed by any Jew…
it’s a piece of high and sacred drama…
announcing for all to see…that God’s anointed one…has arrived…
The one who’d bring about the salvation of the world… had entered the city gates.
You can understand why the religious authorities saw him as a threat.
And isn’t it interesting that…when Jesus finally sits down to that last supper with his friends…
instead of downplaying… that dangerous declaration of his identity…Jesus dares to reshape and reinterpret…
the sacred tradition of the Passover.
He proclaims the Passover…to be fulfilled.
Here’s how he does it…In that upper room…as father’s are doing in every household…Jesus takes on the role of family head.
He offers his friends…
the broken… unleavened bread… of the Passover meal… and he blesses his cup of wine…
And as Jesus tells them their ancient story…
of freedom and salvation…
his words confirm their worst fears…
for his life and maybe even his sanity.
to do...to bring salvation and deliverance to those enslaved to bondage and tyranny.
And it’s right into this context… Jesus makes his audacious… and unmistakably regal entry…
into Jerusalem…The symbolism of riding on a donkey could not be missed by any Jew…
it’s a piece of high and sacred drama…
announcing for all to see…that God’s anointed one…has arrived…
The one who’d bring about the salvation of the world… had entered the city gates.
You can understand why the religious authorities saw him as a threat.
And isn’t it interesting that…when Jesus finally sits down to that last supper with his friends…
instead of downplaying… that dangerous declaration of his identity…Jesus dares to reshape and reinterpret…
the sacred tradition of the Passover.
He proclaims the Passover…to be fulfilled.
Here’s how he does it…In that upper room…as father’s are doing in every household…Jesus takes on the role of family head.
He offers his friends…
the broken… unleavened bread… of the Passover meal… and he blesses his cup of wine…
And as Jesus tells them their ancient story…
of freedom and salvation…
his words confirm their worst fears…
for his life and maybe even his sanity.
Just as the lamb… sacrificed by their ancestors in Egypt…was a sign from God of their deliverance… Jesus’ life would now be offered up…as a sacrifice… to bring deliverance for all people…
…their teacher… Their friend
was to be the sacrificial Lamb of God... and in this way the Passover would be fulfilled for all the world.
Yet in the face of their fear... Jesus comforts his followers... gently reciting the familiar tender promises of every Jewish bridegroom...
to his bride at their engagement party
‘in my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back... and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’
And with this symbolic language...their Passover meal becomes the wedding feast of the lamb...
[pause]
and all he asks of them is to be faithful to this new covenant...and love each other as he loves them...so the world will recognise his disciples.
Maybe the reason it’s so hard for us to love...
consistently and sacrificially...
to love others as Jesus did...
is that we don’t really believe we are loved and forgiven ...maybe we don’t really believe...
maybe we’re still in bondage.... maybe we’re still enslaved... to the lie that we’re unlovable.
So as we share this meal in obedience and remembrance of him...may you come to believe the truth that in Jesus Christ you are loved and forgiven. May your thirst for living water be satisfied.
May you no longer live under the burden of guilt or shame. And may you be set free to love as Jesus loved and forgive as he forgave even on the Cross.
to his bride at their engagement party
‘in my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back... and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’
And with this symbolic language...their Passover meal becomes the wedding feast of the lamb...
[pause]
and all he asks of them is to be faithful to this new covenant...and love each other as he loves them...so the world will recognise his disciples.
Maybe the reason it’s so hard for us to love...
consistently and sacrificially...
to love others as Jesus did...
is that we don’t really believe we are loved and forgiven ...maybe we don’t really believe...
maybe we’re still in bondage.... maybe we’re still enslaved... to the lie that we’re unlovable.
So as we share this meal in obedience and remembrance of him...may you come to believe the truth that in Jesus Christ you are loved and forgiven. May your thirst for living water be satisfied.
May you no longer live under the burden of guilt or shame. And may you be set free to love as Jesus loved and forgive as he forgave even on the Cross.
Questions for reflection:
For those who claim him as Messiah how does Jesus reinterpret and reshape the tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures?
What stops us from loving as he loved?
What can we do about that?
