Before this coronavirus took over our lives, how many of you had ever heard of Dr. Anthony Fauci? I hadn’t, even though he has been a medical advisor to every president beginning with Ronald Reagan. But now, he is suddenly forced onto the public stage and, although many of us really appreciate and admire his honest, plain talk, presenting the truth as the data demonstrates, there are those who don’t like him because his grim message is upsetting their comfortable lives, closing their businesses and stopping their cash flow, so much so that he’s begun to receive death threats. Fortunately, that hasn’t stopped him from providing us with the truth about a situation we would rather not have to face but we must.
Jesus found himself in a similar situation as he prepared to enter the city of Jerusalem for Passover week. He had been speaking the truth ever since he returned from his 40 days in the desert. But now, he finds himself forced onto the public stage because his people, who were feeling oppressed by the Roman Empire, were looking for a savior. Many people had come to admire him, as we hear in today’s Gospel account of his entry into Jerusalem, where he is given a hero’s welcome as the equivalent of the red carpet – palm branches – were laid on the road before him. But, there were some who didn’t like him because he was threatening their comfortable lives and their cash flow. Fortunately for all humanity, that didn’t stop Jesus from teaching the truth about the most important situation in our lives – our eternal destiny – which is preceded by a fact that most of us would rather not have to face, but we must: death. And, just as Dr. Fauci has had to correct some inaccurate statements made by certain unenlightened governmental leaders, so Jesus did not hesitate to correct the inaccurate declarations of some of the Jewish leaders of his day.
The first word that comes to our mind for Palm Sunday is Hosanna! “Hosanna” is an ancient Hebrew expression that means “Please save us!” It’s a cry for help. The crowds of people lining the path that led into Jerusalem this day were shouting it, but joyfully. They had heard of Jesus’ teachings. Many of them had seen his miracles. This was clearly the right man to challenge the power of Rome and restore the throne of David. They were ready to welcome Jesus as a new political and religious leader. So, it was a hope filled cry for help. The first day of Holy Week begins with this celebratory “Hosanna! Please save us!” But, as we heard in today’s Gospel account, it is all downhill from there.
By the end of the week a mood of hate and hostility has supplanted the joyful mood expressed by Hosanna. Hate and hostility are two themes we are very acquainted with in today’s world. We see it in the words and actions of many leaders here and around the world. I’m afraid it is becoming so much a part of our world that we have to guard that it doesn’t develop in our own hearts. It is a tendency that develops whenever we are feeling threatened. Jesus was certainly a threat to some of those whom he encountered. So, it should not surprise us that people sometimes responded to Jesus with hatred and hostility; that’s even true today. People are rarely neutral about Jesus. What is there about him that some are willing to die for him but others do not rest until he is in the grave?
Even his own disciples betrayed him, denied him, fled from him. Notice, though, that Jesus never turned his back on any of them. He came to save everyone, even the most hostile and hateful, whether it be Judas Iscariot who betrayed him, Peter who denied him or the thief on the cross. So why is the world so hostile to Jesus? How did we go from the palm branches and parade to the crown of thorns and the cross?
The world is hostile to Jesus, first of all, because of who he says he is. Notice that members of the crowd referred to Jesus as “the prophet from Nazareth.” It’s easy to disregard a prophet. But Jesus never claimed to be a prophet. He claimed much more than that. He claimed to be God in human form. “When you have seen me you have seen my Father” we hear him declare in John’s Gospel.
Life would be so much simpler if we could just make Jesus into whomever we want him to be. He could be a prophet, a guru, a role model, a buddy. But Jesus made the truth crystal clear: he is God incarnate. He made our decision crystal clear too: take up our cross and follow him – or ignore him, reject him and miss out on the blessings that only he can provide.
That’s what Judas Iscariot chose to do. Judas had followed Jesus, worshiped with him, ate with him. Judas heard all his teachings and witnessed all his miracles. And Judas still betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Judas faced the same choice each of us face when we are confronted with the reality of who Christ is. We can ignore him, reject him or accept him into our lives. Only those who accept him can experience the blessings that only God can provide. Yes, the world is hostile to Jesus, first of all, because of who he says he is.
The world is also hostile to Jesus because of what he intends to do. He intends to bring God’s kingdom on earth. That was the major theme of his teaching – the kingdom of God. As we hear in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus begins his preaching with the proclamation: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
But, God’s kingdom is a kingdom of peace, not power. It is a kingdom of love, not hate. It is a kingdom of service, not domination. Notice the prophecy that Jesus fulfilled when he chose a donkey instead of a stallion for his entry into Jerusalem: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey’” we heard in today’s Gospel. King David and King Solomon rode around on donkeys. Stallions were used by generals when waging war.
It is easier to rally people around war than around peace. The cry of war arouses us against an enemy. But, Jesus calls for us to love our enemy. It requires realizing that God loves everyone and putting others’ needs before our own. The end goal in war is to conquer your enemy. The end goal in peace is to conquer ourselves – to conquer our selfish, greedy, violent human nature and work together for the sake of God’s kingdom.
The world is hostile to Jesus, first of all, because of who he is: God. The world is also hostile to Jesus because of what he intends to do. He intends to bring God’s kingdom to earth – a kingdom of peace, love and respect for all people.
Finally, the world is hostile to Jesus because his kingdom is eternal, not immediate. The Jewish people wanted to be saved from their immediate circumstances: from the oppressive power of Rome, from unjust laws, from the sting of being ruled over by a foreign power. They wanted to be saved from the embarrassment of a lost identity and the defeat of their holy nation. But, so many of them – and especially so many of their religious leaders – gave no thought to the rule of God in their lives, or the priority of preparing for eternity.
The people of Jesus’ time wanted a flesh and blood king, not a king who offers his flesh and blood, or a king who conquers by way of humility and submission. They wanted immediate power and an earthly king who blustered and threatened and called his people to war and destruction. They didn’t want a heavenly kingdom open to all people. They wanted the glory of immediate security, not the glory of an eternal God who is working out His plan for all people and all nations for all time.
Are we any different? We want a kingdom now, not later. We want a king who protects our comfortable lifestyle, not one who commands us to care for the hungry and the sick and the refugee and the marginalized. We want immediate security, not eternity. And we try to twist Jesus’ words and his priorities to fit our lifestyle. But God doesn’t work that way. And, we can actually live in peace, even in the struggles of this world. In fact, the struggles that we face in this world are given so that we can learn how to better live in God’s peace; the coronavirus is one of those struggles.
As I am praying during this coronavirus pandemic for all those who are suffering and dying – that our merciful God will accompany them with his loving care – I am also praying that we will all use this time of struggle for a time of ever-deeper conversion. I pray that all of us will recognize the ultimate purpose of our lives here on earth – to prepare for heaven. I pray that you husbands and wives refocus on helping your spouse prepare to be with God forever. I pray that you parents and grandparents show, by your word and example, that our first priority must be the glory that God has in store for all his faithful. I pray that you business men and women will examine your work to make sure that your success isn’t founded on exploitation of others but so that others may live well, too. Yes, God places struggles in our lives to draw us to him. I pray that we will all take advantage of this great struggle to turn our lives back to him.
Jesus faced the last week of his life with peace because he knew that he was giving the ultimate gift – his life – for the salvation of the world. He left this world not only with open hands, but with nail-scarred hands – and it was for us. He knew that those people who greeted him with shouts of “Hosanna!” would soon shout at him in hatred and hostility, but that did not deter him. And fortunately, the story doesn’t end here.
Just as Holy Week begins with an h-word – Hosanna – it ends with one more h-word, but I’m not going to say it today. It’s the Hebrew word for “Praise to You, Lord!” I’m sure you know what it is; we usually pronounce it without the “h” but it’s there. It’s a word reserved for next Sunday. Following ancient tradition, we do not say this word, or sing it, or pray it, from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday. But it’s a word of great joy and victory, and I hope you’ll be here next Sunday to sing it with me as we celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death. But today, the word is Hosanna: “Please save us!” Hate, hostility and death do not have the last word. And next Sunday, Easter Sunday, we will celebrate Christ’s victory over all of tha. Amen!