Palm Sunday C
Luke 19:28-40
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Maundy Thursday: John 13:1-17, 31b-35; Luke 22:14-46
Good Friday Discussion: John 18:12-27, John 18:28-40, John 19:1-16, John 19:16-22; Luke 23:1-49
Psalmist: Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist, Patreon
Bryan Sirchio “Stand with You” from his album Something Beautiful for God, @BryanJSirchio, Facebook, website: sirchio.com
Psalmist: Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist, Patreon
Mary Luti’s Excellent Holy Week Note:
As Christians, we live under the burden of a sad and violent history of anti-Semitism, in the sobering shadow of the Shoah (Holocaust). It is critical for us to be clear about what our sacred texts mean when they make reference to “the Jews,” especially during Holy Week, when we contemplate Jesus’ death.
When the crucifixion narratives speak of “the chief priests and leaders of the people,” they are referring to officials who collaborated closely with the Roman systems of oppression, and were viewed with contempt by much of the Jewish community in their time. They should not be identified with the Jewish people of the past as a whole, and certainly not with Jews in the present.
It may be helpful to recall the cultural context of our Christian scriptures, emerging as they did from a small, originally Jewish community of believers in Jesus as the Messiah. All of the Gospels originated from Jewish communities. Jesus himself, was born, lived, and was crucified, a Jew. Any criticism of Jews from Gospel writers should be understood as the expression of differences of opinion among or about their fellow Jews. The gospels’ use of the term “the Jews” therefore, should not be read as a criticism of the Jewish religion, and especially not as a condemnation of an entire people, either then, or now.
It is one of the bitter ironies of history that our sacred texts have been used to justify the persecution of the covenant people, from whom our Savior came, and who are created, as we all are, in the precious image of God.
Luke 19:28-40
Initial Thoughts
No Palms. Not even cut branches on the road.
No Hosanna.
According to Fred Craddock, these are symbols of nationalism. They are intentionally left out of Luke’s story. The “King” to whom they refer is a call for peace, not a call for rebellion.
In Luke especially, the King is associated with peace. Think back to Jesus’ birth. Jesus is worshiped as King, but deeply connected with the heavenly host promise “Peace on earth.”
Bible Study
Same setup
Disciples heavily involved
Secure the colt
Place Jesus on the colt
Called him the King
No general crowds - named specifically disciples
As opposed to John, where crowds were there because of Lazarus and Matthew’s crowds there because it is Passover.
“His disciples did not fully understand his messiahship, to be sure, but neither are they person who sing praise and scream death in the same week. The portrait of such a fickle crowd must come from some account other than Luke’s.” (Fred Craddock, Interpretation: Luke, p. 227).
In Mark:
Jesus enters Jerusalem on the colt no one has ridden.
People cheer “Hosanna Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessings on the coming kingdom of our ancestor David. Hosanna in the highest.”
Goes to Temple, goes home because it was late, and returns to Bethany.
Comes back next day he curses the fig tree and clears the Temple.”
In Luke:
Jesus enters Jerusalem on the colt no one has ridden (in Matthew it is a donkey and a colt.)
People cheer “Blessings on the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens.”
Pharisees tell people to be quiet.
Jesus weeps and predicts Jerusalem’s destruction.
Enters the Temple, throws people out.
Differences
No Palms. Not even cut branches on the road.
No Hosanna.
According to Fred Craddock, these are symbols of nationalism. They are intentionally left out of Luke’s story. The “King” to whom they refer is a call for peace, not a call for rebellion.
In Luke especially, the King is associated with peace. Think back to Jesus’ birth. Jesus is worshiped as King, but deeply connected with the heavenly host's promise “Peace on earth.”
Colt
Wild horse - uncastrated, never ridden. Colt or donkey?
Never ridden - typical for sacred events.
Colt is a name for a young donkey or a young horse. Matthew says it is a donkey and a horse, but John points back to Zechariah 9:9 which tells of a king coming "humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
Jesus behaving like a King
The Colt that “no one has ridden” is a Kingly prerogative.
Disciples are to go and “obtain” a horse. They follow without question.
If they are pressed, they are to exercise his authority.
Disciples are asked to make a great act of faith on behalf of Jesus’ authority.
Mike Baughman has another interesting take on the “colt that no one has ridden”
An unridden colt would be unneutered and untrained. Riding and unbroken colt would be a dangerous task, and the exact opposite of what a conqueror would ride - a trained and seasoned war horse.
Jesus coming to Jerusalem in a new way - with a new ride. He is bringing in an untamed, unknown way of doing things.
There seems to be some foreknowledge.
Did Jesus set it up beforehand?
Did a disciple own the horse?
Divine foreknowledge?
This has been dismissed as Jesus having made “the necessary arrangements. This probably misses the point of the story, which is precisely to indicate that the events about to take place in Jerusalem are not the result of change but are part of a larger and mysterious plan...He is a strange king who conquers by means of suffering and apparent defeat” Justo Gonzalez, Luke, p. 225
Zechariah 9
Messianic age of peace
God will overthrow the oppressive nations
All will dwell in peace
eschatological proclamation which “breaks” the militarism of human nations and will “speak peace to the nations”
Not a foretelling the coming of Jesus but the coming of a divine kingdom (on earth as it is in Heaven) ruled by God not by human interests
Mighty will be brought low and the low will be exalted- for the purpose of liberation and peace
What does God want? Zech. 8:16-17 “Speak the truth to each other; make truthful, just, and peaceable decisions within your gates.Don't plan evil for each other. Don't adore swearing falsely
Procession
Parody of a conqueror entering the city in a display of power
Roman generals returning from victories would be celebrated with a triumphus, a grand procession in which the victor, crowned with laurels, would ride a chariot pulled by white horses and go to the temple to offer sacrifices. The spoils from his victory would be displayed in the procession and along the way the crowds would sing hymns and shout acclamations to the victor.
This practice even redacted Rome, when Alexander the Great conquered Jerusalem, entered in triumph and offered sacrifices at the Temple.
The parodies are clear - he is riding a donkey, not a chariot. He will be crowned with thorns, not laurels, he will weep over Jerusalem, not celebrate it, and he will drive out the oppressive sacrificial system in the temple, not participate in it.
How does Jesus show his power? (James O’Duke, Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide.)
“Lordship, indeed even messianic lordship, is here defined in terms of servanthood. Gentleness, humility, peaceableness, mercy, and self-giving acts of generosity and compassion are marks of God's domain.”
Jesus is not aligned with any political party- then or NOW
Jesus is not a republican or a democrat (or an American for that matter)
Jesus is challenging the political and social state of the world
Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, The Last Week
Two Processions: Pilate from Jaffa Gate and Jesus from Galilee
Kingdom of God vs Empire of Rome
The stage is set for the week
Multitude of the disciples not Crowds
These are not the nameless crowds but the disciples - the students - of Jesus
Palm Sunday is often focused only on Jesus, but it is a very communal event
Disciples get the donkey
Donkey is donated
Crowds chant and gather
Crowds lay cloaks on the ground. “To greet a king” (see 2 Kings 9:13)
Crowds proclaim who Jesus is...kind of
prophet from Nazareth in Galilee (not the Son of God)
“For peace and reconciliation become possible when common folk with uncommon courage oppose exclusionary practices and policies and together stand with "the one who comes in the name of the Lord" [v. 38]. History is replete with the stories of common folk who have recognized that we are able to accomplish more together than we can alone; stories that we might reclaim and rehearse as we continue our Lenten journey. They include the women and men who provided safe passage on the Underground Railroad for persons seeking freedom from chattel slavery in the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. Remember also Dietrich Bonhoeffer and others in the Confessing Church in the 1930s, who took a definitive stance that their loyalty was to Jesus as Lord, not to Hitler and the Nazis. Youths in South Africa stood against apartheid and formed the African National Congress Youth League in 1944 under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, envisioning a world in which racial domination would no longer exist.” Veronice Miles, Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide
“Acting on behalf of freedom is a dangerous undertaking. The more visible Martin Luther King Jr. became, the more crowds he attracted. The more the crowds lauded him, the more the enemy pursued him”...(other examples include Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela)...”Fighting for freedom is a dangerous endeavor. These men realized it. Jesus realized it. Nonetheless, the fight for freedom must continue despite its cost. That is the message behind Luke’s portrayal of Jesus’ ministry.” Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder, True to Our Native Land, p.179
Objection by the Pharisees
“While not supporting the Zealots, they valued the measure of religious and political freedom Israel had, and sought to prevent anything that could arouse the ire of Rome.” Justo Gonzalez, Luke, p.227
Unknown motivation, but it fits with their previous action (in Luke 13:31) that they wish Jesus to preserve his own life.
They fear reprisal.
Selfish - because they fear greater wrath will come down, possibly even unsettling their position.
Care for Jesus - misunderstand his mission, and wish only for him to play it safe and survive.
“That stones would shout is, of course, a figure of speech, but the expression does remind us that in biblical understanding, the creation is involved in events that we tend to think affect humans alone” (Craddock, p. 228)
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, again
Adds a somber note to the triumphal celebration that usually mark Palm Sunday worship
Perhaps exposes another paradox - Jesus is lauded as King, yet has no interest in establishing a political Kingdom
“You will not recognize the things that make for peace.” - The Pharisees and other Jewish leaders have accepted the Pax Romana - a false peace which maintains the status quo of a few being lifted up at the expense of the many. Jesus offers a new peace- a just peace - in which all people are celebrated as equally beloved and cared for children of God.
“[The religious leaders] are so afraid of what Rome might do that they cannot see what God is doing.” Gonzalez, p. 227
Thoughts and Questions
Difficult to faithfully separate the entry into Jerusalem from going into the Temple - especially since in Luke it all happens in one day.
Luke’s understanding of clearing the Temple is not directly connected to the plot for his death nor is it directly tied to its destruction. They seem to take umbrage with the fact that he set up his own operations there.
Pharisees want to silence the people from rocking the boat. Who wants to silence us? The disciples were making so much noise that the leaders wanted to keep thing quiet.They feared reprisal. It is important to wonder - who is fearful of us? This is not to say we must be loud just for the sake of being loud, but if no one hears our churches, our preaching, our service, what’s the point? If we are doing things that upset the status quo, there will be retaliation.
Palm Sunday - if you want to call it that - doesn’t happen with Jesus alone. It happens because the disciples are faithful. They carry out Jesus’ orders, but they also help him - literally - carry out the plan. They get the horse. They put him on it. They cheer him when he enters. They praise him “for all the great things they have seen.” They might not completely get it, but they know they have seen something special. They cheer for this King - not because he is going to come and conquer - but because he will usher in peace. Some wish they would just be quiet, but in the end, they cannot be silenced.
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Initial thoughts
Psalm Song - "Into Your Hands" by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan
Lectionary selection for both Palm Sunday and Easter for all three years, though the selected verses overlap.
Both weeks read the intro v 1-2: “Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever. Let Israel say it: "God's faithful love lasts forever!" (CEB)
v 24-29 overlap
“This is the day the LORD acted; we will rejoice and celebrate in it! LORD, please save us! LORD, please let us succeed! The one who enters in the LORD's name is blessed; we bless all of you from the LORD's house. The LORD is God! He has shined a light on us! So lead the festival offering with ropes all the way to the horns of the altar. You are my God—I will give thanks to you! You are my God—I will lift you up high! Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever.”
Bible Study
Psalm 118’s place in Ancient Hebrew worship is debated. One theory is that this was a Psalm that “celebrated the re-enthronement of the Davidic monarch” (James Newsome, Texts for Preaching, Year A).
Fits Palm Sunday as an enthronement psalm, when Jesus is acting as a new kind of King in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
End of what Clint McCann calls the Hallel collection (113-118) which came to be used at Passover.
Can also be seen in context of Israel’s return from exile. It’s use is versatile, as thanksgiving, victory.
Tone and emotions of the Psalm are all over the place. Lots of praise, also distress, so the lection tries to cut it up to make it fit Palm Sunday and Easter.
“A psalm of thanksgiving sung by one who has been to the edge of the abyss and who has been delivered by God” (James Newsome, Texts for Preaching, Year A).
Non Palm Sunday section
v 1-4 Call to Worship - Let all say “God’s steadfast love endures forever”
v 5-13 I was in distress, but God saved.
v 14-18 God is victorious
salvation, victory, valiant, strength
v 19-24 Procession
In midst of procession is reminder of the failure that preceded this celebration
v. 22 - The stone that was rejected has become the cornerstone.
The people have come to celebrate, but it is the Lord that is taking action
v. 24 This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.
This is the proper order - Acknowledge God’s action, then rejoice.
v 25-29 Call for salvation and thanksgiving
Ending verse mirrors the opening
118:29 “Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever”
Thoughts and Questions
Pattern of praise and petition affirm God’s sovereignty. More realistic as a whole psalm, instead of chopping it up. Isn’t most of life full of both praise and petition?
Powerful as communal prayer and individual promise. Martin Luther called it “My own beloved psalm.” (Clint McCann, New Interpreter’s Bible, v. IV, p. 1156).
Maundy Thursday
John 13:1-17, 31b-35 or Luke 22:14-46
The story of Holy Thursday
Tell the story Christmas Pageant style? Or do we stick to one Gospel?
Luke or John?
John is the text and the reason we call it Maundy Thursday
Maundy -
from the Old English Mande which comes from the Latin Mantatum or Commandment (or mandate)
“commandment: to love one another as I have loved you”
from the Old English Maund- which means to beg because beggars would gather outside the churches during Holy Week
NO “LAST SUPPER” other than “during supper”- happens the day before the passover (John 13:1)
Foot Washing- only Gospel this appears
Possible origin of the “stole”
Focus on serving one another in love, not obligation or charity, but friendship and love
Longest day in John- chapters 13-18:28!
mainly due to the extensive farewell discourse
Luke
Last Supper = clearly a passover meal - words of institution
Cup - bread - cup
Foretelling the cup of suffering v.42
The bread and cup are deliberately shared with everyone:
Peter - denyer
Judas - betrayer
Thomas - doubter
rest - of the disciples - deserters
Betrayal - woe to you who would betray the Son of Man
Argument about greatness - same as Luke 9
The very act of their argument reveals their betrayal by misunderstanding and misrepresenting Jesus - they have learned nothing in the last 13 chapters
Servitude- again calls back to Luke 9, “the least among you is the greatest”
connection with John 13 - BUT NO FOOT WASHING
Prayer in the Garden
Not my will but yours be done
“One of you will betray me” - “Surely Not I?”
Good Friday
John 18 and John 19 or Luke 23:1-49
The story of Good Friday
Tell the story Christmas Pageant style? Or do we stick to one Gospel?
Luke or John?
Luke - political
Jesus is innocent by both Herod, Pilate, bandits, the Centurion -everyone can see Jesus’ innocence except those whom we would expect
Even in his death Jesus is reconciling enemies (Luke 23:12)
Barabbas
no historical evidence of a Passover pardon
Possibly a word play showing how much the crowd either did not know who Jesus was or how much they actually wanted Jesus released and not Barabbas
Bar’Abbas = “Son of the Father”
Who should be released? Jesus, Son of the Father or Jesus King of the Jews?
INRI - J(I)esus of Nazareth, King(Rex) of the J(I)ews
Temple of the Curtain - revealing God to the people
“All his acquaintances including the women… stood at a distance, watching these things”
Possible to prove the viability of this account
The sin of passivity
Even the Centurion makes a faithful declaration when Jesus’ followers won’t
John
Very similar to Luke
Differences:
No visit to Herod
No trial before Caiaphas/High Priest (but Annas instead)
Dies on the passover - Jesus is the Paschal Lamb whose life is given so the people might be saved
Interaction between Mary and Jesu from the cross for them to care for one another
Focus on the law - the leaders want Jesus killed but want someone else to do it
They use Rome to get what they want and Rome acquiesces
Tenebrae Services
Traditionally a pre-Vatican Catholic service of Lamentations and Psalm readings, Antiphons and the extinguishing of Candles
Modern - readings of the Passion narrative and the extinguishing of candles to symbolize the encroaching darkness leading to Jesus’ death and the desertion of the disciples.
Is it enough to tell the story?
Not necessarily- can lead to anti-Semitism
Passion plays like the Passion of the Christ (by Mel Gibson) often lead to vandalism and attacks against synagogues and Jews.
Tension: invite people into the drama (into the story) but also provide a hermeneutic lens that gets at one of the central questions of faith: Why did Jesus die?
Thanks to our Psalms correspondent, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (psalmimmersion.com,@pomopsalmist). Thank you to Scott Fletcher for our voice bumpers, Dick Dale and the Del Tones for our Theme music (“Miserlou”), Nicolai Heidlas (“Sunday Morning”,"Real Ride"and“Summertime”) and Bryan Odeen for our closing music.