Today marks the beginning of Holy Week. The most important week of the Church Calendar. I didn’t grow up in the church, so I learned what Holy Week is later in life. When I attended Princeton Seminary (grad school for people who want to be pastors), I realized that many of my classmates, although they had grown up in the church, didn’t have a clear understanding of Holy Week either. For them, it was a week when their families would attend extra worship services, with even more beautiful music, leading up to Easter. And yes, it is all of the above, but to know why we have extra worship services and special music makes those worship services even more special. I’d like to take a moment to reflect on why this week is so special and why it is holy.
The beginning of Holy Week is today, Palm Sunday, when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem to much fanfare. It’s known as Jesus’s “Triumphal Entry.” There’s great excitement in the air with people yelling, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” A reference to Psalm 118, which pilgrims would sing as they traveled to Jerusalem for important Jewish holidays such as Passover. Many laid down their cloaks (for some, the only cloak they owned) before Jesus to show that they held him in such high regard that they didn’t want the colt he rode on to touch the ground.
On Maundy Thursday, Jesus shares the Passover meal, which is to be his last meal (or last supper) with the disciples. It’s at that meal that he introduces the sacrament that we call the Lord’s Supper. On this night, he also washes the feet of the disciples to show that while he is the king, he came to humbly serve his people. Maundy Thursday is also when he is betrayed by Judas and handed over to the authorities.
Good Friday is the day when Jesus was tried, found guilty, was crucified, and died. At the time, those who followed Jesus didn’t realize it was a “good” day. We call it “Good Friday” because we have the gift of 20/20 hindsight, seeing that Jesus’ faithful obedience unto death has led to the redemption of everything in creation, including all of humanity. The darkness of Good Friday led to the light that is Easter when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
But let’s get back to Palm Sunday. A large crowd greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. Crowds are a powerful thing. Depending on the purpose of the crowd it can be really fun if there’s positive energy. One of the biggest crowds that I’ve ever been in was at the Big House when Michigan was playing my alma mater, the University of Washington, a few years ago. It had been forever since I was at a college football game, and it was SO fun. The crowd was amazing! You couldn’t help but get swept up in all of the excitement of cheering on Michigan, singing along to Mr. Brightside etc. We made friends with the people sitting around us.
The same can be said when I went to a Michigan State basketball game when they were playing my alma mater. It was Izzo night, so it was especially spirited except when UW scored, which on that night was not very much. Again, still had a great time. In both instances, I was so enjoying the crowds that I didn’t even care (that much) that my alma mater was significantly beaten that day.
There was also an air of excitement in the crowd present when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Excitement and hope were palpable. But crowds can also be scary.
The Roman Empire was frightened by the crowd that came out for Jesus. The crowd was composed of the people Rome looked down upon and kept at the bottom of society. They were peasants.
But to see them come out en masse was frightening. If it’s the Empire of Rome versus one peasant there is a clear winner. But to see a giant crowd of peasants joining their voices together and yelling “save us” in honor of another peasant, that was deeply disconcerting to those who held all of the power.
But both Rome and the crowd got Jesus wrong. Their assumptions about who Jesus is and what he could do were wrong. Rome and those who put Jesus to death thought that was how they were going to end Jesus’ influence and get rid of him forever. The crowd hoped Jesus would overthrow the Roman Empire and I’d venture to guess they looked forward to being the ones with all of the power. Both Rome and the crowd needed to spend more time with Jesus to know him better.
This is also the case with Jesus and us. We need to continue to get to know him. By spending time in God’s word, time in prayer, time in worship, and time with one another in a Christ-centered community. When we do, we will realize that we, like the crowd and Rome, have assumptions about who Jesus is. Just when we thought we truly knew Jesus, we realize there’s so much more to know about him.
While Israel (understandably) wanted the Messiah to overthrow Rome and end their oppressive rule, I want to point out that just because Jesus didn’t overthrow Rome doesn’t mean Rome was right. It doesn’t mean that government and politics don’t matter. That’s one way I’ve changed as a result of getting to know Jesus better. In the years I’ve preached on the Palm Sunday passages, I, like many other pastors, focused on the fact that Israel wanted a revolutionary who would kill their enemies and put them in power rather than a redeemer who would save and transform the whole world.
While this is true, it can be taken too far to the point that we think Jesus didn’t care about the cruelty of corrupt government. This plays into the advice that one should not talk about religion and politics at dinner parties. Wise advice, but we’ve confused that with the idea that as Christians we should not talk about politics at all.
As if we, as Christians, are supposed to be apolitical. But politics affects people, and Jesus calls us to care about people. All people. Therefore, we should care about voting for lawmakers who are for the greater good of all. Not just those they think are worthy of being protected. Which lawmakers seem to reflect the values of God’s kingdom? And I’m not going to agree with everything they stand for, but if the majority of what they stand for is in line with the values of God’s kingdom, then I’m all for it.
Also, Jesus came to redeem Rome. Jesus wanted to rescue them from their greed and insatiable appetite for power. It’s not that Jesus was apolitical or that he chose to ignore how Rome’s tyrannical rule stripped people of their basic rights to shelter, food, and the opportunity to provide for their families. Jesus came to rescue them from the sin of greed and power so that another Rome could be prevented.
As followers of Jesus Christ, Jesus needs to influence everything about us, all that we are and all that we do. This includes how we vote as well as how we live our lives. I think we tend to separate the two, but the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
In the last verse of our passage, Matthew tells us that Jerusalem was “in turmoil.” The word in Greek can also mean “shaken.” Jesus’s presence was disconcerting. His presence was disruptive. Something big was about to happen, and it wasn’t necessarily a welcome feeling. Life as they knew it was about to change, and that was scary because this life was all they knew. It was predictable. It was “this is the way it’s always been.”
If we aren’t continually “shaken” up by Christ’s presence, then we need to spend more time with him. Not because Jesus enjoys bringing constant turmoil into our lives, but because he wants to shake up any assumptions we have about him so that we can then truly know him. If you welcome Jesus into your life, expect to be shaken up and expect your life to be changed. Be prepared for our assumptions about Jesus, our neighbors, and ourselves to be shaken up. Nothing will stay the same.
This is because we’ve fooled ourselves into thinking we’ve got Jesus all figured out. When Jesus shakes up and blasts apart our assumptions about him we find ourselves on an even firmer and more stable foundation. All of that “shaking up” results in a foundation of faith built on who Jesus truly is rather than our assumptions about him.
Many historians believe that another parade took place across Jerusalem. This was a Roman military parade in which the spoils of conquest were on display. Items such as jewelry, sacred art, and symbols from the latest nation Rome had conquered. Included in this parade were great war horses and Roman chariots, as well as the very people they conquered who were now slaves in Rome, forcibly taken from their homes.
It was a stark contrast to how Jesus entered Jerusalem and was celebrated. Instead of war horses, there was just a small colt and a donkey. There were no great weapons waved in defiance, but simple palms waved in welcome. Whereas there was a great military presence displaying might and strength, a carpenter humbly rode in, greeted by peasants.
On display was the stark contrast between the kingdom of God or in other words, how God chooses to work in the world, versus how we humans believe power is achieved: The gain of great wealth at the expense of others.
As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Rome didn’t fall in a day either. It took time. It took ordinary people coming together and speaking out against an oppressive government due to their love of neighbor, and for many, their love of Christ, who called us to humbly love and serve others.
There are many emotional ups and downs during Holy Week. Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem was definitely a high point. There was much joy and celebration, even amid an air of unease. Then it seemed hopeless with Jesus’ arrest, unjust trial, and finally his brutal death just a few days later. Luckily, we know how the story ends. It ends with Jesus’ resurrection and triumph over death.
Life is a lot like Holy Week. A lot of ups and downs. A lot of joy and despair. But I pray we never forget that in the end, the way of Jesus, which is the way of love, the way of humility, mercy, justice, and grace, always has the final say. May we always look forward with hope to how Jesus will bring life out of death, not just this week, but every week.