Lent VI: Palm Sunday: a second
look
March 29, 2015
BMC- Ps. 118:1-2, 19-29& Mark 11:1-11
Lent VI, Year B – Palm Sunday
Introduction: Formulas
I know
that many of you have served as school teachers during your lives. And many of
you whether it is through the news, family members in school, or Homework Help are
aware of the shifts in requirements due to standardized testing. Math is not
what it once was. Well, I suppose that
Math hasn’t changed so much as the methods of teaching and testing it have.
Whenever
Elam has math homework, Beth sends him my way. Now I’m not a mathematician by
any stretch of the imagination, but with a little time and a pencil and paper,
I am usually able to sort things out and talk it through with him. Lately this has often involved story problems
in which he has to create an algebraic equation or formula to solve.
As such,
I have been thinking about equations lately. Perhaps you will recognize some of these. If you know what it means, please don’t shout
it out. Just raise your hand until I ask
for the answer. There are the familiar ones like e=mc2 {energy-mass equivalence},
a2+b2=c2 {Pythagorean Theorem}, a=lw {area of
a rectangle} or πr2 {area of a circle}. But Tuesday night I
encountered one that I wasn't familiar with, π(z2)a.
Don’t say
the answer out loud, but does anybody know this one? To be honest, it took me a little while to
figure out. In fact it took me a second
look; which may also true of Palm Sunday for most people. It was certainly true for the people in
Jerusalem who were actually there.
Psalm 118
When we read Psalm 118, we have a strong
sense of celebration, don’t we? It speaks of entering through the gate and of salvation. The Lord has done marvelous things and we
should rejoice. “Blessed is He who comes
in the name of the Lord.” “With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the
altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will
exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is
good; his love endures forever.”
It seems very fitting
for Palm Sunday, does it not? Jesus, the
messiah, the savior, came to Jerusalem for the Passover and made his triumphal
entry into the city. The Jews were
expecting the messiah to come and liberate them from the Roman occupation. With this, they expected a military hero, a
conqueror. They probably expected
something that looked a lot like this.
Triumphal Entry: a poem - first lookThis is an image that went along with the first half of a poem that I found on-line called “Triumphal Entry: a poem.” The first half of the poem goes like this…
Triumphal Entry: a poem[1]
When Caesar Augustus
defeated Mark Antony,
and became the first emperor of Rome,
he entered the city in a Triumph,
people lining the streets,
waving patriotic banners
and palm branches,
and in this great parade
were treasures looted from Egypt,
and conquered enemies.
On Caesar’s road to be emperor,
he left thousands of corpses
on the roadside. He betrayed
friends and family,
he used people he loved as pawns.
He killed, lied, deceived, and manipulated
his way to glory. He was a monster
who made the people love him
through fear, lies, and intimidation.
This was Caesar’s Triumphal Entry.
Mark 11But this was not the type of triumphal entry that Jesus made, was it? As we read of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in Mark 11:1-11, we find the disciples who went to get a colt that had never been ridden before. When a man asked what they were doing untying the colt, they simply replied, “The Lord needs it and will send it back shortly.” They brought the colt to Jesus, and he rode it into Jerusalem.
As He entered Jerusalem, there were shouts of praise. People laid their cloaks down on the road along with branches. They declared the words of Psalm 118, of celebration, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” But Jesus’ entry did not look like that of a military victory, did it? Rather Jesus’ entry was one of humble service.
He did not wear special garb like
the Roman victors. He did not ride in a
chariot drawn by a mighty steed, but rather on the back of a colt. And Jesus entered Jerusalem through an
average gate, not one symbolic of triumph as the Roman conquers did. Jesus entry into Jerusalem probably looked
more like this.
Triumphal Entry: a poem - second lookThis is the image that went along with the second half of the poem that I found on-line called “Triumphal Entry: a poem” And it seems to me that it is in our second look at Palm Sunday that our perspective shifts and we gain clarity.
“Triumphal Entry: a poem”[2]
When Jesus of Nazareth
defeated no one,
and remained a poor peasant,
he entered the city in a Triumph,
people lining the streets,
the poor and hungry and homeless,
waving palm branches,
and in this modest parade
were followers and friends,
loved ones, people he’d healed.
On Jesus’ road to Jerusalem,
he killed no one. He loved
everyone, even his enemies.
He healed, loved, and fed people
on his way to glory. He was a hero
who people loved because he loved them,
through selflessness and self sacrifice.
This was Jesus’ Triumphal Entry.
Clarity on the second look
Things are not always as they first appear, are
they? Many times it is upon a second
look that things become clearer to us.
That was the case for me with the mathematical formula that I saw on
Tuesday evening. It suddenly made sense
to me when I put it into context. Here is
the formula again, π(z2)a . Raise your hand if you think you know what it
means.
Now I’ll add a little context. Now raise your hand it you know what it
means. OK shout it out if you know it. {pizza}. Do you see it? It’s not a mathematical
formula at all, is it? It’s a creative
way of writing the word “pizza,” but it took me a second look to catch that. I didn’t realize it on my first look because
in my first look I was looking for a mathematical equation.
Shortfall of the second look
But there
is an intrinsic shortfall with the second look isn’t there? Allow me to demonstrate. Could I have two volunteers join me up here?
{Pause} Now I would like you to face each other with one on my right and one on
my left. Great, now I’m going to show
you something and I want you to take turns describing what you see. {Hold out
coin (500 peso) so that each person can only see one side}
{One
describes the face that he sees while the other describes the bird that he
sees} So you are each describing
different things that you are seeing and yet wouldn’t you say that you are both
looking at the same object? {Yes} You
are both looking at the same coin, but your vantage point only allows you to
see one side of it. You need each other
to get the full picture of the coin that you are looking at. Sometimes taking our own second look simply
isn’t enough. Sometimes in order to get
the full picture, we need to hear from others who have a different vantage
point.
Let’s take
this one step further. This time I want
you to look at this book and tell me what you see {Hold out Bible so one sees
the cover with picture of a shepherd and lamb while the other sees the back
with a picture of Joseph being sold into slavery.} Once again, you are describing very different
images and yet wouldn’t you agree that you are looking at the same book?
{Yes}. You are looking at the same book,
and in fact the book is the Bible.
Thanks for your help, you may return to your seats.
It seems to
me that this is often the case for each of us as well. As we approach the Bible from our different
vantage points, we see things a little differently. The text is the same, it is our vantage point
that is different. It is in our study
and discussion together that we gain a fuller perspective on the wholeness of
God that is represented in this book.
Taking this another step, we also
gain a more complete picture when we come together in the breadth of the
stories in the Bible and talk about them.
Like the two of you who were describing different images from the same
book, we also gain a fuller perspective as we dialogue together about different
stories in the Bible and how they relate to or inform one another. We see things that we would otherwise miss.
And yet
isn’t it often the case that we get locked into our one vantage point? We know
the Bible. We know the stories and what
they mean. Even if we take a second
look; we can get caught up in seeing the same thing over and over again. Yet through corporate study and dialogue, we
begin to see things in new or fresh ways that we might otherwise miss.
Conclusion: Palm Sunday- a second look
This was certainly true of many if
not most when Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. When they first saw him, they likely did not
catch the significance of his entrance and its contrast to other triumphal entries
of their day. And I wonder how often
this is true of us as well. How often do
we yet today need to take a second look to really see where and what Jesus is
doing in our midst? And how often do we get so locked into our own vantage
point that even in a second look we do not gain the full picture?
It is in studying and dialoguing
together about scripture that we are able to see both sides of the same
coin. It is in community with trust and
commitment to one another that we are able to gain the fuller picture of God’s
call upon us for God’s kingdom purposes. And it is through the revelation of
the Holy Spirit that we grow in our understanding. May the Lord guide and empower us in this ongoing
work.
Amen.
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