PALM SUNDAY/SUNDAY OF THE PASSION
March 24, 2024
“The Roar of the Crowd”
Have you ever been part of a crowd of people who were filled with joy and excitement, celebrating and exuberant? There’s something contagious about being in a group, laughing, cheering and feeling filled with happiness. This experience can happen in many environments, including, of course, a ball game or other competition. If your team wins a big game or, even better, a championship, the stands are bouncing with cheers. We love getting caught up in the thrill of the moment, and feel like we’re winners, too.
Processing into the sanctuary on Palm Sunday, rather self-consciously waving our palm leaves and singing “All Glory, Laud and Honor,” we know that soon we’ll be hearing an account of the darkest days of pain and suffering in Christian history. The narrative moves quickly from the sunshine, bright green palms, and the joy-filled crowd of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem to the somber, grim anticipation of events to come.
But the people calling out “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” were living in the moment. All they knew was that others were proclaiming the man riding on the donkey to be the Promised One of God. They had heard of his ministry and how he had healed the sick, made the blind to see, the deaf to hear and even raised the dead. Surely this miracle worker was the promised Messiah! Why not join in the celebration and be able to say you were there on that important day, that you were part of it?
In the days that follow, the tone is quieter and more serious. The Gospels have accounts that differ somewhat, but have a central theme. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22 tell us that Jesus spent much of this time with his disciples, teaching them the most important lessons they needed in the time to come. By Thursday, Jesus and the disciples gather for the Passover meal, and as he breaks the bread and pours the wine, he creates a new Passover, the sacrament that brings all Christians together, the Lord’s Supper.
Shortly after the meal, Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives to pray, and is there arrested. When the Roman governor can find no basis to punish him, a crowd gathers again, but this time there are no hosannas, but instead fear and hatred, and the words “Crucify him!” are hurled at Christ, who stands quietly in the face of their fury.
As the Passion of Christ is read, the congregation is directed to cry out these awful words, and however we may flinch at saying them, we need to acknowledge that our Lord carried the sins of all humanity to the cross. We are obliged to listen and understand the reality of crucifixion and suffering, of death and despair. We are part of what took place, and it is part of us. It’s painful and humbling, and we can only look to the days ahead, as we know that the next words we will cry out are, “He is risen!”
Your friend on the Lenten journey,
Mary Rogers