Palm/Passion Sunday Mash-Up
Here are some thoughts on Sunday's Processional Gospel that were shared electronically with the people of St.Timothy Lutheran Church .
Processional Gospel: Luke 19:28-40
28After he had said this, [Jesus] went
on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38saying,
“Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!”
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”
29When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38saying,
“Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!”
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”
On Passion/Palm
Sunday, we celebrate Jesus’ entrance
not only into Jerusalem, but into his final days on earth. We have a mash-up with
this Palm Sunday reading and the longer Passion reading. There is the glory of
Jesus riding into Jerusalem with the crowds lauding him as the “king who comes
in the name of the Lord.”
Does it seem odd that in the
Passion reading, the people turn against Jesus? These are not the same people
in the crowds. Those who praised him were his people, whereas those that cried
out, “Crucify him!” were of a different ilk.
The two experiences really cannot
be separated. Jesus experienced the horror of the crucifixion and the wondrous
resurrection. In our own lives there is glory and pain—not only one or the
other.
So, where does that leave us?
Which crowd do we fit into? Are we those who sing, “All glory laud and honor to
you redeemer king” or will we cry out with others, “Crucify him?” It’s easy to
get caught up in the excitement of a crowd. Which crowd is ours?
May God grant us the wisdom and
the courage to follow our Lord wherever he leads us. Amen.
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