March 2010 Archives

In Search of Self-Giving Love

Luke 19:28-40

March 28, 2010 - Palm Sunday

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

Two processions entered Jerusalem on a spring day in the year 30. It was the beginning of the week of Passover, the most sacred week of the Jewish year.[1]

Two processions -each had its own cast of characters; each had its own message to proclaim. Two processions -one the church has known about and celebrated the other a little known parade that has all but escaped our attention. From the east came Jesus riding on a donkey down the Mount of Olives cheered by his followers. On the opposite side of the city, from the west came Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor at the head of a column of imperial cavalry and soldiers. Jesus' procession proclaimed the kingdom of God; Pilate's proclaimed the power of the empire.

Pilate had come with his legions to demonstrate the power of the empire and evoke fear in the hearts of the pilgrims - often as many as 200,000 of them- who came to celebrate Passover. For it was true that as the people remembered God's liberating activity in the past, they were often restless, hopeful that God might act in their present.

Jesus entered the city riding on a donkey - a prophetic action intended to call to mind the hope of the prophet Zechariah that a king would come who would banish war from the land and usher in the reign of God -a time when people and land would be blessed, compassionate justice would pour forth like an ever-flowing stream, implements of war would be turned into instruments of life and all would live in peace and unafraid.

In their book The Last Week[2] Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan describe in detail the tension between two systems, two worlds, two ways of seeing life that was characterized by these two political demonstrations. According to Borg and Crossan, the defining features of the system of Pilate and Rome and by proxy the Temple Hierarchy -what they call the domination system- are rule by a few wealthy people of power who control government and economics for their own benefit; economic exploitation, where the systems of power are designed to keep the rich, rich and keep the poor getting poorer; and religious legitimation where the claim is made that this social order reflects the will of God and those in power are intended by God to be in power. This was a world view characterized by oppression, fear, scarcity and war.

It was over against this system of domination that the parade of Jesus and his disciples stood. Riding on a donkey, Jesus came as the Prince of Peace, the Agent of Justice, the Harbinger of Hope for those who were on the lowest rungs of the political system. This was a world view characterized by compassionate justice, abundance, trust and peace.

It was this clash that would lead to the crucifixion of Jesus on Friday and the apparent victory of the empire. According to Stephen J. Patterson the death of Jesus "had to do with the struggle between those who have power and those who do not; between those who enjoy easy access to food, clothing, housing, and various of life's pleasures and those who must make do without almost everything; between those who live at the center of things and those who exist at the margins."

As I read The Last Week and its description of the socioeconomic situation in first century Palestine, I couldn't help but think of our current day economic crisis and of the conflicts, violent or verbal, that have characterized so many places in the world in my life-time. I also found it interesting that in the church of my experience it has been taboo to "mix religion and politics"; in other words "preacher don't you dare talk about the ills of society or engage in a critique of the powers that be." On the other hand, our sisters and brothers in African American and Latino congregations expect their preachers to address such issues and proclaim the word of God's justice-making mercy and liberating grace to them. And I wondered if it might be that those who don't want religion and politics mixed are those with the most to lose if God's dream for the world actually became the way we lived our lives.

If Jesus had just been about proclaiming a different theology and inviting people to trust that if they believed in his way, after their death they would be assured eternal life in the kingdom of God, he would not have been crucified. Crucifixion, that is death on the cross, was reserved for those who were a threat to the empire. Real or perceived "the powers that be" understood that this simple carpenter from Nazareth posed a threat to the way things were.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he made a political statement. He rode into the seat of power, the heart of the empire, apparently without fear, apparently willing to pay the supreme price to demonstrate another way -the way of compassion, the way of peace, the way of mercy, the way of fairness and justice, the way of forgiveness, the way of love. And to join his parade was to affirm the way of servanthood and inclusion, the way of self-sacrifice and love. To join his parade was to live into the vision of God's Shalom proclaimed by prophets throughout the generations -a way that cared for the widows and the orphans, a way that provided for the basic needs of all people, a way that brought healing and wholeness to both people and land; a way that saw blessings as gifts to be shared with those who had less. To join the parade of Jesus was to trust in the God of abundant love.

Now to be sure not everyone who joined him that day understood his message -at least not at that moment. As they had prepared for this day, as Jesus sought to help his disciples understand what he was about, he had said in many and various ways, 'If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.'" [Luke 9.23] But still they did not understand that to join his parade meant a personal transformation that called them to live in ways that were contrary to the empire, opposed to a system of domination and power over. They failed to comprehend that his way was not about simply putting new faces on those who held power, but rather about empowering all people to live into the fullness of God's dream for their lives. But eventually some of them understood, some of them followed, some of them were transformed, some of them found the abundance of love, joy, peace and hope he came and comes to bring.

Perhaps we run the risk of thinking that because we live in a free society with a democratically elected government that for us, at least, empires are things of the past. However, Borg and Crossan challenge us to "realize that what killed Jesus was nothing unusual. We have no reason to think that the temple authorities were wicked people. Moreover, as empires go, Rome was better than most. There was nothing exceptional or abnormal about it; this is simply the way domination systems behave." They even call this system of domination "the normalcy of civilization," and its seeds lie within each heart.[3]

In our religious lives, in our family lives, at work, in school, as we play and live, as we vote and listen to the news, we, who seek to follow Jesus, must always be open to recognize the tendency within ourselves to buy into the domination system, for it is a system that clashes profoundly with the passionate love of Jesus. The tension is always present, we must learn to recognize it in all its subtle forms, for the way of Jesus is not just about determining where we will spend eternity, but about the decisions we make about how we will live here and now.

Two processions entered Jerusalem that day and through them we see a clash of two worlds; on the one hand domination, power over, scarcity, self-protective fear, hatred and war on the other compassionate justice, abundance, trust, self-giving love and peace. "The same question ... faces those who would be faithful to Jesus today. Which procession are we in? Which procession do we want to be in?"[4] Amen.