Palm/Passion Sunday, March 20, 2016

Today’s Reading  |  Luke 19:28–48
After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “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. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As 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, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard. (NRSV)

Reflection
Recently, I was watching the Super Bowl with some friends and colleagues, including our newest pastor, Rocky. Rocky and I were rooting for different teams after a week of good-hearted ribbing of each other. Frustratingly the game didn’t go my way, but in the midst of the competition and the celebration, I looked over at Rocky and the others and realized that the real gift was just getting to hang out and laugh together.

On this Palm Sunday, it is easy to get caught up in the celebration and excitement of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. And it’s equally easy to lose ourselves in anxiety of the rising tensions and impending violence and betrayal that the coming week will bring. What strikes me, though, in this text is Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem. He cries, “If even you had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!” But the people of Jerusalem don’t recognize these things. They are given over to fear and biases and conflict, and the result is death and pain.

In many ways, it feels like these words from Jesus speak to us today. A football game is just for fun, but all around us conflicts and violence erupt in the form of Islamophobia and racism and even in bitter vitriol spewed in the midst of an embattled political season. I wonder what is at risk if we ignore our call to seek Christ and recognize the means of peace and justice for all. What if we, like Jerusalem, are the ones who could make a crucial difference if we would only see each other and this world with God’s eyes? This work is surely more important and world-transforming than our fear or our need to be right. What means of peace does Christ show us in the world and in our own lives today?

Prayer
Loving Christ, show us how to hold on to you in the midst of this world’s chaos. Help us to recognize and seek your peace, loving all whom you love, and seeking justice where its absence hollows out peace and undermines love. Amen.

Written by Layton Williams, Pastoral Resident

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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