Palm Sunday, 04/09/2017

Sermon on Mattew 21:1-11, by Evan McClanahan

Palm Sunday, 2017: Isaiah 50:4–9a, Psalm 31:9–16, Philippians 2:5–11, Matthew 21:1-11

In the history of social movements, the events of Palm Sunday are a blip on the radar. That is, if you only look at it as a social movement, an uprising of the people. When one thinks of the great movements of the lower classes who demanded change, you might think of the porto-marxist French Revolution which saw the beheading of an otherwise pretty good man, Louis XVI. Or in more recent times, you might think of the throwing off of actual Marxism when the crowds demanded Ceaușescu life or when the Berlin Wall was destroyed. Or you might think of the sit-ins and marches of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s that ended segregation. History is also full of many failed slave revolts and peasants’ revolts that sought to make life better for those oppressed.

In time, notions of individual dignity and representative government and free economies would become the norm in most of the world. And those advances would lead towards more education, more wealth, more freedom and more opportunity for more people, albeit often on a rocky incline, not a smooth upward swing. Still to this day, there remains a need for the oppressed to have their voices heard, especially in lands where religion places harsh limits on its own people.

Compared to any of those movements, the events of Palm Sunday are basically insignificant. What we see in this text is really kind of pitiful as political theatre. Jesus was making his third and – unbeknownst to the poor – final entrance into Jerusalem. By now he had attracted a sizable following. He came in on a donkey…not exactly the realm’s finest steed. His entrance was makeshift, not well-planned. Broken palm branches and dirty clothes marked his path, not a soldier-lined procession complete with military leaders and other civic dignitaries. It is hard to know how many people would have been present for this. Perhaps as few as dozens, but I’m guessing several hundred. If travelers were already in town for the upcoming Passover, perhaps thousands.

But we’re still only talking about a fraction of the people in Jerusalem, which itself was just one outpost in the vast Roman Empire. To say that this would not have made the daily news in Rome is a massive understatement. Like I said, in the history of social movements, this barely registers.

Of course, what makes this demonstration different is the person around whom this agitation was taking place. Jesus was not your average revolutionary, you see. We remember this rabble-rousing because of what happened next, because Jesus proved to be the Son of God and the King of Kings when he rose from he dead on what we now call Easter Sunday. Unlike the other tin-pot dictators or the military leaders that rise up in the wake of a coup, Jesus’ movement was a complete flop in terms of replacing one guy with another. But it is remembered because of the unexpected victory.

What we really see is the redefinition of what it means to be a person of importance, of power, of strength. For while we want to commit to movements that will really turn over the apple cart or make a significant difference in this life (but in actuality usually don’t create as much change as we would hope for), Palm Sunday shows us a leader whose claims really have turned the world upside down.

If we want to end racism, the love of God found in Christ is the strongest argument against it. If we want to care for the poor, the moral teachings of Christianity are the strongest you will be able to find. What other religion makes caring for widows and orphans part of its organizational principle? If we want to bring about a more just world, rooting that justice in the true God will be critical if it is to last.

So yes, we need occasional movements to bring about necessary change in society. I’m not opposed to them. But if they are to have any hope at all of lasting or being truly just, they must be rooted in the revelation of the true God. Anything less and you will end up with all the pageantry of a kingdom with none of the authority.

Still, what makes Christianity more than just a movement, more than just a social statement, is the events of the rest of the week. The reason we remember Palm Sunday is because of what happened on the following Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday, and Sunday. It is the last supper with Jesus’ disciples. It is the death of Jesus on a cross. It is his hallowing the Sabbath rest on Saturday, completing the story of salvation. It is Jesus being raised from the dead on Sunday morning. That whole story has to be told to appreciate what begins on Palm Sunday. Today is just the beginning of the revolution. And Sunday is its great climax.

What you ought not do is miss out on the middle of the story. Or else, you will jump from triumph to triumph without a careful examination of what the triumph accomplishes or why or how. So find the time this week, here or elsewhere, at home or at a church, to observe this Holy Week and its events. For Christianity is not a mere social movement, a mere band of rebels. We are those who remember all of the events of this week, and seek to make them the foundation of our salvation and our life together. Amen.

Pastor Evan McClanahan
Houston, TX
E-Mail: emc2@felchouston.org

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