Palm Sunday: Two Parades Do you think the writers of the gospels believed they were writing a document to survive 2,000 years? I sort of doubt they could really grasp 2,000 years! Or the changes that might occur. I know I write for Daily Word and I have no concept my words might be read 100 years from now, much less 1,000. I write for an immediate audience; to inspire and comfort. I write from my experience and understanding and I use metaphors I assume my audience of today understands. I am not sure the writers of the gospels, all of them, were any different. During preparation for this season I have been reading two books. The first is The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. The second is The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic by Bishop John Shelby Spong. I spent last weekend at Kirkridge with Spong, immersed in his study of the gospel of John. Although very different books, each uses modern bible and historical scholarship to try to unearth who the authors of gospel were; what was going on around them; who their audience was and what message they were trying to share. In Unity we are taught to not take the Bible literally. We seek to understand the message in metaphors within the stories and the ongoing evolution of the human consciousness. The scholarship of these books also reaches the conclusion the stories were not meant literally and the messages they reveal are remarkably similar to Unity teachings. I have little resistance to any of their theories because these authors are heading to where I am. Sometimes with a slightly different perspective and I enjoy the added layer of understanding. It s a fascinating study. And it can be unsettling. What is true? Increasingly, each of us must find that in our own heart. One of the key components in both of these books is the acknowledgment that the writers of the gospels, and Jesus himself, were Jewish. To understand their message to even understand the impact of Jesus teachings we have to be willing to examine the writings in the context of the Jewish faith and tradition because it is where the authors live from. Palm Sunday takes place in Jerusalem. What do we know about Jerusalem? The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary says quite a lot about Jerusalem. It is Hebrew for habitation of peace. 1
Initially the dictionary says In humans, it is the abiding consciousness of spiritual peace, which is the result of continuous realizations of spiritual power tempered with spiritual poise and confidence. It later says, The one way to Jerusalem is the Christ way perfect expression of all the mental faculties under the dominion of the I AM. Jesus does not spend his ministry in Jerusalem but he is going there. He has lived in the country, and he was from the country. His ministry has been among the common people, both Jew and Samaritan and Gentile yet in the end, Jerusalem is his destination. It seems odd that the place of Jesus death would be the abiding consciousness of spiritual peace but we ll have to explore that this week and next. Jerusalem represents the center of temple worship for the Jewish community at this time. Without going deeply into the history of capture, exile and wandering for the Hebrew community, let s simply acknowledge that by the time of Jesus life, the temple in Jerusalem is a beautiful center. The innermost room, the holy of holies, is where God was present and could be connected with. It was the place of sacrifice and where forgiveness took place at the time of Atonement each year. Jerusalem was also a sore spot in the Roman Empire. Rome controlled its large empire by appointing local leaders generally people of wealth who wouldn t risk losing it and so could be counted on to collect taxes and maintain a tense sort of peace. That was the bargain struck between Rome and its subjects. Nearing the time of Jesus arrival in the world, the Jewish aristocracy kept fighting among themselves so Rome appointed Herod, a recent convert to Judaism, as King of the Jews. Herod ruled until about 4 BCE. He ruled from Jerusalem and built up the temple as well as a palace for himself. He changed many aspects of priestly power and did away with anyone who posed a threat to his power. He was NOT well liked and when he died, revolts erupted throughout the Jewish kingdom. The Romans responded with great force, destroying cities and after retaking Jerusalem, they killed 2,000 Jewish defenders. Rome divided the kingdom into three portions and in 6 CE began to rule Jerusalem s portion with governors sent directly from Rome. The governors, like Pilate, stayed at Herod s palace when in town but they generally preferred living in Caesarea Maritima, a more modern coastal city and considerably less hostile to them than Jerusalem. After 6 CE, the temple authorities became the local administrators of Roman rule. This 2
meant they collected the taxes and maintained that tense peace, trying to appease the Romans and not inflame their own constituency. The Temple became not only the center of worship but the center of the Roman dominancy system. Jerusalem had recently been reminded of the consequences of rebellion, yet many were not happy to have their faith incorporate the very secular Roman rule. So by now you are thinking, That s really nice Rev Joy but can t we just talk about waving palms and honoring the Christ as Jesus rode in on the donkey? That s the familiar Palm Sunday message we like. I like that part too but it is only half the story. The title of this sermon is Two Parades. Jesus wasn t the only one riding into town that day. When there were Jewish festival days, the people tended to get restless. So during the holidays, in addition to the hundreds of Jews who came to town, the governor rode over to keep a peaceful presence. With him came soldiers. Jesus came into the city from the east, from Bethany, riding a donkey and attracting his peasant followers. From the west, Pontius Pilate rides into town with cavalry on horses and more soldiers with weapons and leather armor and regal banners. The attention he drew was perhaps fearful and perhaps resentful. Borg and Crossan note: Pilate s procession displayed not only imperial power, but also Roman imperial theology. According to this theology, the emperor was not simply the ruler of Rome but the Son of God. For Rome s Jewish subjects, Pilate s procession embodied not only a rival social order but also a rival theology. They go on to say, Jesus procession embodied an alternative vision, the kingdom of God. This contrast between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Caesar is central not only to the gospel of Mark but to the story of Jesus and early Christianity. So why don t we read about this procession in the gospels? The authors would presume their audience would know this competing procession always happened at festival time. The placement of the story of Jesus processing into town at festival was designed to present this contrast, even if ensuing years have lost the second half of the story. As we listen to the stories of the gospels, it is important to understand Mark didn t write until at the earliest 65 CE and more likely 70 CE. During this time Rome responded to a new revolt and destroyed Jerusalem and the 3
temple. The gospels are written looking back. Much of the gospel language is patterned after Old Testament language about the Messiah. The gospels become the fulfilled prophesy. Reading each gospel s telling of Palm Sunday gives us branches waving, leafy branches waving, or cloaks being laid on the ground. The gospels were written in layers over years, some knowing the text of the others. The authors tried to correct inaccuracies or maybe slant the story to reach their audience. But however they are constructed, and whatever is simply creativity, something revolutionary happened that we have come to understand as the life and teachings of Jesus. Jesus entry into Jerusalem was more of a political protest than a simple, happy parade. The contrast symbolized clear choices. The problem with not fully exploring this aspect is that, I believe, we try to pick and choose the parts of faith we live by. Usually we pick the easy parts and neglect the challenging parts. We bend our understanding of spiritual practice to suit the way we want to live. Unfortunately, what I perceive is that to reap the benefits of spiritual practice, we must embrace the fullness of the practice. To practice in part and complain that we reap only partially seems to be what is familiar. Everything we know about Jesus life is a life of inclusion and acceptance. It is a life in opposition to dominance systems. In speaking of a kingdom of God he presents a kingdom beyond the current understanding of his audience then and even now. Then, they had known the kingdom as ruled by Herod; they had known the kingdom of Rome, as administered by the governor and the priestly council. Today we see increasing polarization in politics and beliefs and widening gaps in the distribution of wealth. These are domination systems; systems depending on obedience to a structure of inequality. In completely paradoxical statements, the way attributed to Jesus described as laying low the mighty and lifting up the humble. The way is about giving away all that you posses that you might have all that you desire. The way removes every barrier that might separate and also all those that might elevate one above another. The tricky thing about domination systems is that as much as we abhor them when we are on the oppressed, downtrodden side we are much less adverse to them when we are on the lifted up and benefitting side. Honestly, many people wouldn t mind being at the parade on the west side of town so long as they could march in the parade. Quietly, these were the priestly leaders. In appeasing Rome, they had also been able to acquire 4
personal wealth, safety and security for themselves. The conflicts presented between Jesus and the priests and scribes from a Jewish perspective were not protesting the idea of priests or sacrifices but protesting a worldly domination system legitimated in the name of God. Just as in our modern times, God has been called in to support slavery and racial inequality; the oppression of women and gay and lesbian individuals. What Jesus proposed was a very different system; a world without barriers in which everyone enjoys a personal relationship with the Divine and everyone has access to this kingdom. In a world without lack, there is no need for winners and losers. The freedom from dominance as taught by Jesus takes place within our minds. We cease to see ourselves as victims or victors or even as separate from others. We claim our good as being from Source, God, despite any appearance that someone earthly can withhold it from us. No one can condemn or forgive us and we are not to condemn others. It is our relationship with God to explore. This was the message the peasants embraced on that Palm Sunday and the message that threatened the order of the dominance system. It is still the Good News available to us today. As we reflect on this Palm Sunday, I invite us to reflect not only on honoring the Christ within, but also reflect upon what is on the other side of town. Do we quietly hold ourselves above others? Do we see times that we wield power in ways that are not for everyone s highest and best but merely for our own good? We have said YES to the basic teachings of Unity but have we lived our NO to the teachings of the worldly empire, represented by Rome? What angry, fearful, lack thoughts do we hold with resentment? What do we honor with our time and money? Do we live according to the media, family and external pressures or do we live in the freeing abundance of Spirit? We cannot be at both parades at the same time and experience our wholeness. There are two parades represented on Palm Sunday and every day, moment to moment, we choose which one we participate in. One parade is a celebration of the way to peace and ultimately to transformation. The other parade represents the potential for temporary victory and whatever that success might look like for us in the moment. What does the transformation through the Christ way look like? Join us next week for the Miracle of Easter. 5