|
First
Reading
|
Epistle |
Gospel |
| Isaiah
50:4-9a |
Philippians
2:5-11 |
Mark
14:32 - 15:47 |
It is part of the routine, dozens of times a day, at airports all
over the country. At the sound of a buzzer, a red light flashes,
and a conveyor belt begins turning. Baggage of all sizes, colors,
and conditions comes spewing through a small cavity in the wall,
making a long u-shaped circuit for all to see. A small crowd gathers.
Eventually baggage tags are matched and everyone goes off in various
directions, into the world, shouldering, lugging or dragging their
personal pieces of luggage.
In Moslem tradition, there is this ancient
legend about Jesus: "One day as Jesus was walking through
a village, some of the inhabitants began throwing insults at him.
But Jesus answered by repeating prayers on their behalf. Later
one of his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, you prayed for those
people and wished them well. Why did you not invoke a curse upon
them instead?" And Jesus is said to have replied, "I
could only spend what I had in my purse."
It was probably a beautiful spring morning
that first Palm Sunday. The wildflowers of the Holy Land were
blooming in their full glory, shooting up from crevices along
the road and creating blankets of color on hills that were barren
for most months of the year. The sun made the cliffs of the hills
and the stone walls of the city appear clean and glistening. As
the morning wore on, the ways to Jerusalem became choked with
visitors coming to celebrate the Passover.
It likely started with just a few who
recognized Jesus. "Look, there is the one everyone in Galilee
is talking about, The one who fed a thousand people, who healed
a blind man, who did all sorts of miracles, and just the other
day people from Bethany said he brought back a friend from the
dead, actually calling him out of a tomb. Now he is coming to
Jerusalem. How much he reminds us of the young King David. Hosanna!
Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
The word spread, Jesus entourage grew,
and by the time Jesus passed through the city gates a sizable
procession had gathered about him.
"Lord save us!" that's what Hosanna means. All who met
Jesus that day and in the week to follow, came carrying their
own baggage. The disciples had purses of fear and apprehension.
Others were weighed down by impatience, or sat exhausted on a
worn duffle of indifference. Some were lugging grungy bundles
of hatred or contempt. "Lord, save us, from all failure,
give us only success. Save us from our conscience so we can climb
upon and keep on top of others without remorse. Fill our bags
with the attributes of control and the trappings of dominance."
The passion story is not retold every
year to simply make us feel sorry about what happened centuries
ago. Rather it serves to raise questions about the baggage we
carry into the world. How do we react to Jesus walking among us,
be it along the broad highways or the sometimes-dark alleys of
our travels? The passion is not only about the long ago decisions
of others, but also about our decisions of today. As we encounter
Jesus, what do we hold on to, what do we discard and leave behind?
What do we expect Jesus to fulfill?
Among the pathos, the irony, and the political complexities Jesus
enters the heart of our world, be it Jerusalem or Baghdad, Washington
or Ithaca. Jesus travels light, not even a carry-on. Jesus can
only spend what he has in his purse. As the passion story reminds
us all through this week, to the very end, Jesus gives us —
his very self.
And I offer this to you in the name of the Loving God, Amen.
