The celebration of Passover was the
reason the people swarmed to Jerusalem . . . including Jesus and his
disciples. Passover, the celebration of
Israel’s escape from oppression through the grace and guidance of God . . .
Passover, the “mark” of Israel as God’s people . . . Passover, the slow start
of a national identity. Passover was the
central most important religious and nationalistic holiday of the Jewish
people. It was a big deal and the people
came streaming into Jerusalem to celebrate this historical and spiritual
event. Jerusalem was swamped with
pilgrims from all directions . . . it was a noisy and exciting time . . . it
was a powder keg waiting to be lit.
And, the Romans knew it.
As Jesus is making his entrance with a
small, but grand, parade on one end of Jerusalem, on the other end of Jerusalem
there is another parade taking place. It
is a parade of power and strength . . . a parade to remind the people who is in
control. Pilate and his army of soldiers
march through the streets of Jerusalem . . . not so much for adoration or
cheers, but to remind the people that they are still in control . . . that they
still had the power . . . and, that they were not afraid to use it if there was
any inkling from the people to stray away from their subservient role in the
story. Theirs was a parade that many
more witnessed than the small, winding parade of Jesus into the city of
Jerusalem.
Jesus’ parade was a small, but noisy
blip on the screen . . . noisy enough to get the attention of some Pharisees
who witness his entrance. Knowing the
volatile situation . . . a major religious holiday . . . a nationalistic
holiday . . . and, the frustration of a people under oppressive and violent
rule . . . the Pharisees implore Jesus to tell his disciples to knock off the
nonsense.
Now I imagine that it seems a little
strange that Jesus’ enemies would be asking him to stop before it was too late
. . . to stop before he got himself arrested; but, these men really did not
care one iota about Jesus. As far as
they were concerned they would love it if Jesus would get arrested and be
killed—that would solve all of their problems.
Yet, at the same time, they are not stupid. They know the mindset of the Romans. The Romans would swoop in with violence and
start killing anyone and everyone—including Jesus—to make their point. A lot of people could be killed . . .
including them; so, they asked Jesus to tell his disciples to turn it down a
few notches.
But, it is too late.
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep
quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Jesus understands the climate he is
entering . . . he understands the climate of the people he is preaching and
teaching to . . . he understands the faith and religious part of the climate .
. . and, he understands the political climate.
Think of our annual celebration of the birth of our nation . . . the
Fourth of July. Think about what that
day means . . . what that day stands for . . . what it is that we are
celebrating. Think of the war that was
fought in order for us to be even celebrating that day. The Fourth of July is our day in which we
remember and celebrate our freedom from oppression. It is a day that is filled with religious and
patriotic fervor . . . the single most important day in our lives as a nation
and in our identity as a people. That
was . . . and still is . . . what Passover was to the children of God—the
Hebrew people.
The only difference between then and
now is that these were a people who were still oppressed . . . still under the
rule of another people who ruled with an iron fist. True, the Romans allowed them to observe
their holiday, but to observe it quietly and without the potential incident of
revolt and revolution. Thus Pilate’s
parade through the streets of Jerusalem with his army.
There comes a time when enough is
enough . . . a time when the frustration becomes more than one can bear . . . a
time when one is sick and tired of being sick and tired under the weight of
those things that oppresses life. A time
when the silence can no long hold back the anguish and pain . . . a time when
it must shout out and let the world know.
Jesus understood this. Such was
the time in the lives of the children of God . . . in the lives of the Hebrew
people. They could no longer be
silent. If they had tried, even the
stones would have shouted out. Is that
not what Jesus said? The frustration and
the pain, even if they tried to hold it in, would leak out.
It was too late. The people had to be heard. God had to be heard. And, so, Jesus did nothing to stop his
parade. The people shouted. The people waved palms. They threw their cloaks upon the ground. They welcomed what they saw as their hope in
a time of great oppression and pain.
They let it all out. Nothing was
going to stop them now.
For a moment I want to point out
something in our day and time that reminds me of this time in the life of
Jesus. I want us to consider the climate
of our nation as we are in the thick of the presidential election cycle. It has been a strange and wild journey as we
inch our way ever closer to picking the two candidates that will face off to
determine who will be our next president.
Strange and wild because we have seen a candidate arise that is not like
any candidate we have ever seen before . . . a candidate who has risen up out
of the frustration of a people who feel oppressed and forgotten in our
so-called political system. They have
raised their voices in their frustration in difficult times, and they have embraced
this individual despite the fact that much of what he promises can and should
never come to pass. But, he is not the
only one, both sides are tapping into this frustration to garner the votes
necessary to be the next president of the United States.
But it is not this candidate . . . or
any candidate . . . that I want to point out.
What I want to point out is that the stones are shouting out. They are crying out in their frustration and
their pain. They want to be heard. They want to be acknowledged. They want to take their place at the
table. They want to be empowered to be a
part of the process of ruling themselves.
No matter who wins, the silence will be broken forever.
And, nothing can stop it.
Palm Sunday is a significant day in
the life of the faithful. For those of
us who are followers of Jesus, it represents the beginning of the end . . . it
represents the prelude to the “gift” . . . to the “hope” . . . and, to the
promise of restoration of our relationships with God and one another. And, through it all, Jesus shows us the
way. It is the day that the silence of
the oppressed is broken and the mighty cry of hope rang out.
In the end, the Romans did exactly
what the Pharisees feared and hoped for . . . they arrested Jesus, tried him,
and crucified him upon a cross. As far
as everyone in power was concerned, it was over . . . finished . . . done. The prophet . . . the trouble-maker . . . was
silenced. His faithful disbanded and
scattered across the landscape. It was over.
Jesus said, “I tell you, if they keep quiet,
the stones will cry out.”
It was not even close to being over .
. . and, it still isn’t today.
Wherever there is oppression, the
stones shall shout. Whether that
oppression is of a whole group of people or of an individual . . . the stones
shall shout. Whether that oppression is
of the religious type or nationalistic or political type . . . the stones shall
shout. The stones will shout until the
Kingdom of God is realized . . . until it is acknowledge . . . until it is
lived. That is the will of God . . . the
desire of Jesus . . . and, the hope of all us who follow Jesus. In the silence, the stones will shout.
It is never over until God declares it
to be over. Amen.
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