Mt 26:14-27:66 Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday
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I don't know about you, but I struggle getting into the proper mood during Holy Week.  It's hard to be sad when you know how the story ends. 

I do not envy our ancestors at all, but I do believe they lived these upcoming days (Holy Week) in a way I will never be able to.  Their hearts and minds must have been filled with every type of emotion: with fits of fear, anger, guilt, denial, bitterness, confusion, despair, surprise, excitement, etc...  They must have gone from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows; from feeling like their world was falling apart to feelings of being on the top of the world; from hell to heaven in seventy-two hours.  Crazy! 

Today's Gospel passage invite us to let loose our emotions, to allow ourselves to be swept away by feelings of sadness and of guilt. 

These are the days to allow our imagination to run wild and to picture ourselves in every scene:  with Judas and the chief priests; with the disciples in the upper room; with Christ in Gethsemane; with the Lord at his trial and execution.

These are the days for contemplation and reflection; for sorrow and tears; to meditate on what we did to Him and what He did for us.

+ One of you will betray me...They began to say to him one after another, "Surely it is not I, Lord?" 

Sometimes the best lessons in life come from other people's mistakes.  All our lives we have been told to be very confident in ourselves.  Do I pride myself in being confident in myself?  If so, then take some time to reflect on this passage.  I find it earth shattering and timely.  Consider this passage an invitation to be less confident in oneself and more confident in every word that comes forth from the mouth of Christ. 

Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" 

Even Judas joined in like the rest of them.

+ This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken.

What night?  Only God knows, but there will come a night when the world comes tumbling down on me:  a phone call in the middle of the night; a horrible diagnosis; some terrible news.  The headless horseman will come riding to me in the middle of the night to shake my faith in all I ever knew and believed in.

+ Peter said to him in reply, "Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be."

He's so confident in himself.  Do I see a little of myself in him?

+ [Again] Peter said to him, "Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you."

Peter!  Peter!  Stop.  Lord!  Lord!  I get your point.  I'm sorry for the times I have promised way too much to you.  Better to be honest and humble, then confident and a liar.

+ Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs...His betrayer arranged a sign with them, saying, "The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him."  Immediately he went over to Jesus and said, "Hail, Rabbi!" and he kissed him.

Do my thoughts or intentions correspond to my words and gestures? Am I nice to others just to get what I want? 

What looks like love is no love at all.  It is betrayal.  Have I betrayed God?  Have I betrayed my brothers and sisters?  Have I betrayed myself?

+ The high priest said to Jesus, "I order you to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Christ, the Son of God." ...[Then] Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

Do you really want to know?  Is anybody really interested in the truth?  If not, then why keep asking?  This all for show!

Do I really want to know who Jesus of Nazareth is or have I already made up my mind? Am I really interested in the truth or am I just going through the motions?

Jesus told Pontius Pilate what he told the high priest:  "You have said so."  And they all threw a fit! 

So why did the Pharisees, scribes, elders, chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin hate Jesus so much?  What did He do?  Simply put: He ruined a good thing.  He revealed to the world who God is, and they didn't like what they saw.

"You have your God.  I have my God."  Sound familiar?  It does to me.  I used to say it all the time.  It was my favorite argument against others.  But it is no argument at all.  It's just a retreat.  It's a tactic. 

Jesus blew apart our image of God, the one created with our pride, vanity and sensuality; the one that took years to construct; the one that looks an awful lot like, well, me.  How convenient of him.  How convenient of me. Look at how flexible my god is.  He bends with me. He sides with me. He agrees with me. He loves me.  How wonderful is my god.  

We hate Christ because He ruined our relationship with our false gods!

+ Those passing by reviled [Jesus], shaking their heads and saying, "...Save yourself...and come down from the cross!"  The chief priests...mocked [Jesus] and said, "...Let him come down now, and we will believe in him."

Spoken like a true militant atheist but with an interesting religious twist.  

Militant atheists don't rely on God for anything.  If you want something done, then you better take matters (and some people) into your own hands, even at the risk of being very wrong. 

Militant "religious atheists" don't rely on God for anything religious,  especially when dealing with religious people.  They tend to take matters and people into their own hands, even at the risk of being very wrong.  

Well if "God" won't put Jesus of Nazareth to death, then we will, and we will do it anyway we can, even if it means doing everything the devil would do. 

Religious atheists think they are doing God a favor when they kill His "enemies" in His name.  They are not.  The crucifixion of our Lord teaches us that.  

Jesus said to his disciple:  "Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels?"  

As the Lord's disciples were being rounded up and beaten, one of the wisest words ever spoken in the New Testament (Acts 5:34-39) came from a devout Jew, a Pharisee, who apparently remained a devout Jew all his life. His name was Gamaliel.  In the presence of his fellow Pharisees, he said the following words:

"Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

These are the days for contemplation and reflection; for deep sorrow and tears; and to meditate on what the Lord did for us and we did to Him.

+ Arise, let us be on our way.