Sunday the 24th of March 2024 - Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:4-7/ Psalm 21(22)/ Philippians 2:6-11/ Mark 14:1-15:47

Nearing the end of Lent we anticipate the suffering and death of Jesus. Before that we recount his triumphant entry into Jerusalem where people, waving palm leaves, welcomed Jesus as he rode a colt into the city. We reenact this event by holding palms and processing into church. As with crowds today their mood can change and be influenced quickly. From shouting ‘Hosanna’ and welcoming Jesus the cry turns to ‘crucify him, crucify him’.

What caused the change in people’s attitude to Jesus? When he was a celebrity, curing sickness, casting out devils, and bringing people back from death, they couldn’t get enough of him. It seems that the leaders of the Jewish community feared attracting the attention of the Roman occupying authority. If all was calm and quiet the Romans were happy for life to continue under the local guidance of the Jewish leaders. If something started to threaten public order or the authority of Rome it might lead to a loss of control on the part of the local governors. For this reason, the Jewish leaders whipped up a hate for Jesus amongst their own community putting pressure on Pilate, the Roman governor, to placate the crowds and keep the peace by bending to the demands to have Jesus crucified. The excuse used was the claim Jesus made to be divine, the Son of God. This was what was needed to destroy him, they refused to believe in Jesus and therefore his claim must be blasphemous, and he should die.

When considering how Jesus was treated during his suffering and death it is easy to see him as the victim of human selfishness, thirst for power and insecurity. Jesus placed himself at the centre of this story quite deliberately as he carried out the will of God his father. This is how God always intended to redress the split between humanity and himself caused by sin entering creation as recounted in the story of Adam and Eve. This sinful split is not something that just happened at the dawn of time, but it continues today in every sinful action we carry out. It was to account for all sin that Jesus surrendered totally to God’s will that he should suffer and die.

God was in complete control of the plan he had for the redemption of us all and Jesus was at the centre of it. Various people played a part in the story of the suffering and death of Jesus, but they had the choice to go the right or wrong way as we all do. God’s plan would succeed despite the various roles people played rather than because of them. The will of God is immeasurably stronger than any human influence. The only person who cooperated fully with God was Jesus, the actions of all the other players, us included, are worked into the plan by God who can overcome and even use opposition for his divine purpose. The gospel account we hear today is not a tragic failure but the fulfilment of scripture. It is not governed by human actions but by the will of God, rich in symbolism with Jesus fulfilling prophesies as if they were the script of a play.

Jesus was anointed with expensive ointment preparing him to take up his almighty reign through his death and resurrection. We appreciate the foreknowledge Jesus has not only about what he must endure but what it will lead to. During the last meal with his companions, Jesus instituted the eucharist, giving us his body and blood as real food and real drink until he returns. In this last supper we see the sacred quality of sharing a meal. There is a sacrificial quality to it, and it marks the beginning of the new covenant between us and God. Attending at Mass we join Jesus as he participates in the heavenly banquet. It is the closest we can come to heaven while still in this earthly life.

At his arrest we see the apostles run away and scatter. They are unable to support Jesus when he needs them most. Do we do the same? Do we, like Peter, say we do not know Jesus if we are challenged by a world of unbelief? Jesus continues to be abandoned today, he is denied and disowned. People refuse to join with him in the suffering he bore for our sinfulness. This has now reached the point where the law is seeking to support assisted suicide rather than helping people to bear their sufferings with faith and dignity. Gethsemane shows us the authentic human face of Jesus in his fear and anguish at what is to come but also his determination to fulfil his purpose. Yes, his followers were scattered but the resurrection will see them reassembled.

In the mock trial of Jesus the evidence is contradictory and therefore worthless. The Chief Priests then must put to Jesus the truth of who he is even though they refused to believe it. With Jesus accepting that he is indeed the Christ and Son of God the Sanhedrin claim sufficient cause to accuse him of the most serious blasphemy. The intention is to have Jesus crucified but for this they turn to the Roman authorities in the person of Pilate. Pilate is fascinated by Jesus and cannot understand why the people want rid of him. He is keen to apply the law correctly but does not want to fall fowl of the crowds shouting for blood or draw the attention of his own masters. The crowd even prefers the freedom of a convicted murderer to that of Jesus and so in the end Pilate bends to public and political pressure and grants the desire to have Jesus crucified.

Jesus continued to fulfil scripture most notably the suffering servant passages from Isaiah and the passages of the psalm used today. The cry from the cross is not one of despair but points us towards this psalm and the promise it holds. The psalm begins with persecution but ends with the triumph of God and the exoneration of the sufferer. It gives meaning to the suffering and death of Jesus which resulted in the triumph of God and the glorification of Jesus. God did not abandon Jesus on the cross, the cross is the sign of the absolute fusion of Jesus with God his father through his complete obedience to God’s will. It is significant that the divinity of Christ, from the depth of what appears total annihilation, was recognised by a centurion who proclaimed Jesus to be a son of God. This, together with the tearing of the veil of the temple marks the beginning of the spread of the gospel to the whole world. From what appeared to be failure and despair we see God’s triumph over sin and death.

God Bless Brendan