Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for March 20, 2016
Procession: Liturgy of the Palms C
Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday Russian Orthodox icon.
This Psalm is thought to be an ancient anthology of Temple songs of celebration and praise. Just as the crowd in the following Gospel passage shouts out its verses upon Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, it is easy imagine a joyous crowd clapping hands and singing this Psalm loudly, celebrating the Lord their God.
Jesus gets on a colt to ride into Jerusalem. The Jewish throngs waiting to welcome him would surely have recognized this as an allusion to the prophet Zechariah’s verses about the Messiah’s arrival: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you … riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey!” Then the crowd responds with another joyful Messianic verse, the one that we just sang in Psalm 118 and will sing again at the Great Thanksgiving: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Liturgy of the Passion C
First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Holy Week draws near, and our readings darken with grief and pain. But even when the world grows dark, the hope that lies in faith and trust remains. The Prophet Isaiah surely meant the “Suffering Servant” figure as a metaphor for Israel under the iron foot of exile, hoping some day to return home with God’s help. Christians should respect this tradition, but we may see it as a symbol for Jesus too, particularly in its clear call to turn the other cheek against our enemies, knowing that God is with us.
Have you or a loved one ever suffered from serious depression? It seems likely that the Psalmist deeply understands this stunning anguish that can break down body, mind and spirit. But even in the black depths, the Psalmist sings, hope endures. When the world feels dark and black, trust God and pray: “Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.”
Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
When Paul wrote this letter from a prison cell in Rome, he may have had Isaiah’s Suffering Servant in mind. In poetic verses that historians believe may have been taken from an early Christian hymn, Paul tells us that Jesus “emptied himself,” becoming one with us even in suffering; he took on human frailty as he bore the gruesome pain of crucifixion. We, like Paul, are called to serve God and our neighbor humbly and obediently, becoming “more” through being “less.”
Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:49
In modern liturgy, we celebrate Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday together, watching in shock and surprise as the crowds who cheered for Jesus upon his arrival in Jerusalem quickly turn to mocking him and calling for his crucifixion. And now Jesus, too, calls us to be servants: “The greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. … But I am among you as one who serves.” What might this look like in our lives? How are we called to serve?