Yesterday was Palm Sunday.
We decided to visit a dear friend’s church in rural Haiti (Grisen-Garde, outside of Cap-Haitian). It was one of the rare Sundays that I wasn’t supposed to preach (ah, finally a respite). But before we walked into the door of the church,
“Pastor, Pastor, can you please preach for us today!?”
Wrestling between the need for rest and the excitement of preaching…
“Of course! It’s Palm Sunday! What a great Sunday to preach!”
I began putting the message together in my head with the text in front of me.
Preaching in Haiti is different than preaching in the US. Haiti is a culture of orality. Most models for good homiletics coming from the Western world center on a literacy-based approach (very systematic, organized, highly logical, etc.).This means that when I preach in Haiti I often times act out the character parts from the pulpit. I integrate people from the congregation. I invite people to become a part of the story.
Nevertheless, which dimension of the Triumphal entry would I preach on today?
The Rebellion.
As Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey (ironically so as to set up a contrast between his own kingdom of humility and human weakness against Caesar’s kingdom of violence, human might, and arrogance), the people wave the palm branches before him.
What does the waving of the palm branches mean? What does this symbolize? Is this a random expression of joy? Is the populous so overwhelmed with the idea that deliverance from Caesar and Rome is coming by way of Jesus of Nazareth, the Chosen One, the Messiah, that they rip branches from the palm trees and wave them before him? Is this purely an act of spontaneous joy? I think that’s a part of it. But, as you guessed, there’s more.
Situating ourselves in the historical setting of ancient Rome reveals that waving palm branches was reserved for Caesar and his soldiers. When Roman soldiers entered your city, you were to wave palm branches before them. These trees are Caesar’s trees. These branches are Caesar’s branches. This city is Caesar’s city. These people are Caesar’s people. This law is Caesar’s law. This kingdom is Caesar’s kingdom.
For the Jews to wave palm branches before Jesus is a symbol of rebellion. This “act-speech” says,
“We are Jesus’ people, not Caesar’s people.”
“We are God’s people, not Pilate’s people.”
“This is God’s city, not Caesar’s city.”
Palm Sunday is a rebellion. Are you ready to join the rebellion? If so, be ready for war.
Caesar personifies fallen humanity. Caesar personifies the MO (modus operandi) of might is right, colonization, human arrogance, violence, decay and corruption. Here comes Jesus, ridging on a donkey, quietly and subtly spawning a rebellion (hence, the Kingdom of God is alike a mustard seed…it’s grows quietly and subtly, and before you know it…)
As we will find out later on this week as Good Friday approaches, this rebellion isn’t against Caesar, it’s against what Caesar personifies: fallen humanity—humanity that is mastered by the carnal will of unbridled human desire for power and dominance. This desire destroys all, even itself.
Jesus represents the true man, the true kingdom, the true king.
Joining the crowds in waving the palm branches means that we’re ready to join the rebellion. This rebellion is raised against the ways of the world; the rebellion against self-serving human desire, the rebellion against greed, abuse, violence, and hatred. We are choosing to rebel even against the more raw of human desire of bitterness, unforgiveness, feuding, lust, money, and even self.
Are you ready to join the rebellion? Are you ready for war?
This is what Palm Sunday is all about. Christianity is not about me-and-my-Jesus encounter. It’s about an attack on the corruption of the fallen world. It’s about embodying the glory, righteousness, justice, and love of God as the covenant people of God with palm branches waving for our King, King Jesus.
Join the rebellion.
(I LOVE some of the art I found on the Triumphal Entry. Just thought I would share)
