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While Jesus rode humbly into Jerusalem on a donkey, Pilate made a triumphal entry on the other side. This must have been a deliberate logistical plan since everyone would have known when Pilate was coming. Which procession would we join?
Our Epistle (Philippians 2:5-11) is often called the Great Kenotic Hymn, and it’s about the self-emptying of Christ “who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave … he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” Jesus surrendered himself to this vulnerable state, and by doing so we are forever grateful that in our own sufferings, we know that Christ also endured the pains of the flesh – both physical and psychological as the crowds so vehemently turned against him.
Our Isaiah reading (Isaiah 50:4-9a) starts with a lovely line which we Christians later applied to our understanding of Jesus as the Divine teacher: “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.” Jesus did this so often throughout his ministry – sustained the weary with a word – healing and encouraging words to remind us of God’s love and care for us. And Jesus is regularly reported to have gone off on his own to pray, especially in the early mornings. “Morning by morning he wakens,” Isaiah writes, “wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.” Applying these lines to Jesus we see that he was both teacher and student, again humbling himself to always acknowledge his limitations, and make room for new growth in his understanding and wisdom.
As Holy Week begins and we again reflect on the terrible violence suffered by the innocent Jesus, we also think of so much violence suffered by innocent people around the world today. Here’s a Celtic prayer by Ray Simpson asking for God’s justice to prevail on earth:
We plead for your justice to fill all the lands
As the waters cover the sands.
We cry until our voices are sore.
We weep for the hungry and poor;
The children mistreated; those damaged by force;
and the broken who can’t finish their course.
We pray against cruelty, hatred and pain;
Against pride and greed for gain.
We pray for the homeless
and victims of war;
The strangers you call us to love at the door.
(Tree of Life: Celtic Prayers to the Universal Christ, 2020)
And as we accompany Jesus to commemorate this final week of his life on this earth, may our hearts and minds be opened to new ways to experience and share God’s presence and action in our world today, Amen.