Palm Sunday

 

 

 Imagine Jerusalem that first palm Sunday. The city is busy, full of people there for the festival.
People who may not be so keen on the occupying Romans. From the west a cloud indicates a
great procession approaching the city. Horses, carriages, soldiers, pomp and splendour. It is the
governor coming to the city from his summer home, ready to impose his law and order, with
force if necessary. After all he can't let a Jewish uprising take place. That could destroy his
political ambitions.

From the east another group approaches. A rag taggle band led by a wandering messianic
preacher. No horses or smart carriages here, no guards for protection. Someone has found a
donkey for the leader to ride. People are cheering, there is something in the air, an expectation
that change is coming. The people have had enough of their imperial Roman overlord, maybe
this is the chance to stand up and fight back, to take back control of their lives and land.

Two leaders riding from opposite directions into Jerusalem and in the next few days they will
meet and the world will be changed, but not in the way anyone on the streets of Jerusalem that
day is expecting.

Two leaders with different views on leadership, for Pilate it is about control and power. He wants
to keep the people obedient to him, through force if necessary. He sees this as the only way to
keep his position, his status and his wealth, and possibly even his life, in the turbulent world of
Roman politics, and to Pilate it is Pilate that is important.

Jesus of Nazareth, seeks to love people, he wants people to follow him through choice not
force. He wants to bring people closer to God, through showing them God’s love and care. He
doesn’t seek wealth and status, in fact the opposite, he acts as a servant to his friends. He looks
to ensure their needs are met, providing food when needed.

Pilate, as he rides into Jerusalem, has the possibility that he might die if he loses control at the
back of his mind. He fears death, he thinks, maybe rightly, that an uprising in Jerusalem will lead
either to his death at the hands of the Jews or to his death as punishment from the emperor.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem knowing that he is riding to his death. Knowing that the next few
days are going to be unimaginably hard for him, betrayal, pain and suffering. Yet he comes
willingly, willingly to pay the ultimate price for the fate of the world.

Two leaders, two very different ways of thinking. We are called to follow Jesus, but how often do
we think more like Pilate? How often do we allow what we think other people will think of us to
impact our actions, putting our social status first. When we are out shopping how often do we
buy something as an extra little treat for ourselves, but don’t buy something to donate to the
food bank? We are loving ourselves, putting our selfish wants before the needs of others. We
are being more Pilate than Jesus.

The world around us these days seems to be moving ever closer to world war three, yet here in
the UK we are, so far, relatively safe. How easy is it to say it’s not our problem, we shouldn’t get
involved, even as our Christian brothers and sisters are being killed for their faith, or for standing
up against an oppressive regime.

I admit, it can be very difficult at times, to judge what is the right thing to do, what actions will
lead ultimately to more peace and less war. Yet if we fail to engage with these issues, we as
Christians, risk be seen as washing our hands of the worlds evils and doing nothing about it. It
may take time and hard work, double checking with other sources rather than just blindly
re-posting something, but if we don’t engage, if we don’t stand up for those being persecuted,
then we are being more Pilate than Jesus.

Even as he heard the cheering crowds, Jesus knew the cost of what was to come for him.
Although they didn’t know it yet, the disciples and other followers of Jesus would also face a
high cost for their belief in him in the years to come. This Holy week through our services we will
follow that journey, to the cross and beyond. This journey may in some ways reflect our life
journeys. There may be times when life seems hard, to choose the way of Jesus rather than the
way of Pilate seems hard, but to quote Sam in Lord of the rings

“But in the end it’s only a passing thing, this shadow; even darkness must pass.”

Because of the events of Holy Week, we know there is hope for a better future and that can give
us the strength, to do our part, in helping create a better world, by being more Jesus than Pilate.