Life’s True Story: Triumph and Death – 10 April 2022 – Palm/Passion Sunday

FOR THE PALMS:

John 12:12–16

According to John’s narrative, this is the third time Jesus has gone to Jerusalem (2:13, 7:10) but before there was no fanfare. Although it would be typical of John to highlight the mysterious nature of how the animal is to be found that Jesus will ride into the city, it is left out of this Gospel. John is also distinctive in its telling in that the crowds come out to meet Jesus, whereas in the Synoptic the crowds seem to be approaching the city with Jesus, making their own pilgrimage. Although “Hosanna” transliterates the Hebrew word “to save,” St. Augustine described it more as a state of mind, noting the connection to Psalm 118:25–26. . . .

In verse 18, we find out that a crowd came out to meet Jesus because of the raising of Lazarus. Yet there was also a crowd from Bethany who witnessed the raising and came to give witness. John acknowledges two crowds present for very different reasons as Jesus enters Jerusalem. –– Sara Webb Phillips

FOR THE PASSION:

Luke 22:14––23:56

This longhand version [recounts] the exalted Lord as he moves through humiliation, suffering, and death. The vignettes include the institution of the Lord’s Supper and the farewell message of Jesus, the betrayal on the Mount of Olives, Peter’s denial, the trial, flogging, and sentencing of Jesus, his journey to the cross and his execution, and his death and burial. In the face of the humiliation and torture he suffers, what makes the story worse is our knowledge that his intimate friends betray and abandon him. Though innocent, he is condemned to death. Through such events the redemption of the world is accomplished. –– Sara Webb Phillips

Isaiah 50:4–9a

Those appointed by God must have ears to listen attentively to God’s word, and a mouth honed for speaking that word to others. It is a daily discipline, although God gives the ability. Though the speaker has the gift, its purpose is “to sustain the weary with a word.” The speaker must experience firsthand what the weary have experienced, paying a price: he is abused, yet is persevering in his prophecy that he will not be put to shame because of complete confidence in God. He does not complain, but, rather, declares God’s abiding presence. –– Sara Webb Phillips

Philippians 2:5–11

This early liturgical hymn is a confession of the earliest days of the church in two parts. Verses 5–8 are shorthand for the history of Jesus: he emptied himself, took the form of a servant, was born in human likeness, humbled himself, was obedient, and died on a cross. Verses 9–11 reach the climax of the confession: Jesus is Lord. “Therefore” is the link connecting the events of part 1 with the conclusion of part 2. By the very acts of self-emptying, humiliation, and even death, God has exalted him. Jurgen Moltmann notes, “One understands the history of Christ’s suffering only when one grasps the passionate devotion of Christ which led him into and allowed him to bear it. And in the passion of Christ I see the passion of God and. . . the passion of my own heart” [The Passion for Life (Fortress, 1978)]. –– Sara Webb Phillips

Sara Webb Phillips is a United Methodist minister serving Grace UMC in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a former co-editor of the journal Liturgy published quarterly by The Liturgical Conference.

Homily Service 43, no. 2 (2009): 60–68.