Sunday, April 09, 2006
Holy Week – Palm Sunday
Today is Palm Sunday and it begins a very misunderstood week. The most depressing part is the fact that I will have to sit through a bunch of church services where people actually celebrate the fact that the Roman Empire with help from some crooked, wealthy, elite religious leaders conspired to kill Jesus. It is bad enough that this happened, but it is even worse that we celebrate it as if it was something good. We even mistakenly call the day of his death “Good Friday”. You can make up theological excuses why his death needed to happen, but in the end you still end up with the fact that Jesus lead a political and spiritual revolution to change how we view wealth, poverty, and violence in the world and the people in power had him killed to try and stop the revolution before it got out of hand. To honor his death is great, but to celebrate it is disrepectful to all of us that value his life.
To make matters worse, 300 years later the very empire that Jesus protested against adopted a religion that was loosely based on his teachings but domesticated his words so they could manipulate his followers into being obedient citizens of worldly kingdoms that perpetuated the unjust economic systems that Jesus was trying to bring down. The crucifixion of Jesus didn’t stop his revolution, but the adoption of his message by the establishment (empire) managed to water it down enough so that it eventually dwindled into nothing more than an exclusive club centered on moral behaviors rather than political and social action.
I’m reading a book called “The Last Week” by Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan. It does a great job of showing the real historic events of each day in the last week of Jesus’ life. The most interesting point they make about Palm Sunday is that on that day there were 2 precessions going into Jerusalem. The first procession was the Roman Governor who came into the city with a massive demonstration of force as he marched his forces into the city as he did before every Jewish holiday to keep tabs on the celebration. With the Roman Governor came chariots, soldiers, and weapons in a large show of force to help keep the celebrations in hand. The second procession was a staged political protest lead by Jesus from the opposite side of the city. With him was a group of peasants on a protest against the Roman Empire’s evil domination of Israel. We often loose sight of how Jesus’ very planned and intentional Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem was a protest much like a march during the civil rights movement in the 60’s. In a wonderful statement of sarcasm, Jesus staged his march into the city on a donkey without chariots, armor, or weapons. It is always amazing what you can accomplish with sarcasm.
What would be the best way to celebrate Palm Sunday? I think it would not be to go to church and celebrate the week of Jesus’ death, but instead we should carry on his protest against injustice. I think the best way to celebrate would be to stage an actual protest. Maybe a protest against an unjust war, or maybe an unfair tax code, or immigration policies, or maybe an exclusive country club holding it’s annual golf tournament? Palm Sunday is not about the beginning of a week of atonement for sins, it is about political protest against the empire.
God forgive me for my participation in and support of the empire. Jesus forgive me for reducing your message to a system of beliefs instead of a lifestyle of activism. Give me the courage to stand in protest of injustice, violence, exclusiveness and pride.
Stay tuned for more holy week posts...
10 comments:
One reason for celebration is the fact that Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was a fulfillment of prophesy. It is but one example of God's faithfulness. That all the prophesies about the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus is reason, again, to celebrate.
Now, as far as sarcasm, that would be an attempt to assume you know what was in the heart and mind of Jesus when He entered the city riding on a donkey. His reasons were simple: He came to do the work of His Father, which we know because that is what He told us. He gave us an example of how to live our lives: not thinking ourselves more highly than others, living to serve rather than being served, committing our lives as a living sacrifice. Jesus did not come to flaunt, but to reveal the Father to us. Sarcasm doesn't seem to fit.
Now I understand your perspective, but I think the idea of holding a protest completly misses the point of Jesus' death.
Jesus does care about the sick, the needy, and the widows...but what Jesus cares most about is the healing of our souls so that we can worship and praise God...that is the end goal.
This world will always have pain and suffering, visible and invisible and Christians need to stand up for justice, although we will never see it on this side of heaven.
Yet Jesus did not stage mass protest, Jesus loved people, and the Roman and religious leaders found that offensive.
So if we do anything beside celebrate Jesus' sacrifice that allows us to restore our relationship with the creator, it would be to love others in hopes that they to could enter a restored relationship.
--RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com
Sorry, I'm not that good a Christian though I was brought up in the church...
therefore I wont hesitate to point out this is the most amazing bunch of bushwah on Jesus life and purpose I've ever read.
Not that I'm denying the conspiracy to kill Jesus... but it was by the Religious Leaders and the nominal Jewish king.
Reading what Pilate did and said points out the obvious... Rome had nothing to do with it. Pilate is reviled, instead because he handed Jesus over to 'popular justice' instead of applying Roman Law which would have required 'proof of guilt'.
I suppose you might say that the "Imperial Church" changed the gospels to suit their agenda... but, if you accept that as truth, then what in the Bible CAN you believe?
I agree that the Jewish leaders (but not the jewish people who actually accepted Jesus) had a big part in his death also. Jesus protested them as well, but that happened on Monday. Stay tuned for a post on the 2nd day of holy week and another very different protest lead by Jesus.
Look at it from the Jewish leaders' point of view. Pilate was a thug, to use Paula Fredikson's term. He didn't hesitate to kill Jews, and didn't need much of an excuse to do so. The Temple leaders had a very hard job, trying to keep the peace with Pilate and protect their people. Sure, they were pious, and didn't always get it right. But they also devoted their entire lives to the Temple and their culture. Being Jewish provided a lot of perks to Jews in those days, and the Romans made concessions to the Jews that weren't made for other groups (for example, Jews didn't have to serve in the Roman Army and were allowed to take a day of rest once a week). So here comes this itinerant carpenter who claims to be the Messiah. The Jewish leaders had absolutely no reason to believe he was anything other than another trouble maker. And they knew that if they let him get people stirred up during Passover, when thousands of Jews were in the city to celebrate, there was a good possibility that Pilate would send in his troops and there would be violence. They were actually trying to protect their people. We want to fault the Jewish leaders because they didn't recognize who Jesus was, but the truth is that if he appeared today in the same way he appeared then, we wouldn't recognize him, either. We'd probably just like him up in some mental institution.
Danutz,
Having recently putting some deep study into the life of Jesus through the book of Mark and doing a 20 part series on the first 13 chapters, the Jesus you presented it like the Jesus I have re-discovered and fallen in love with and am doing my best to follow. I found your post inpirational and encouraging. I have more to say, but I have a question I want to ask of you. In light of who Jesus is, would you consider commenting on a post I made recently about the tension that I feel when it comes to the Christian Calendar as we understand it today as opposed to the "fulfilled" Jewish Calendar. My question probably isn't as meaningful as your post here, but I wanted to get some thoughts from someone who sees Jesus as one who was working to bring Shalom to the earth and who in time will renew this place.
I'm really shocked by some of the comments here that seem to downplay Jesus' protest against the Roman occupation. Do you realize that Jesus lived in a country that was occupied by force? Do you realize that there were bloody revolts popping up all over the place during Jesus' life? Do you realize that by the time most of these stories (the Gospels) were written, there had been a revolt and the Romans had crushed the rebel Jews and destroyed the temple?
I can't see how you could overlook that considering Jesus himself was teaching about how to deal with the occupation using non-violent protest (carrying a roman soldiers bag an extra mile, etc). The occupation and unfair tax system had to be on their minds daily. There were numerous pockets of Jews that were looking for a messiah to come and help them overthrow the Romans. The whole concept of a messiah was based on the need to overthrow the corrupt empire.
As I read this, I got a beautiful picture on the fantastic street drama of Jesus riding as ASS. He he ha ha. One end of the city is this BIG extravagnaza of all the important officials and leaders. The whole Temple culture right in there. Huge parking lots full of chariots (SUV's)?
then there's this alternative thing happening, (Christ's "Triuumphant Entry"...Drama eh? made me think of the big Easter Drama's (Productions) put on by big modern churches?
It's funny. I think Jesus was not so much protesting
than creating a new alternative community, one which was to grow up between the cracks of a crumbling empire. Reminds me of the whole CONVENTIONAL - COUNTER - CREATIVE thing.
so yes I think "following Jesus" would mean following in bringing forward into human consciousness an awareness of the lowly and coming reign of God with humanity. What a lasting thing.
Part of the reason of Jesus' execution was perhaps political. But what about the atoning/substitutionary sacrifice?
Jesus on the donkey was not so much an act of sarcasm as it was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Zech. 9:9). Interesting, though, that the word "sarcasm" comes from the Greek word that implies "sneering or mockery," what Jesus endured at the crucifixion (for more than just a social statement, I might add).
Jesus Himself stated "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father" (John 10:18).
Just curious why you focus more on the political/social reasons of Jesus' death (although they are certainly important) and do not further explore the other reasons- i.e. the purposes of His death that the writings of Paul and the early church fathers further develop. Isn't this of more importance?
Again I quote you Bruce Lee- "It's like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you miss all the heavenly glory!"
However, I do agree with your prayer of taking the Christian faith beyond "a system of beliefs" and moving it into "a lifestyle."
Jeremy, that isn't a Bruce Lee quote. It is an old buddhist quote and it does a great job of making my case so I'm glad you brought it up. Christianity has missed the point by assuming the finger (Jesus) is to be our object of worship (God).
You also illustrate my point by your traditional mistake of assuming that the most important lesson to learn from Jesus life and death was this bizarre idea of some kind of cosmic crime/punishment and subsitutionary atonement theory that was introduced much later in the history of theological development. I think this undermines everything Jesus said and did.
The reason I (and the book) focus on the political/social issues is because they ARE the focus of the stories. Everything about the stories about Jesus are political and social. What part is NOT political and social? If we read them in context of their historical settings then it becomes clear. Borg and Crossan do a great job in the book of making this material accessible. I highly recommend it.
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