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Bible Reading: Matthew Chapter 21, Verse 11 Liturgy of the
Palms.
 Often
in life it is only after an event that you realise the
enormity of what has actually taken place.
My wife and I were travelling to Austria on honeymoon in
September 1972 and travelled to Munich airport on the way
there. As we landed we were greeted by arm policemen and
sniffer dogs. Women and children were divided from men and
everyone was individually searched. Children were crying and
many people were exasperated. We waited over 4 hours before
we allowed in the country. All flights were delayed. It was
chaotic.
What was all this about ? – with the joy of getting married
we had somehow forgotten that a. we flying into Munich
during the Olympic Games and secondly we were arrived hours
after 11 Israeli athletes had been murdered by Palestinians.
It was only after the event as we retuned home from our
honeymoon that we realised that we had been at the centre of
one of the saddest events in Olympic history. We pray
nothing likes this every happens again.
Some of you may have all been through similar events or
least had flash backs as to what could have happened. It is
only when a certain event happens that it comes back into
our minds.
And I believe that the reading from St Matthew we use for
Palm Sunday telling the story of the arrival of Jesus in
Jerusalem was in some ways a similar event.
At the time it is probable that Jesus was just part of the
large crowds gathering for the Passover Festival in
Jerusalem. Josephus the Jewish historian writes that over 1
million pilgrims went up for the Passover – an extraordinary
number for those times. They regular sang hymns Psalm 118
including verse 22
‘The same stone which the builders refused is become the
head-stone in the corner.’
And often palms were used in processions. So in many ways it
was an ordinary day.
I believe that it was afterwards the Psalm singing about the
rejection of the stone became connected with Jesus and the
the allusion to the prophet Zechariah with the prophecy of
this style of Messiah would have been seen.
Jesus arriving on a donkey would underline this and so this
action underlines the whole of Holy Week and the Passion
Story.
We see one after another groups or people, the crowds, the
chief priest, Pilate, the mockers, all fail to see that in
front of them was Jesus, the Messiah, the Kings of Jews.
So often it is after an event that we see the real truth.
Holy Week is a time to mediate on this truth and also on
events that have shaped our lives. Life can feel very
unnerving at times without purpose and without a true path
to travel. Holy Week should tell us that the whole of life
has meaning; it is a mixture of darkness and light and it’s
only reflecting on the events of our lives that we begin to
see the light of Christ shining in our lives.
The Reverend Adrian Bell, Rector. |
