You call that power?

Let’s see… it’s Palm Sunday, right?  But in church we had not one, but two full gospel readings and that second one… whew sure was a long one!  It was the story of the Passion, the story we commemorate on Good Friday.  What’s up with that?  Aren’t we jumping the gun just a bit?  Well actually, no—both gospels today compliment each other.  But looking at the two stories side by side raises some interesting points.

Where did the throngs following Jesus get those first palms?  Mind you, they weren’t like the ones we usually get in church.  No, these were big palm fronds, the kind that don’t come off of a tall palm tree.  These more likely grew in the wadis and villages outside of Jerusalem along the way up to Galilee. 

Well, that suggests something.  The throng shouting “hosanna” must’ve come with Jesus along the way down and accompanied Jesus into the city.  Put that way, it looks less like a triumphal entry and more like a show of power, like a direct challenge.  The religious leaders are offended!  The Romans are most certainly insulted by this mockery of their authority and power!

What is power?  Most of us know exactly what we mean when we use the word, but try defining it.  It’s really more a concept than a material thing.  There are about three discernable kinds in both the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and in the story of the Passion.

First, there’s the brutal power of Rome.  This is the power of empire and brute human strength.  It’s a feared power, something with which to be reckoned.  One didn’t issue so much as an empty threat against Rome.  This was a power of terror and domination whose ultimate gift to anyone who stepped out of line was a cross.  This power felt very real but for all of its pomp and glory, it is assumed, but not necessarily earned just as it is assumed by others to exist.  So, let’s call it assumed power.

Then we have the power of the throngs shouting hosanna, waving palm branches.  This is the power of aspiration and broken dreams.  This power feels real too and the trouble with it is that because it hurts deeply, it distorts reality.  A huge mob marching forward into the city was no small thing and Rome knew it.  But this is a terribly misplaced power; it feels strong but this power is born out of vengeance.  A crowd often invests this type of power in someone else.  We'll call that invested power. 

Why not invest it all in a great vindicating messiah?  He’d Put things right with those Romans.  After all, he did miracles so he must be the one!  Hosanna!  King of David!  This was no small thing either, and the Romans knew it.  But both of these types of power have two things in common:  they don’t last—they disappoint.

Finally, there is a really powerful type of power.  This type of power is neither assumed nor invested… it just is.  We see it riding into Jerusalem on a colt.  We see it getting arrested, betrayed and then, literally hung out to dry.  Honestly, it looks and even sounds absurd.  What power? 

This great teacher of love and justice is subjected to a kangaroo court.  This preacher of peace and non-violent resistance gets violently beaten, spat upon and whipped.  This healer who gave dignity to so many is denied any type of dignity.  This loving giver of life is finally denied life.  That is power?

Well… yes.

It’s a very different kind of power.  This power enters through the back gate of the city on a humble animal.  It doesn’t put on airs and says nothing.  Its strength is born of its very humility and weakness.  That is the power we celebrate today.

Why do we waive our palms, year in and year out?  Is it just in order that we might only imagine ourselves as representing that crowd?  It is a mistake to think this; it undersells the event.  We wave palms to signal our intentions to the world and each other that we intend to join that lone figure all the way to the cross.  This is not just a telling of the passion; it’s more, it is a sharing in the passion.  We intend to experience and share the pain.  We intend to experience and share the suffering.  We intend to experience and share the shame.  We intend to share in them because it’s all part of the journey.

We share in the Passion because, we know how things end; there’s a big shift, a change.  The power we’re talking about is the transformative love of God the Father.  It’s a power that mocks all other powers.  If any of us might have trouble with this analysis of power, let’s consider some things:  For all their pomp, power and glory, where is Rome now?  What about those people shouting Hosanna and waving palms?  By the way, we can safely assume that they didn’t go all the way on to Golgotha.  They weren’t even given names were they?  Where are they?  Ah yes, and that lone figure on the colt; remind me again… what became of Him?

ANY power other than the transforming love of God is an illusion.