The Palm Sunday Street Parade
“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matthew 21:8). The image of Jesus and his followers approaching Jerusalem with crowds lining the streets, shouting and waving palm branches and throwing their cloaks on the road got me thinking about modern day parades. Often these start out as a protest against something that society is doing or refusing to do - war, the environment, issues of gender and sexuality, politics… Protest then morphs into a statement about identity. We participate because of pride in who we are and what we care about. Of course, it’s always easier to do that in company with a group of other like-minded people than to be a lone voice. There is safety in numbers. And, over time, parades can become either a celebration of community acceptance of the issue or an opportunity for the wider community to express their disapproval. Parades become a measure of changing community views as well as revealing something of the character of the participants – are they committed enough to the cause that they will they persist in the face of opposition if the community does not capture their vision.
Each of these components can be seen in the events of Palm Sunday. This parade began as a protest movement. Many in the parade itself and lining the streets were protesting about foreign rule. The bible says, “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’” (Matthew 21:9). The phrase, “Son of David,” referred to a descendent of Israel’s greatest king of history returning to take up his ancestor’s throne. In Jesus, they were hoping for someone who would rally the troops and lead a revolution against Rome. These events were also an identity statement as people publicly aligned themselves with this king. But at the same time, Palm Sunday allowed them to express which side they were on without being singled out and potentially exposed to persecution. They could hedge their bets in case things didn’t go the way they hoped. And what about third component, the expression of community attitudes and the commitment of the participants? What we see is just how quickly community attitudes can change. A few days later, this same crowd who cheered at Jesus’ arrival had changed its mind and was shouting, “Crucify him, crucify him!” (Matthew 27:22). These people supported Jesus as long as his plans seemed to align with their own. But as soon it became clear that God’s purposes were not the same as theirs, they scurried for safety.
When it comes to God, I don’t think we’ve changed. Many people only want to believe in a God who affirms their values and priorities and who is accountable to them for what he does. But that reduces God to a pale reflection of ourselves, as fallible and as changeable as we are. I don’t want to believe in God like that. I want a God who is infinitely better and infinitely greater than I am, who doesn’t change direction at the drop of a hat, whose ways are always right, who can achieve things I cannot even imagine, and who I know is always seeking what is best for me, even if I can’t understand it, don’t want it, and in no way deserve it.
That’s the God we meet in Jesus on Palm Sunday. Are you willing to approach him on his terms, not yours, this Easter?
Neil Percival
Young District Anglican Ministry
Each of these components can be seen in the events of Palm Sunday. This parade began as a protest movement. Many in the parade itself and lining the streets were protesting about foreign rule. The bible says, “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’” (Matthew 21:9). The phrase, “Son of David,” referred to a descendent of Israel’s greatest king of history returning to take up his ancestor’s throne. In Jesus, they were hoping for someone who would rally the troops and lead a revolution against Rome. These events were also an identity statement as people publicly aligned themselves with this king. But at the same time, Palm Sunday allowed them to express which side they were on without being singled out and potentially exposed to persecution. They could hedge their bets in case things didn’t go the way they hoped. And what about third component, the expression of community attitudes and the commitment of the participants? What we see is just how quickly community attitudes can change. A few days later, this same crowd who cheered at Jesus’ arrival had changed its mind and was shouting, “Crucify him, crucify him!” (Matthew 27:22). These people supported Jesus as long as his plans seemed to align with their own. But as soon it became clear that God’s purposes were not the same as theirs, they scurried for safety.
When it comes to God, I don’t think we’ve changed. Many people only want to believe in a God who affirms their values and priorities and who is accountable to them for what he does. But that reduces God to a pale reflection of ourselves, as fallible and as changeable as we are. I don’t want to believe in God like that. I want a God who is infinitely better and infinitely greater than I am, who doesn’t change direction at the drop of a hat, whose ways are always right, who can achieve things I cannot even imagine, and who I know is always seeking what is best for me, even if I can’t understand it, don’t want it, and in no way deserve it.
That’s the God we meet in Jesus on Palm Sunday. Are you willing to approach him on his terms, not yours, this Easter?
Neil Percival
Young District Anglican Ministry