We shall soon spend Holy Week together, not only searching for meaning in the Passion narrative, but profoundly entering into the passion and death of our Lord. Until then, what shall we say about this text, as it grabs us by heart and soul on this Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion?
Well, the word antitheses springs to mind. For, it is in the juxtaposition of several antithetical images that our world turns upside down within the space of just a few minutes, this most unusual Sunday.
The triumph of Jesus’ glorious entry into Jerusalem will soon morph into the tragedy of betrayal and suffering. The cheers of “hosanna” will soon become the cries of “crucify him.” The Davidic king, returning to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, will hang before the eyes of the world with Pilate’s sarcastic plaque above his head, “This is the King of the Jews.” The kingdoms of the world stand in stark contrast with the Kingdom of God. The expectations of the disciples are jarred by the scandal of the cross. Glory becomes suffering; light becomes darkness; hope becomes despair; trust becomes denial; an unknown thief shows more faith than does Jesus’ right-hand-man; the fallen world is transformed by the promise of paradise; the words of a nighttime prayer (Into your hands I commend my spirit) become the opening words of a cosmic transformation; the garden of exile becomes the garden of restoration; human cruelty is overcome by God’s mercy; a means of torture becomes a means of redemption; and an empire of conquest (Rome/the World/death) is ultimately conquered by resurrection.
On Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion, we experience this series of antithetical images within a few relatively short minutes: from the last hosanna to the Prayer of the Day, and then straightway into the Passion story. In Jerusalem, it was experienced within a few short days. And we are left breathless in worship, just as we are in life whenever life turns on a dime.
(Adapted from an article I wrote in 2022.)
