Passion Sunday/Palm Sunday

Passion Sunday has the longest lessons in the entire church year and the
Gospel Lessons don't even include the triumphal entry with palms that
occurs in all four Gospels. Where to begin? Little wonder the reading or
recitation of the entire passage often takes the place of the homily in
many churches.

With 119 verses from M ark to choose from it would be possible to
preach on virtually any topic. To find a theme I would look to the three
other passages selected for today all relatively brief. They seem to
suggest a theme relating to the nature of the Messiah's mission here on
earth and by inference our own as Christ's body, the church here on earth.

It seems plain that Judas fully expected Jesus to rise up and lead a
revolt against Roman oppression and in betraying him hoped to force his
hand. The certain one who was armed with a sword and struck out in
defense is identified in John as being Peter. Since his Kingdom was
Spiritual and not of this world Jesus yielded up his earthly body to
persecution.

The passage from Isaiah describes physical torture:

Isa 50:6 I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who
pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.

The point is made that having been made right with God earthy
persecutors cannot harm his spiritual well-being and firm in this belief
martyrs throughout the ages have faced death unafraid. Most recent to my
writing this could be cited the example of Martin Luther King Jr.

Psalm 31 attributed to David describes one weary from the depredations
of those who oppose him but he takes comfort in the knowledge:

Psa 31:14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
Psa 31:15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my
enemies and from my persecutors!
Psa 31:16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your
steadfast love!

And for once the Epistle says it all:

Php 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Php 2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality
with God a thing to be grasped,
Php 2:7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being
born in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Php 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the
name that is above every name,
Php 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven
and on earth and under the earth,
Php 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.

The Word made flesh dwelt among us. The kingdom of Heaven which is his
domain is not of this world and we as its members as with Jesus are in
the world but not of the world. Jesus' message and very being was an
affront and a challenge to Imperial Roman power and claiming no earthly
dominion he allowed his earthly being to be put to death. But the Word
made flesh, his Godly being is beyond any earthly power to destroy.
Therefore on Easter Sunday we celebrate the fact that his followers
encountered the ever living Christ in spiritual form being imbued with
that same spirit at Pentecost.