[Presented on Palm Sunday 2008, in UU Christian Worship at Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church.]
My journey back to the ancestral birthplace of my Christianity has been guided by many signposts. Many of today’s thoughts are from the teachings of John Dominic Crossan and the other fellows of the Jesus Seminar, who continue to seek the truth, we can ascertain, about the Jesus who lived on this earth.
I’d like you to close your eyes and imagine for a moment.
The Gospel [Matthew 21:1-11] this morning teaches us that there was a spectacular procession on a morning like this almost 2000 years ago. But history teaches us there would have been another procession that week, maybe even that day.
With banners and golden eagles.
With Cavalry.
With hundreds of feet falling in unison.
The smell of men, and animals, and leather, and the clank of armor, and swords.
Jerusalem was too much of a backwater for the Romans to want to actually stay there, unless they had to. Herod the Great built Caesarea Maritima as a suitable capitol from which to control Judea, and the Governor of Judea typically stayed there, as befitted someone of great rank.
But what to do about these Jews and their festivals? Festival time was a problem. Jerusalem had been the center of the Jewish world for 1000 years by Jesus’ time. Pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem was an imperative for Jews, throughout the region and the Diaspora. Now it is Passover, a time of celebration. A huge number of pilgrims would flood Jerusalem and the Temple would be packed, performing many more sacrifices than usual.
Passover was a powder keg. Here we have an occupied people celebrating their LIBERATION from some other oppressive empire? And the rulers in and around the area had a history of using a heavy hand to control those rowdy Jews. Just before the turn of the Common Era, Archelaus, Herod the Great’s son, had problems with celebrating Jews not obeying his troops, and Josephus tells us that they killed 3,000 Jews “establishing order.”
There were two processions that week…
One procession was specifically to remind people that they were part of the Roman Empire. Ruled by divine right, by a divine emperor. “We must be divine, look how successful we’ve been defeating everyone!” That procession would have included Pontius Pilate, and was done to show the power of one group over another, to show who was in charge, to dominate. The Pax Romana. The Romans had an interesting way of bringing peace to an area; they brought it by conquering you. Peace through Victory. The Greatest Kingdom of the World of its time with great “Power Over” others.
I’ve been reading a book by an evangelical minister recently.
Oooooh…
The E Word…
Evangelical.
That may be enough to send the average UU running for the exit, but I know my UU Christian brothers are made of stronger stuff!
The Reverend Greg Boyd has written a terrific book called “The Myth of a Christian Nation.” He takes our evangelical Christian brothers and sisters to task for focusing all their attention on Kingdoms of the World. For trying to create a Christian world politically, thinking they can wield Christian power over others. While he has many observations specific to our American experience, His thesis is that we can never create the Kingdom of God by trying to structure it as a kingdom of the world. The domination systems required by the “power over” model, can never bring forth the Kingdom of God. They’re mutually antithetical. Kingdoms of the world offer, and are maintained by, the power of the sword.
There were two processions that week...
The second procession had its leader riding on the back of a donkey. Jesus and the boys had planned a little demonstration, a little counter-procession, hadn’t they? Those Romans are having their big march into Jerusalem. Well we, the followers of Jesus, are having our OWN procession. Here comes Jesus, riding a donkey, and we bow down to HIM. Because Jesus was showing people a transformative way of being in the world, the way to the Kingdom of God. By pushing aside systems of oppression and domination, by pushing aside class distinctions, by pushing aside legalistic purity systems. Jesus brings peace in a truly challenging way – Peace through love.
But if we’re all equal, how can I be in charge of you? How can I extract my taxes? Collect my debts? Have you as a slave? Make money off of you? Is it any wonder that this entrance into Jerusalem will lead us to Jesus’ execution by the end of the week?
I wonder if Jesus wouldn’t be executed today. We like to think of ourselves as very evolved, but I wonder sometimes. Humans don’t like it when people challenge the status quo. Miguel Servetus – burned at the stake. Ferenc David – thrown into a hole to die of exposure. Abraham Lincoln – assassinated. Mohandas Gandhi – assassinated. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King – assassinated. I hear we’re evolving, but sometimes it’s hard to see it.
The Rev. Boyd reminds us that Jesus’ model of the Kingdom of God is about power UNDER. The Power of sacrifice and of sharing. The Power of self-less service and of Love. The Pax Romana brought peace through victory, but the Pax Christi brought peace through love – power under.
The Gospel today tells us that the true power of love and peace does not arrive in a column of military might. And later in chapter 26, he tells us straight out that those who live by the sword will die by it. Transformation doesn’t come at the tip of a sword! Transformation comes when we stop letting ourselves get sucked into believing that we will change the world by DOMINATING one another. Transformation comes when we recognize and respect each other’s humanity, even when we don’t initially understand each others point of view. Transformation comes when we listen and appreciate other’s truths, even when we might not share those truths. It comes when we learn to open ourselves and expand the growth of mutuality in the world. It never comes at the end of a sword, assault rifle, or laser-guided cruise missile.
And it’s hard not to notice in this story, that the “power under” ultimately triumphed. Jesus wasn’t a fool; the Jews knew how the Romans operated. It’s like messing with a beehive; you stir up the bees you’re going to get stung. And the Romans used crucifixion, because it was the ultimate public desecration of a human, a horrible painful death followed by being allowed to be devoured by the animals. One of the reasons it is now believed that so few crucified bodies have been found is precisely that – they were never buried and simply left to be devoured. Jesus so believed in the truth of the Kingdom of God, he went to Jerusalem, knowing what end might be in site.
Jesus didn’t triumph by worldly “power over” standards: before the week is up, this “nuisance” Galilean would be executed. But the Roman Empire is long vanished, and Jesus’ wisdom is still upon the hearts and minds of billions.
What does this tell us as Unitarian Universalist Christians? Well, I’d like to thing we’re A LITTLE ahead of the game, because we USUALLY don’t loose track of our responsibility to social action in the world. But the world will always tempt with the idea that we can solve all problems with POWER OVER. If we just have the right law, the right politician, the right weapon system, everything will be okay.
Legalities and governments are fine and necessary in the world, but laws and governments come and go. As Christians, we can never forget our responsibility to manifest Christ’s love –carrying this virtue into all our transactions in the world is truly challenging – and truly transformative.
May we never lose sight of the strength in the “power under.”
May it be so.
