Passion-Palm Sunday
Devotional
Streams of Living Water
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle B
Object:
Isaiah 50:4-9a
I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.
-- Isaiah 50:6
While the Christian will immediately see the suffering of Jesus at the hands of the soldiers in this passage, it is instructive to recall that the words were first uttered on behalf of the Judean exiles near the end of the Babylonian exile. Approximately fifty years earlier, they and their descendents had been taken off into exile bereft of their country and their way of life. The prophet personalizes his people's suffering and recognizes their suffering. At the same time, he sees a hope in God that transcends their situation. "Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near" (vv. 7-8a).
In the midst of this suffering, the prophet recognizes the call of God: "The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word" (v. 4). He sees his vindication coming from God and therefore feels sustained even in the midst of his suffering: "Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty?" (vv. 8-9). Such a passage must have surely strengthened Jesus as he faced the insults and suffering leading to the cross. Both the witness of Isaiah and that of Jesus provide strength to those who suffer injustice in our world. Their hope is derived not from the strength of humanity but from their faith in God.
Psalm 31:9-16
My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
-- Psalm 31:15
There are times of stress and suffering in every person's life. The psalmist captures our own feelings at such times. The pain of those moments can be long lasting, emotionally draining, and physically wasting: "... my eyes waste away from grief, my soul and my body also" (v. 9). At such times, our sense of time is compressed, and we feel as if it has been forever: "For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away" (v. 10). If the pain or stress is severe enough, it often isolates us. We shut ourselves off while at the same time we feel abandoned by our friends and family: "I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, and object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me" (v. 11).
Faith is the path to breaking out of such isolation and reconnecting with the one who can give us relief. Having given voice to his stress and his feeling of isolation, the psalmist reaches out to God: "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors" (vv. 14-15). On the cross, Jesus spoke an earlier verse from this psalm, verse 5: "Into your hand I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). The journey of faith is often difficult. At times it may feel as if all those you have counted on have abandoned you and that your pain is overwhelming. At such times, this psalm and Jesus' use of it can remind us of the sustaining love of God.
Philippians 2:5-11
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus....
-- Philippians 2:5
This famous hymn in Philippians summarizes the ministry of Christ as it was understood by the early church. It is the pattern of Christ's life that is offered as a model for Christian living. The church is always tempted by what some have called the theology of glory. This is the belief that some special privilege should come to those who have chosen to be Christians because they possess the truth of God. The hymn reminds us that Christ chose the opposite path. "Though he was in the form of God, [he] did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited" (v. 6). Picture the church being asked to empty itself of all special privileges and choosing to simply be the slave of the society around it. It would give up all tax benefits, zoning privileges, societal respect, and special allowances. Like a slave, bereft of all power, it would be at the beck and call of those in need. The church would be willing to risk even its own survival in an effort to be obedient to God who sent it to serve the world that God loves.
This is a radical picture that continues to challenge the fear that shapes the church. It would mean that we would have to place our complete trust in God in the same way that Jesus did, even as his behavior led to the cross. Upon reflection, does this not make Jesus' life all the more incredible? Yet the church proclaims that God "gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend ..." (vv. 9-10). It would be easy to treat the life of Jesus as a divine impossibility, but then we return to the beginning of the hymn where it says, "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." If we are to be the Body of Christ, then we are to allow Christ to be the head of our body.
Mark 14:1--15:47
He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want."
-- Mark 14:36
If there is any single characteristic of death that most strikes fear into our hearts, it is that in death we totally lose control. Whatever occurs at death, we are no longer in charge. Through the major part of the gospel of Mark, we are told about what Jesus did or taught. Jesus is the initiator of the action. Now, in these final stages leading to Jesus' death, the main feature of the narrative is what others did to Jesus. There is a plot to kill Jesus. Then a woman anoints Jesus' body as if to prepare it for burial. Judas agrees to betray Jesus. Peter denies Jesus. Jesus is arrested and taken before the council. Jesus is tried before Pilate, mocked by the soldiers, and led out to the cross. On the way, a stranger helps him carry the cross. He is crucified and buried. People are acting on Jesus more than the reverse.
We now know that Jesus understands our very human experience of panic when we sense that life is getting out of control. All our lives we strive to gain competence so that we can be in charge of our own destiny. Yet in the end, we have to give all control over to something we cannot fully comprehend. Jesus' cry from the cross in which he expressed his feeling of abandonment gives voice to our greatest fear. Despite all of our strivings, in the end we have to give ourselves over to a mystery that we cannot fully comprehend. We can identify with Jesus' prayer that the cup pass from him, but it is hardest to join him in the final part of that prayer: "Not what I want but what you want." This is the final act of trust, which rests not on our decisions or actions but only on the grace of God.
I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.
-- Isaiah 50:6
While the Christian will immediately see the suffering of Jesus at the hands of the soldiers in this passage, it is instructive to recall that the words were first uttered on behalf of the Judean exiles near the end of the Babylonian exile. Approximately fifty years earlier, they and their descendents had been taken off into exile bereft of their country and their way of life. The prophet personalizes his people's suffering and recognizes their suffering. At the same time, he sees a hope in God that transcends their situation. "Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near" (vv. 7-8a).
In the midst of this suffering, the prophet recognizes the call of God: "The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word" (v. 4). He sees his vindication coming from God and therefore feels sustained even in the midst of his suffering: "Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty?" (vv. 8-9). Such a passage must have surely strengthened Jesus as he faced the insults and suffering leading to the cross. Both the witness of Isaiah and that of Jesus provide strength to those who suffer injustice in our world. Their hope is derived not from the strength of humanity but from their faith in God.
Psalm 31:9-16
My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
-- Psalm 31:15
There are times of stress and suffering in every person's life. The psalmist captures our own feelings at such times. The pain of those moments can be long lasting, emotionally draining, and physically wasting: "... my eyes waste away from grief, my soul and my body also" (v. 9). At such times, our sense of time is compressed, and we feel as if it has been forever: "For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away" (v. 10). If the pain or stress is severe enough, it often isolates us. We shut ourselves off while at the same time we feel abandoned by our friends and family: "I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, and object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me" (v. 11).
Faith is the path to breaking out of such isolation and reconnecting with the one who can give us relief. Having given voice to his stress and his feeling of isolation, the psalmist reaches out to God: "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors" (vv. 14-15). On the cross, Jesus spoke an earlier verse from this psalm, verse 5: "Into your hand I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). The journey of faith is often difficult. At times it may feel as if all those you have counted on have abandoned you and that your pain is overwhelming. At such times, this psalm and Jesus' use of it can remind us of the sustaining love of God.
Philippians 2:5-11
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus....
-- Philippians 2:5
This famous hymn in Philippians summarizes the ministry of Christ as it was understood by the early church. It is the pattern of Christ's life that is offered as a model for Christian living. The church is always tempted by what some have called the theology of glory. This is the belief that some special privilege should come to those who have chosen to be Christians because they possess the truth of God. The hymn reminds us that Christ chose the opposite path. "Though he was in the form of God, [he] did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited" (v. 6). Picture the church being asked to empty itself of all special privileges and choosing to simply be the slave of the society around it. It would give up all tax benefits, zoning privileges, societal respect, and special allowances. Like a slave, bereft of all power, it would be at the beck and call of those in need. The church would be willing to risk even its own survival in an effort to be obedient to God who sent it to serve the world that God loves.
This is a radical picture that continues to challenge the fear that shapes the church. It would mean that we would have to place our complete trust in God in the same way that Jesus did, even as his behavior led to the cross. Upon reflection, does this not make Jesus' life all the more incredible? Yet the church proclaims that God "gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend ..." (vv. 9-10). It would be easy to treat the life of Jesus as a divine impossibility, but then we return to the beginning of the hymn where it says, "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." If we are to be the Body of Christ, then we are to allow Christ to be the head of our body.
Mark 14:1--15:47
He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want."
-- Mark 14:36
If there is any single characteristic of death that most strikes fear into our hearts, it is that in death we totally lose control. Whatever occurs at death, we are no longer in charge. Through the major part of the gospel of Mark, we are told about what Jesus did or taught. Jesus is the initiator of the action. Now, in these final stages leading to Jesus' death, the main feature of the narrative is what others did to Jesus. There is a plot to kill Jesus. Then a woman anoints Jesus' body as if to prepare it for burial. Judas agrees to betray Jesus. Peter denies Jesus. Jesus is arrested and taken before the council. Jesus is tried before Pilate, mocked by the soldiers, and led out to the cross. On the way, a stranger helps him carry the cross. He is crucified and buried. People are acting on Jesus more than the reverse.
We now know that Jesus understands our very human experience of panic when we sense that life is getting out of control. All our lives we strive to gain competence so that we can be in charge of our own destiny. Yet in the end, we have to give all control over to something we cannot fully comprehend. Jesus' cry from the cross in which he expressed his feeling of abandonment gives voice to our greatest fear. Despite all of our strivings, in the end we have to give ourselves over to a mystery that we cannot fully comprehend. We can identify with Jesus' prayer that the cup pass from him, but it is hardest to join him in the final part of that prayer: "Not what I want but what you want." This is the final act of trust, which rests not on our decisions or actions but only on the grace of God.
