"And going a little further, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want'."
Matthew 26:39
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, and like the crowds greeting Jesus to Jerusalem, our worship is celebratory. Children in congregations throughout the country march through the aisles and halls of their churches waving palm branches. We sing hymns and songs of expectancy and anticipation, and many of us go ahead and plan out exactly what among our finest we will wear on Easter morning.
Yet, many of us jump far too quickly from the welcoming cheers of Jesus' arrival on Palm Sunday to the jubilant praise of Easter, marking Christ's resurrection and ascension. The resurrection doesn't occur without death, death without trial, and trial without betrayal. The great challenge for us as disciples of Jesus Christ is to not just carry our cross when there is reason to celebrate, but to cling to it and bear it even in the darkest of days.
This tension is on display in this week's text from Matthew. Jesus' first prayer is supplicant; asking that this impending time of suffering pass. It is an acknowledgement of fear and anxiousness, just as it is a plea for strength. The second prayer is confessional; that God's will be done despite the conditions of the flesh. Finally, Jesus' third prayer is one of affirmation and acceptance, that through Him, God's plan will be done.
The foundation of living out our call to be disciples of Jesus Christ is confession, not just as an admission of wrong-doing or transgression, but as an act of submission and profession of faith. We must be willing to live our lives according to God's will rather than our own. We journey knowing that we must confront the vitriol of the masses, the impartiality of power, and the brutality of the crucifixion. Brothers and sisters, this week, our journey of discipleship takes us through praise and adoration and the coming of the King, but it also takes us through the betrayal, suffering, and death of the one whom we love, the sacrificial Lamb of God.
This week, read and reflect on the passion narrative found in John 17-19:
- Think of the faces in the crowd when Jesus enters Jerusalem and imagine those same faces later shouting out to Pilate. What has changed within their hearts?
- What are the smells and sounds, the textures and colors of each scene in the narrative - the triumphal entry, the betrayal and arrest, the trial and beating, the condemnation and execution?
- As a disciple of Jesus, where are you in this narrative? What do you feel?
Yours,
Michael C. Andres
Director of Discipleship
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