Palms and Passion

Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion

March 24, 2024

Philippians 2:5-11

 “Journey to Joy: Palms and Passion”

Our journey to joy in this Lenten season brings us to the threshold of Holy Week. Today is Palm Sunday, also called the Sunday of the Passion. Both names are correct as each emphasizes a different aspect of this day. Today is actually the Sixth Sunday in Lent, but it’s usually referred to as Palm Sunday as we commemorate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem sitting astride a donkey. In doing this, the words of the prophet Zechariah found in today’s Old Testament lesson (Zechariah 9:9-12) came to be fulfilled: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The people welcomed Jesus, waving palm branches, and shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9b-10). But all of this leads into the reason why Jesus entered into Jerusalem: his Passion; that his suffering and death. In that extended Passion reading for today, we heard again the story of how this week would end with Jesus being delivered to Pontius Pilate, scourged and mocked, crucified between two criminals, and buried in a tomb. All of this is before us as we continue our Lenten theme, “Journey to Joy,” today under the theme “Palms and Passion.” May the Lord’s rich and abundant blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word for Jesus’ sake.

Today’s worship service reflects this dual theme between palms and passion. Worship began outside in the courtyard, and with palm branches in hand, we processed into the Sanctuary singing a joyful hymn, “All Glory Laud and Honor.” But as today’s worship service moves along, the tone of the service changes. That initial joyful beginning with palms gives way to the somber reality of Jesus’ suffering and death upon the cross – his Passion. The Epistle lesson (Philippians 2:5-11) especially reminds us of all that Jesus has done for us through his Passion; how he “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

As we enter into Holy Week and think about these things, let’s stretch our imaginations a bit and put the two together: palms and the Passion of our Lord. The primary image of today, Palm Sunday, is the palm branch; that bit of leafy green that first welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. But there is another kind of palm that may escape our attention today, and that is the palm of the hand. Take a moment and in silence contemplate the palm of your own hand: the lines which crease it; the dexterity which it possesses; the multitude of tasks which it performs. And now, let us remember all that Jesus’ palms – and hands – did during the days between his entrance into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday and the offering of his life upon the cross.

Think of Jesus’ palms and hands that made a whip of cords after he entered into Jerusalem in order to drive out the moneychangers and animals, and so cleanse his Father’s house to be what it should be: a house of prayer (Mark 11:15-19). Think of Jesus’ palms and hands that were occupied and animated with much teaching after he came into Jerusalem, as he taught about the parable of the tenants (Mark 12:1-12), the Great Commandment (Mark 12:28-34), and the coming of the Son of Man (Mark 13:24-27). Think of Jesus’ palms and hands that broke the unleavened bread of Passover and shared the cup of redemption with his disciples, telling them and us “Take; this is my body” (Mark 14:22) and “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24). Think of Jesus’ palms and hands that washed the feet of his disciples on the night in which he was betrayed (John 13:1-20), giving them and us an example of what servanthood looks like. Think of Jesus’ palms and hands pressed together in fervent prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42), praying “Not what I will, but what you will.” Think of Jesus’ palms and hands, bound with ropes to stand trial before Pontius Pilate (Mark 15:1-4), mocked by the soldiers and crowned with thorns. Think of Jesus’ palms and hands and wrists, pierced through with nails to the tree of cross. The leafy palms of Palm Sunday give way to the palms and hands of Jesus, who became obedient unto death, even death on a cross – all for us and for our salvation. The crushing burden of our sin and guilt was all borne by Jesus, who did for us what we could never do for ourselves. That’s why the color of this day has shifted from the penitential purple of the Lenten season to the blood red of the Sunday of the Passion. This reminds us that it is only through the blood of Jesus that we are cleansed of our sin (1 John 1:7).

In this Holy Week, as we consider the palms and hands of Jesus, “let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, scorning the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1b-2). As we carry our palms branches out from this service, let us offer our palms and our hands, together with our whole life, to the Lord who loves us and gave his life for us. In humility and thanksgiving, may the Lord use our palms, our hands, and our whole life, to be a blessing in service to others for Jesus’ sake. Amen.