Sunday the 13th of April 2025 - Palm Sunday

Luke 19:28-40/ Isaiah 50:4-7/ Ps 22(21)/ Philippians 2:6-11/ Luke 22:14-23:56

People can be fickle, easily influenced by what they see and hear. We encounter this often now through social media, but it has always been the case. There is a crowd or herd mentality that leads to a tendency for beliefs and behaviours to be manipulated to suit a particular occasion or the requirements of one group or another. A crowd can be whipped up into sometimes violent action by just a few people, or in some cases, an individual of a particular charismatic bearing. While not always bad or dangerous these influences can be used for negative and even violent purposes. In the passion reading today we hear how the community leaders stirred the crowds up against Jesus, crowds who only days before where hailing him King were now calling for his death. The authority figures, Pilate and Herod, who were supposed to administer the law justly, bowed to public pressure and gave Jesus up to be crucified.

In the readings today we are approaching the climax of the life of Jesus on earth. Jesus, God who became human and lived among his created people in his created world, was heading to his suffering and death. Far from being a mistake or at the will of the authorities of the day it was a plan put in place from the moment that humanity turned away from God as described in the first book of the bible. The life of Jesus, and especially his last three years of ministry, was a journey of teaching and the fulfilment of scripture. He purposefully made his way towards his fate in Jerusalem. Far from being the bedraggled prisoner at the mercy of the authorities Jesus was in total control of his destiny and at every step of the way was fulfilling what had been foretold through the prophets. He was following the suffering servant passages from Isaiah as if they were the script to a play. The seemingly powerful people of the day were merely fulfilling the necessary parts that would lead to the death of Jesus that was necessary for his resurrection to take place.

The whole purpose of Jesus becoming human was for him to take on the sin of the world, to have it nailed to the cross through his human body, and for that same body to be resurrected leading the way for us to follow him into eternity. There are hints of how this whole event was planned to be carried out by God through the actions of Jesus, his son, throughout the narrative. In the extra gospel passage at the blessing of the palms were hear how Jesus sent two of his disciples into a local village where they would find a colt that he was to ride into Jerusalem on. Jesus even told them what to say if they were challenged as they took the animal. It played out exactly as Jesus had said. This had all been carefully planned.

The passage from Isaiah talks of the suffering servant who remained passive, did not turn away from suffering, who was beaten on his back and face, was disgraced and spat on. Setting his face like flint he endured all this because he was confidant that the Lord would help him, and he would not be put to shame. Jesus endured this same treatment and for the same reason, so that he could be glorified by God through the resurrection.

The passion narrative of the Gospel of Luke describes Jesus at the last supper when he instituted the Eucharist, giving his body and blood through bread and wine so that he would be with us until his eventual return at the end of time. He went on to instruct his disciples on how they were to behave and predicted what was going to happen. Jesus then went out to the Mount of Olives where he gave us an example of how to pray. Jesus earnestly prayed that he might not have to endure the suffering to come but importantly he submitted to God’s will and not his own. If the prayer of Jesus was not answered by God his Father in the way he pleaded so passionately for then we must not be surprised if our prayers are not always answered in the way we might want. We too must submit to the plan God has for us. Our prayer will always be heard and will always be answered but not necessarily when we expect or in the way we might initially have hoped for. Only God has the full picture of everything, only God knows what it is we need rather than what we might want. The prayer of Jesus was answered by his resurrection, but he had to endure much suffering to reach that glorification. Only at the completion of our mortal lives will we fully appreciate why we might have had to endure hardships from time to time. All things have a purpose and fit into God’s plan for us.

Let us pray as Jesus prayed, Father, not my will, but yours, be done, and at the last, we can say, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

God Bless Brendan.