HOLY WEEK AS THE EMBODIMENT OF GOD’S NONVIOLENT LOVE

Luke 22:7-20

Rev. Paul Wrightman  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 4/2/23

TODAY’S SERMON WILL BE SHORTER THAN USUAL

BECAUSE OF THE TIME NEEDED​​ TO COMMENT ON

OUR NEW INCLUSIVE PRINT OF THE LAST SUPPER AND FOR US

TO CELEBRATE THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION.

DURING MAJOR TIMES OF THE CHURCH YEAR

SUCH AS EASTER AND CHRISTMAS​​ 

AND THE SUNDAYS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THEM,

IT IS NECESSARY FOR ME TO PAUSE ANY SERMON SERIES

I MAY HAPPEN TO BE IN THE MIDST OF,

AND TO PREACH ON TOPICS RELATED TO

THESE TWO MAJOR CHRISTIAN FESTIVALS.

LENT AND EASTER FOCUS ON THE MAJOR THEOLOGICAL TOPICS

OF WHY JESUS DIED, WHAT HIS DEATH MEANS,​​ 

AND HOW GOD THE FATHER GAVE A BIG “YES!”​​ 

TO THE MEANING OF JESUS’ LIFE AND DEATH​​ 

BY RAISING JESUS FROM DEATH TO LIFE IN THE RESURRECTION. ​​​​ 

ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS FOCUS ON​​ 

THE MAJOR THEOLOGICAL TOPIC​​ 

OF GOD BECOMING A HUMAN BEING​​ 

TO SHOW HUMAN BEINGS HOW TO BECOME MORE LIKE GOD.

THIS IS KNOWN AS THE DOCTINE OF THE INCARNATION.

OUR TASK THIS MORNING WILL BE TO FIT THE VARIOUS EVENTS

COMPRISING WHAT CHRISTIANS KNOW AS “HOLY WEEK” –

THE LAST WEEK OF JESUS’ LIFE COMPRISING HIS SO-CALLED

“TRIUMPHAL ENTRY” INTO JERUSALEM ON PALM SUNDAY,

THE SO-CALLED “CLEANSING” OF THE TEMPLE ON WEDNESDAY,

JESUS’ CELEBRATION OF PASSOVER ON THURSDAY,

AND HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS ON FRIDAY –

INTO A SEAMLESS GARMENT, ALL OF ONE CLOTH,

INSTEAD OF THE PATCHWORK QUILT APPROACH TO HOLY WEEK

THAT MOST OF US ARE USED TO.

THUS, WE WILL LOOK AT HOLY WEEK, IN ITS ENTIRETY,

AS THE EMBODIMENT, THE MAKING REAL,​​ 

OF​​ GOD’S FORGIVING,​​ NONVIOLENT, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

​​ 

IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE BEST CONTEXT FOR UNDERSTANDING

THE EVENTS OF HOLY WEEK, WE NEED TO BEGIN BY RETURNING

TO THE​​ SHOCKING SCRIPTURE TEXT WE LOOKED AT LAST SUNDAY,

IN WHICH GOD MADE A BINDING COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM.

WE SAW HOW WAY BACK IN 1800 BCE, COVENANTS –

SACRED BINDING AGREEMENTS – WERE MADE BY​​ A​​ PRIMITIVE PROCESS​​ KNOWN AS “CUTTING A COVENANT,”​​ 

IN WHICH A​​ NUMBER

OF ANIMALS WERE SACRIFICED, CUT INTO TWO PIECES,​​ 

AND THEN TWO LONG ROWS OF THE DIVIDED PIECES

ARRANGED SO THAT THERE WAS A NARROW PATH

THROUGH WHICH SOMEONE COULD WALK.

IF A PERSON WALKED THROUGH THE CUT PIECES​​ 

OF THE SACRIFICED ANIMALS, HE WAS MAKING THE STATEMENT

THAT IF HE WERE TO BREAK THE COVENANT,

SO MAY HE BE CUT IN TWO IN THE SAME WAY AS THESE ANIMALS.

WE SAW HOW IN ALL OF ANCIENT LITERATURE THERE IS NO EXAMPLE

OF THE SUPERIOR​​ PARTY TO A COVENANT EVER WALKING​​ THROUGH

THE CUT PIECES HIMSELF – IT WAS ALWAYS THE INFERIOR PARTY

WHO WAS FORCED TO HUMBLE HIMSELF IN THIS WAY.

THAT IS, THERE IS NO EXAMPLE IN ALL OF ANCIENT LITERATURE

OF THIS HAPPENING WITH THE SINGLE EXCEPTION​​ 

OF OUR TEXT FROM GENESIS LAST SUNDAY,

IN WHICH GOD SYMBOLICALLY PASSES THROUGH

THE CUT PIECES INSTEAD OF ABRAHAM.

THUS DOES GOD MAKE THE SHOCKING STATEMENT

THAT GOD IS WILLING TO DIE IN ORDER TO KEEP​​ 

GOD’S COVENANT WITH HUMANITY THROUGH ABRAHAM INTACT.

IT TOOK SOME 1800 YEARS OF HUMANITY’S​​ BREAKING​​ 

ITS COVENANT WITH GOD, AND GOD TRYING EVERY POSSIBLE MEANS

TO​​ CALL HUMANITY BACK TO ITS SIDE OF FIDELITY TO THE COVENT

BEFORE GOD ACTED IN THE MOST DECISIVE WAY POSSIBLE.

BY THE END OF THIS 1800 YEAR SWATH OF HUMAN HISTORY,

GOD REALIZED THAT THE MANY CLUES TO HIS​​ COMPASSIONATE,

FORGIVING, AND LOVING NATURE THAT HE HAD SEWN

THROUGHOUT THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES​​ 

LIKE BEAUTIFUL WILDFLOWERS OF NONVIOLENCE

ON THE VAST LAWN OF HUMANITY’S PROJECTIONS

OF ITS OWN VIOLENCE ONTO GOD,

WERE NEVER GOING TO BE ENOUGH TO SAVE HUMANITY

FROM ITS SELF-DESTRUCTIVE WAYS.

GOD REALIZED THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO COME IN PERSON

TO TEACH AND SHOW US THE WAY TO KEEP OUR SIDE

OF THE ONLY COVENANT THAT CAN MAKE US WHOLE.

AND GOD SAW THAT THE ONLY​​ WAY​​ 

IN WHICH GOD COULD CONVINCE CONFUSED, WAYWARD

HUMANITY TO GIVE UP ITS VIOLENT WAYS

WAS TO DEFINITIVELY SHOW US THAT GOD, IN GODSELF,​​ 

WAS NOTHING BUT COMPASSION, FORGIVENESS, AND LOVE.

AND GOD SAW THAT THE ONLY WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS

FOR HUMANITY WAS FOR GOD TO ALLOW GODSELF​​ 

TO BE PUT TO DEATH AND IN THE VERY PROCESS OF DYING

TO OFFER ONLY FORGIVENESS IN RETURN, NOT REVENGE.

GOOD FRIDAY IS GOD’S WAY ULTIMATE WAY OF SAYING​​ 

TO WAYWARD, VIOLENT HUMANITY THAT​​ 

“THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING YOU CAN DO

THAT WOULD MAKE ME GIVE UP ON YOU OR LOVE YOU LESS.”

BUT BEFORE WE GET TO GOOD FRIDAY,

LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED​​ 

THROUGHOUT THE WEEK THAT CHRISTIANS CALL “HOLY”

THAT LED UP TO THIS POINT.

PALM SUNDAY IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE DAY

WHEN JESUS MADE HIS SO-CALLED “TRIUMPHAL” ENTRY

INTO JERUSALEM.

JESUS’ “TRIUMPHAL” ENTRY IS ACTUALLY A MISNOMER​​ 

OF THE HIGHEST ORDER.

ISRAEL’S CONQUERING KINGS WERE MET​​ 

BY​​ JERUSALEM’S CROWDS STRIPPING PALM BRANCHES

OFF THE TREES AND STREWING THEM IN THE ROAD​​ 

FOR THE KING TO RIDE OVER, JUST AS HE HAD RIDDEN OVER

THE HEADS OF HIS ENEMIES.

THE PEOPLE EXPECTED THE MESSIAH TO COME IN THE FORM

OF JUST SUCH A CONQUERING HERO,​​ 

AND THEY PROJECTED ONTO JESUS THEIR OWN VISION

OF A MESSIAH LIKE KING DAVID​​ 

WHO WOULD BATTLE THE HATED ROMANS AND DESTROY THEM.

IT IS TELLING THAT THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE MINISTRY

JESUS TRIED TO STEER HIS FOLLOWERS AWAY FROM

DESCRIBING HIM AS “MESSIAH,” A TITLE STEEPED IN PAST

AND PROJECTED FUTURE VIOLENCE.

INTEAD, HE DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS THE “SON OF MAN,”

A NONVIOLENT TITLE FOR GOD’S NONVIOLENT REPRESENTATIVE

WHO IS DESCRIBED IN DETAIL IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL,

A BIBLICAL BOOK WITH WHICH JESUS CLOSELY IDENTIFIED.

AS HE DOES WITH ALL THE MANY CHOICES​​ 

BETWEEN VIOLENT AND NONVIOLENT OPTIONS

IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES,​​ JESUS CHOOSES​​ 

THE NONVIOLENT OPTION FOR HIS SO-CALLED

“TRIUMPHAL” ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.

JESUS OWN EMPHASIS ON PALM SUNDAY​​ 

IS NOT ON THE RIPPED OFF PALM BRANCHES –

IN ITSELF A VIOLENT WELCOME FOR A VIOLENT HERO.

NO, JESUS REPUDIATES THIS VIOLENCE

BY DELIBERATELY CHOOSING TO ENTER THE CITY

ON THE BACK OF A LOWLY DONKEY,

A SYMBOL OF HUMILITY AND PEACE.

FOR THE SYMBOLISM OF TRIUMPHANT PALM BRANCHES​​ 

TO WORK IN TERMS OF CELEBRATING THE ENTRY​​ 

OF A VIOLENT WARRIOR-KING MESSIAH SUCH AS DAVID,

JESUS WOULD HAVE HAD TO ENTER THE CITY​​ 

ON THE BACK OF A WAR HORSE.

THE DONKEY WAS THE OPPOSITE OF A WARHORSE,

AND BY CHOOSING THIS SYMBOLISM,

JESUS WAS CONSCIOUSLY REPUDIATING THE ROLE

OF A VIOLENT MESSIAH BRINGING ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM

BY MEANS OF A HOLY WAR.

HE WAS ALSO CONSCIOUSLY PLANTING A SEED​​ 

OF CONTRADICTION AND HOPEFULLY DISCERNMENT

INTO THE VERY HEART OF THIS CELEBRATION

OF A HOPED-FOR VIOLENT SAVIOR.

SADLY, THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AS A WHOLE

STILL CELEBRATES PALM SUNDAY AS THE DAY

OF JESUS’ SO-CALLED “TRIUMPHAL” ENTRY​​ 

INTO JERUSALEM, WHEN JESUS HIMSELF​​ 

CLEARLY WANTED HIS ENTRY TO BE SEEN​​ 

IN TERMS HIS HUMILITY AND NONVIOLENCE.

A BETTER NAME FOR THIS DAY WOULD BE “BURRO SUNDAY!”

JUST AS TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN OBSERVANCE MISSES THE BOAT

WHEN IT REFERS TO THE SUNDAY BEFORE EASTER​​ 

AS “PALM SUNDAY,”

SO TOO TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN OBSERVANCE

SERIOUSLY MISUNDERSTANDS JESUS’ ACTION IN THE TEMPLE

WHEN IT REFERS TO IT AS A “CLEANSING.”

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HIS PROPHETIC FOREBEARS

AMOS, HOSEA, ISAIAH, AND JEREMIAH,

WHO RAILED AGAINST THE TEMPLE​​ 

AND ITS SYSTEM OF SACRIFICIAL VIOLENCE,

AND HOPED FOR SOMETHING BETTER TO REPLACE IT,

JESUS ACTION IS NO MERE CLEANSING,​​ 

BUT​​ HIS DENUNCIATION TEMPLE WORSHIP AS A WHOLE.

OVERTURNING THE TABLES OF THE MONEY CHANGERS,

NOT ALLOWING ANYONE TO CARRY ANYTHING​​ 

THROUGH THE TEMPLE, AND DRIVING THE SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS

OUT OF THE TEMPLE, ALL POINT IN ONE DIRECTION ​​ --

JESUS INTENTION WAS TO PUT AN END TO THE​​ 

SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM OF THE TEMPLE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

THIS BECOMES CRYSTAL CLEAR WHEN WE REALIZE THAT

THE GREEK WORD USUALLY TRANSLATED AS A WEAK “ANYTHING”

IN OUR ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS, IS ACTUALLY THE SPECIFIC WORD

USED TO REFER TO THE SACRED VESSELS USED IN TEMPLE SACRIFICE –

VESSELS SUCH AS THE MULTITUDE OF SACRED BOWLS

NECESSARY TO CATCH THE SACRIFICIAL BLOOD​​ 

OF THE MULTITUDE OF SLAUGHTERED ANIMALS,​​ 

ESTIMATED TO BE SOME 50,000 SHEEP FOR ANY GIVEN PASSOVER.

IN “NOT ALLOWING ANYONE TO CARRY ANYTHING​​ 

THROUGH THE TEMPLE,” JESUS IS ACTUALLY BLOCKING​​ 

THE TRANSPORT OF THE VERY VESSELS NECESSARY

FOR​​ THE PERFORMANCE OF THE TEMPLE’S MAIN FUNCTION –SACRIFICE.

JESUS’ PROPHETIC ACTION, THEN, IS NOT MERELY TO “CLEANSE”

THE TEMPLE, BUT, LIKE MANY OF THE PROPHETS WHO CAME

BEFORE HIM, AN EXPRESSION OF HIS DESIRE TO SEE​​ 

TEMPLE WORSHIP REPLACED ALTOGETHER.

AND JESUS DOES REPLACE​​ THE VIOLENT RITUAL OF THE TEMPLE

WITH A NEW FORM OF WORSHIP THE VERY NEXT DAY,

WHEN HE CELEBRATES PASSOVER WITH HIS DISCIPLES.

AS HE DOES WITH SO MANY ASPECTS OF HIS JEWISH HERITAGE,

JESUS TAKES A CENTRAL PART OF JUDAISM,

IN THIS CASE, PASSOVER, AND TRANSFORMS ITS MEANING.

PASSOVER, LIKE TEMPLE SACRIFICE, WAS ALL ABOUT BLOOD.

BUT JESUS TAKES THE VIOLENT BLOOD OF PASSOVER AND TEMPLE

AND LINKS IT TO THE “POURING OUT” OF THE BLOOD​​ 

OF GOD’S SUFFERING SERVANT,​​ 

A FIGURE IN THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH

WHO IS THE PERSONAL, COMPASSIONATE, FORGIVING, NONVIOLENT​​ 

EMISSARY WHOM GOD SENDS TO BROKEN HUMANITY

TO REVEAL TO IT THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF GOD’S LOVE.

JESUS ALSO LINKS WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE DOES

TO THE “NEW” COVENANT MENTIONED IN THE​​ 

BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH.

THIS “NEW” COVENANT IS CENTERED IN THE HUMAN HEART,

AND NOT IN ANY SACRIFICIAL PRACTICE WHATSOEVER.

THE “NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD”​​ 

THAT WE HEARD MENTIONED IN LUKE’S GOSPEL

IS A DIRECT REFERENCE TO THE BLOOD THAT JESUS WILL SHED

THE DAY AFTER PASSOVER, THE DAY THAT WE CHRISTIANS

REFER TO AS “GOOD” FRIDAY.

UNLIKE PASSOVER AND TEMPLE WHERE THE BLOOD SHED

IS VIOLENT, THE BLOOD THAT JESUS SHEDS ON THE CROSS

IS NOTHING BUT FORGIVENESS, COMPASSION, AND PEACE.

BLOOD, IN OTHER WORDS, THAT SYMBOLIZES THE ESSENCE

OF GOD’S NONVIOLENT LOVE.

IT SYMBOLIZES THE NEW WAY OF BEING HUMAN​​ 

THAT GOD HAS BROUGHT ABOUT IN JESUS

AND THAT​​ GOD HOPES TO BRING ABOUT IN​​ US.

WHEN WE RECEIVE THE BREAD AND WINE OF COMMUNION

WE ARE SAYING “YES!” TO THE NEW NONVIOLENT

WAY OF BEING HUMAN THAT GOD DESIRES​​ 

EACH OF US TO EMBRACE AND THEM EMBODY OURSELVES.

THERE’S SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH TIME AT THIS POINT

TO GO INTO THE INS AND OUTS OF WHAT JESUS’ DEATH​​ 

ACCOMPLISHED.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT SINCE JESUS ON PALM SUNDAY RODE INTO JERUSALEM

ON A BURRO AND NOT A WAR HORSE,​​ 

SINCE JESUS PUT AN END TO​​ 

THE VIOLENT SACRIFICES OF THE TEMPLE, ​​ 

AND SINCE JESUS

REINTERPRETED THE VIOLENT BLOOD OF PASSOVER

IN TERMS OF THE NONVIOLENT BLOOD OF​​ 

GOD’S SUFFERING SERVANT,

THAT UNDERSTANDING WHAT HAPPENED ON THE CROSS

IN TERMS OF GOD’S DEMANDING THE BLOOD OF HIS SON

TO LET US OFF THE HOOK, AS SO MANY CHRISTIANS DO,

IS IMMEDIATELY UNDERCUT BECAUSE THIS CONTRADICTS

JESUS OWN​​ UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HE​​ WAS DOING.

JESUS DID NOT THINK OF WHAT HE DID​​ 

IN TERMS OF SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT,​​ 

AND NEITHER SHOULD WE.

HE CAME TO GIVE US A NEW MODEL, A NEW PATTERN FOR LIVING.

HE DIED BECAUSE WE PREFER OUR VIOLENCE TO HIS PEACE.

GOD RAISED HIM FROM DEATH TO DEFINITIVELY CONFIRM THE FACT

THAT JESUS’ WAY IS GOD’S WAY.

THE EARLY CHURCH GOT THIS.

A WIDE VARIETY OF EARLY CHURCH THINKERS HAVE EXPRESSED

VARIATIONS ON THE THEME OF​​ 

“GOD BECAME A HUMAN BEING SO THAT HUMAN BEINGS

COULD BECOME MORE LIKE GOD. ​​ MORE LIKE GOD IN TERMS

OF GOD’S CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPASSION, FORGIVENESS,​​ 

NONVIOLENCE, AND LOVE.”

THERE IS A GROWING MOVEMENT, A MOVEMENT OF WHICH

COMMUNITY CHURCH IS A​​ PART, TO RETURN TO THE VISION OF THE EARLY CHURCH OF GRACIOUSLY ACCEPTING JESUS’ DESIRE

TO TEACH US HOW TO LIVE.

WE ARE “SAVED” THROUGH THE PROCESS OF BECOMING​​ 

MORE AND MORE LIKE HIM.

AMEN.