BIBLE STUDY #127


PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

March 24, 2013





AT THE PROCESSION WITH PALMS

GOSPEL LK 19:28-40



Jesus proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.

As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany

at the place called the Mount of Olives,

he sent two of his disciples.

He said, “Go into the village opposite you,

and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered

on which no one has ever sat.

Untie it and bring it here.

And if anyone should ask you,

‘Why are you untying it?’

you will answer,

‘The Master has need of it.’”

So those who had been sent went off

and found everything just as he had told them.

And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,

“Why are you untying this colt?”

They answered,

“The Master has need of it.”

So they brought it to Jesus,

threw their cloaks over the colt,

and helped Jesus to mount.

As he rode along,

the people were spreading their cloaks on the road;

and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives,

the whole multitude of his disciples

began to praise God aloud with joy

for all the mighty deeds they had seen.

They proclaimed:

“Blessed is the king who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Peace in heaven

and glory in the highest.”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,

“Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

He said in reply,

“I tell you, if they keep silent,

the stones will cry out!”





AT THE MASS

READING 1 IS 50:4-7



The Lord GOD has given me

a well-trained tongue,

that I might know how to speak to the weary

a word that will rouse them.

Morning after morning

he opens my ear that I may hear;

and I have not rebelled,

have not turned back.

I gave my back to those who beat me,

my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;

my face I did not shield

from buffets and spitting.



The Lord GOD is my help,

therefore I am not disgraced;

I have set my face like flint,

knowing that I shall not be put to shame.



The Word of the Lord



RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24

R. (2a) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

All who see me scoff at me;

they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:

“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,

let him rescue him, if he loves him.”

R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Indeed, many dogs surround me,

a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;

They have pierced my hands and my feet;

I can count all my bones.

R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

They divide my garments among them,

and for my vesture they cast lots.

But you, O LORD, be not far from me;

O my help, hasten to aid me.

R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

I will proclaim your name to my brethren;

in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:

“You who fear the LORD, praise him;

all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;

revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”

R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?



READING 2

PHILIP[PIANS 2:6-11



Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and found human in appearance,

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name

which is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.



The Word of the Lord



Reflection



Before I begin with my reflection, I’d like to share a reflection on the Easter Triduum :



This week we begin the shortest liturgical season of the year: The Triduum. This is a Latin word meaning three days and it includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. We tend to separate these three days from each other as if they existed alone and not in concert with each other. We tend to think in terms of re-enactment, as if we were reliving those days and we try to place ourselves in these events. What was it like at the Last Supper, or at Calvary, or at the empty tomb? What did the apostles and disciples, the people in the scriptural stories experience those three days? What would I have done if I were there? But these events can’t be relived or re-enacted. As the Church teaches, what happened once in history becomes a part of our sacramental celebrations of this week. The Triduum is one long story of God’s love for us; it celebrates mystery, not history. We need to think of these three days in relation to how God is working in our lives today. How do the events of this week shape and mold my faith; how do these events draw me closer to God in today’s world; what do they say about my interaction with the problems of my family, my community, my society; how do these events give me hope in a troubled world; and how do they assist me in being the best disciple I can be? I invite all of you to share in as much of our events of this week as you can to reflect on how God is working in your life. May this be a week of grace and inspiration, but especially peace.



This year’s passion comes from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 22:14-23:56). I didn’t include it because my reflections are based on Jesus entry into Jerusalem.



The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem marks the beginning of a new section of this gospel concerned with the teaching ministry of Jesus from his entry and prior to his death and resurrection. Luke suggests that this was a lengthy ministry, more than the five days we normally think are between his entry and his death. This section begins with 19:28 and goes until the end of chapter 21. The passion narrative begins with chapter 22.



Bethphage is a village that can’t be located anymore, but since Bethany is mentioned, it’s probably near there. Bethany is east of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives is a hill also east of Jerusalem. In Zechariah 14:4, it is the place where the Lord will come to rescue the nation from its enemies. It is right next to Jerusalem and is a much higher elevation. Standing on top of this mount gives one a spectacular view of the whole city of Jerusalem. The west slope of the mount is a large graveyard where many famous people are buried, such as Menachim Begin, the former Prime Minister of Israel. It’s a great honor to be buried there, since when the messiah comes, they will be the first to rise from their graves.



Jesus sends 2 of his disciples to “the village opposite you,’ probably either Bethphage or Bethany, to find a colt “on which no one has ever sat.” Matthew’s Gospel says “an ass tethered, and a colt with her” to fulfill the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. They are to untie it and bring it to Jesus. If they are questioned, they are to say that the master has need of it. These disciples found ‘everything just as he told them’.



Some commentators say that Jesus has this whole scene prearranged. That seems a little mundane to me. If so, what’s the purpose? I think that this scene points toward the divinity of Jesus. Who else can tell the future except God? Luke is saying that the one riding into Jerusalem is not only the long awaited Messiah, but also the Son of God.



Also in this verse, the Messiah comes in lowliness and peace, and not as a warrior. Kings and princes rode on horses and chariots, but the Messiah rides into Jerusalem on a colt, a sign of humility and a symbol of peace. Jesus fulfills this prophecy with his own entry into Jerusalem.



Jesus is the true, humble messianic king and he comes to his capital, only to be killed, as Jerusalem did to the other prophets. Jesus is the peaceful king, the just and saving king, who completes his mission not by conquering, but by dying and rising. His mission is a mission of service, not of greatness.



The spreading of cloaks and the waving of palm branches is significant in Jewish history. In 2 Kings 9:13, when the Lord anointed Jehu as king, “At once each took his garment, spread it under Jehu on the bare steps, blew the trumpet, and cried out ‘Jehu is king’!”



In 1 Maccabees 13:51, after a great victory over an enemy, the people “entered the citadel with shouts of jubilation, waving palm branches, the music of harps and cymbals and lyres, and the singing of hymns and canticles.”



By spreading their cloaks on the ground, the people are acknowledging Jesus as king; not a king that will rule over people, but a king who serves other people. Jesus ministry was one of service: he never looked for anything for himself, but gave everything he had for others.



The waving of palm branches signifies Jesus victory over the 2 greatest enemies we have: sin and death. Through his mission as the obedient Son of God who came to serve and not be served, Jesus lays down his life and rises from the dead who frees us from sin and death.



“And now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. They proclaimed: ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.’ ” The people are hoping that Jesus is the one promised, the Messiah that God promised to send. They hope that he is a king like David who frees the people from their enemies and builds up the kingdom economically, politically, and religiously. But Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt, signifying a different type of Messiah, one that is humble, one that comes to serve, one that comes to save.



We see that in the long passion narrative from Luke’s Gospel. Jesus begins the week by riding triumphantly into Jerusalem, like a King, but ends his week seemingly as a failure on the wood of the cross. His triumph of the early part of the week seems to end in the humiliation of crucifixion. But he comes not to establish an earthly kingdom, but an eternal and heavenly one. He comes not to vanquish our earthly enemies, but our spiritual ones; he comes to conquer sin and death.



On the cross Jesus says, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Who is he asking to be forgiven? Is it the soldiers? Yes. Is it the disciples who ran away? Yes. Is it Pilate? Yes. Is it the religious leadership who helped bring all this about? Yes. More importantly for us, he is asking for forgiveness for you and me. For all those who try to believe but fail. For all those who turn away from him. For all those who ever lived on earth so that they can live in heaven.



Jesus’ love is so great that he was willing to suffer horribly and die for us. Not just humanity in general but for you and me specifically by name. He takes on our sins so we can take on his holiness. He conquers death so we can attain everlasting life: not just life in heaven, but the fullness of life today and everyday.



Jesus gives the great gifts of forgiveness, life in abundance, and salvation. What can we offer in return? We get a hint in the first reading from Isaiah when he gives us the best biblical definition of one who follows God: “Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled.” We take time in prayer to listen to God, to see what he wants for us, and then we carry that word to others, “The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them.” And like Jesus, when we are persecuted, “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” Revenge is not a part of our vocabulary, but forgiveness is. And we do not despair or lose hope because, “The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced;

I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.”



We praise Jesus as the prince of peace, the servant-king, the long awaited messiah, the lowly and humble Lord, who gives us all so we can live forever. Can we follow him from the Mount of Olives, to the upper room, to Calvary, to the triumph of the empty tomb during holy week? I invite all of you to join us to celebrate the events that changed the world.



I hope that everyone has a wonderful and spiritually fulfilling Holy Week, and may the crucified and risen Christ bless you and your families abundantly.





Fr. Phil