It has always struck me as we work through the Passion narrative, how the crowd goes from shouting "Hosanna in the highest!" at the beginning of the story to "Crucify him!" at the end. In the course of a few days, public opinion about Jesus shifts from worship to condemnation. At one moment, the people are ready to coronate him. The next, they are ready to execute him.
The fickleness of public opinion shouldn't be surprising, I suppose. I mean, we only need to look at our own political races to see how a candidate can be a Cinderella one day to an also-ran a short time later. People like a frontrunner, and are easily swayed by the voices of others.
Jesus, of course, was not running for office. Quite the contrary. He shunned the spotlight and sought to change the world by changing peoples' hearts, one at a time. Yet because his ministry was so effective and successful, he was perceived as a threat to those with political and spiritual authority.
Passion Sunday is not about politics, but about grace. Jesus puts his life in God's hands, and accepts the outcome that this brings - rejection, betrayal and ultimately death at the hands of those he came to heal. The rejection Jesus experiences is pervasive - from Herod to the Chief Priest to his best friends. Yet we find at the end of the story that rejection and betrayal are not the end for Jesus or for those who abandon him. The grace of God remains available to them.
A friend of mine used to like to ask people: "If following Jesus were illegal, would you be found guilty?" His point was to ask if there is enough evidence in our lives to indicate that we are living according to the teachings and spirit of Christ. It's a good question. While there have been times in my life when I've been consciously faithful, there are many other times when I've lost contact, or interest, or courage to do so.
The story of the Passion is the story of all of us. For we all have had our moments when we are full of praise and wonder at the presence of God in our lives, and we have all had our moments when we are act and feel as if God is not here for us. The good news is that the grace of God is still there for us, whether we are shouting "Hosanna in the highest!" or whether we join the crowds in abandoning Christ in word or deed.
As Lent concludes and Holy Week begins, this Sunday calls to reflect on our own contact with God - when we have it, and when we don't. When we have followed Jesus through difficult times and endured, and when we are likely to give up, or run away and look elsewhere for hope and direction. It is not pleasant to read or hear the story of the Passion, particularly during those times when we feel far from God. It can be, though, an opportunity, by the grace of God, to reconnect. Bill Peatman writes from Napa.
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