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The Symbols Of The Cross

The Palms

I would like to speak to you today about two parades that took place during the last week of Jesus' life. These two parades may not seem much like parades to you. They were rather impromptu and informal. And yet the basic ingredients of a parade are there in these occurrences in Jesus' life -- a procession of people going down a street with people lined up to watch.

Let's look at the two parades:

The first parade took place on what we now call Palm Sunday. It consisted of Jesus riding a donkey accompanied by his twelve disciples and other followers. Not much of a parade really, but it drew a large crowd of people, many of whom were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Jesus had decided to face down his accusers who wanted to get him out of the picture. Jesus made a bold statement of who he was in God's scheme of things by acting out Zechariah's prophecy and choosing to enter Jerusalem riding on a lowly donkey. But the people misunderstood. They waved palm branches and cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the King of Israel. Hosanna!" You see, they thought that Jesus was a military or political leader who would overthrow Roman rule. Now that expectation had to be quite a stretch. Look at Jesus and his motley crew of disciples. How could anyone really expect them to overthrow the Roman army? How could anyone expect this group to mount a successful campaign against the irritating and irksome Romans?

The second parade took place on what we now call Good Friday. By then the palm branches had begun to dry and wilt and turn brown. It was not a parade of Jesus' planning and choice. It was a procession from the praetorium where Jesus had been tried by Pilate to a place called Golgotha where he was to be crucified. Those in the procession were Jesus, two criminals who were also going to be crucified, a contingent of Roman soldiers, and eventually Simon of Cyrene, who as a bystander was conscripted into carrying Jesus' cross. Not much of a parade either, but it again drew a crowd to watch this procession. Many in this crowd were the same persons who had hailed Jesus at his first parade earlier in the week but now they called out for his crucifixion. His first parade was a sign of who they thought he was, and now they felt Jesus had misled and failed them. No one was waving palm branches this time. There were also some in the crowd who tried to be as inconspicuous as possible; these were Jesus' disciples, who looked on with confusion, fear, and despair. And there were such people as Mary his mother and Mary of Magdala, who were watching with aching and agonizing hearts the spectacle about which they could do nothing.

The interesting part about it is that these two parades turned out to be very different from what they seemed. The first parade seemed to be a conqueror's entrance; it turned into misunderstanding, confrontation, denial, betrayal, conviction, and death. The second parade seemed to be the forced march of a pathetic, misguided victim to the place of his death; it turned into redemption and resurrection.

The week started out with the green palms and ended with dried, brown, dead palms, and yet the palms that celebrate Jesus' procession never die. These two parades made a difference in the life of Jesus' followers and in the life of the world. The first parade led to the scattering of the disciples to save their own necks. The second parade led to the gathering of the disciples by the power of the Risen Christ to save the world. In these two parades the disciples came to a clear understanding of who Jesus was and who Jesus was not. They came to understand in what way Jesus would accomplish his purpose by the power of love and not by the power of force. They came to understand Jesus' words about being obedient unto death. They came to understand what was going on in both parades. And they came to experience the power of God's love through Jesus' death on the cross.

Because of these two strange parades and what they mean, countless persons through the years have turned around and started marching in the right direction. They have marched through life with a new purpose, a new strength, a new enthusiasm. Each parade in its way has contributed to an understanding of what God has done and is doing in this man Jesus who we call the Christ. And because of what transpired in the events surrounding these two parades, people have joined together to bring the message of God's truth and love to the world.

These two parades call us to come out of the crowds and become a part of Jesus' ongoing procession.
• A procession that involves pain and suffering and cross-bearing, and yet a procession that promises triumph over the negative forces of life.
• A procession that involves the need for courage, and yet a procession that promises strength for its participants.
• A procession that involves giving up those things we hold dear, and yet a procession that promises all we will ever need.
• A procession that may seem confusing and puzzling, and yet a procession that makes everything clear.
• A procession that looks like it is marching toward a dead end, and yet a procession that opens up everything.
• A procession that is marked by dead, dry, wilted palm branches, and yet a procession that allows us to wave fresh palms and shout anew, "Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Come, join Jesus' parade. The electricity is in the air. It is a parade that can change your life and the life of the world. We do not march alone. We march with Jesus. We march with each other. Do not allow the parade to end at the cross.