"It's Bound to Happen!"
Part VI of "Boundaries and Beyond"

by Rev. Dr. Michael Stotts

Mt 21:1-11

Mt 27:11-54

What a joyous scene: Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem! A good number of us have heard the story many times over the years in word and song. We can almost replay the scene in our minds eye as if we were there: the children singing and leading the procession, the people waving palm branches --the symbol of royalty ---- some branches spread on the road to make a royal carpet for the messiah; the new King of the Jews--Jesus-- who rides into the great holy city, down the Mt. of Olives, in triumph, the people shouting Hosanna --save now!--for there's lots of saving needed in their oppressed lives. They're once more a captive people--conquered by the Romans this time. Their lives are hard, and like all of us--they need help from God, for they are mortals. By themselves they're weak. So with joy they welcome the messiah, who comes to save!

But then, we know, there's something else lurking in the background of this story--hints of a crucifixion to come that was almost inevitable. In this season of Lent we've talked about boundaries--boundaries we need as Christians to live our lives as the loving people Christ taught us to be, as well as unnecessary boundaries our world would puts up around us, unnecessarily dividing us from each other. Here as we begin holy week, we see, too, that the world indeed seemed to bind Jesus--as if Crucifixion was bound to happen. As if it was inevitable.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus is often on the run. Even as a child, his parents has to flee with him to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod. When John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus flees. When word is spread about his healing of Lazarus, people are stirred up--he healed on the Sabbath--against Jewish law, so once again he departs quickly; when he'd been to his own hometown, his people had driven him away. So given the setting of his life, it almost seems as if he is destined, on this week that begins with Palm Sunday, to have his life ended on the cross. A fact also inevitable, because of another force in their world.

There are two well-known, respected, though often controversial Biblical scholar/theologians of our day, Marcus Borg and Dominican Crossan, who in a recent book based on extensive scholarship, suggest that that joyous Palm Sunday scene we've described is only half of the setting. Given the influence of the Roman empire and its very real threat at the time, Crossan and Borg suggest that we view that first Palm Sunday scene differently. What if, yes, Jesus and his band of followers entered the holy city down the Mt. of Olives from the East, but at the same time, from the opposite direction, entering through the west gate of Jerusalem, was Caesar's army?

With such a setting, crucifixion would indeed have been bound to happen. Why? Well, Borg and Crossan go on to describe Jesus and his parade of followers as a deliberate, non-violent demonstration, mocking the imperial victory parades of the Romans. And in many ways that was so was it not?

Now whether or not this was literally the whole scene on that first Palm Sunday--as we've seen there is plenty in the gospels leading up to this day to suggest that the crucifixion which occurred at the end of that first Holy Week, was inevitable. So here, even Palm Sunday's procession would have added to the weight of the crucifixions' inevitability. Crossan and Borg suggest that the crucifixion of Christ, was plain and simply an execution at the hands of Roman authority--the execution of one who clearly was challenging the kingdom rule of the Romans and their puppet government in the biblical lands. They go on to suggest that Jesus' Palm Sunday entry was meant as a demonstration by Christ and his followers-- meant to mock the all too common victory parades of Imperial Rome--that it was, in a sense, a parody of those Roman parades. The royal palms, now branches thrown on the road; instead of a Roman governor mounted on a great war-horse accompanied by armies, Jesus comes into the city mounted on a humble donkey or a young colt. Instead of a warrior prince, the one who comes riding in from the East is the Prince of Peace. His army? Simple fishermen and tradespeople ---but they were the people, and it was he, the Son of God who was cheered, not the conquering army. [See,The Last Week, by Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan].

So yes, even if Caesar's army wasn't entering at the same time, Jesus' procession clearly reminded the people of Roman processions they had seen, and also, by contrast, the different character of Jesus' procession would send a clear message--here was their messiah, their savior, their new king--but one very much different from the earthly rulers they'd seen. Even if that day, the Roman army wasn't advancing into the city to put down their mocking parade, one could still very much see that what occurred later in the week, the crucifixion, was inevitable. The Jewish leaders could well have been afraid of repercussions from the Romans with a new leader riding into the city and stirring up the people. Or just the Romans themselves, seeing themselves mocked, would not have looked kindly on this demonstration. Indeed, Jesus collision with the authorities of his day was inevitable. He brought with him a whole new world--that challenged their world and their ways. So it was bound to happen--Jesus journey was bound to lead to the cross.

As we remember and sense that inevitability on this Palm Sunday, this is a good time then for us to reflect on how we, as Christ's people today, help make what happens in our world inevitable, very often, by our actions. What are the crosses we may make inevitable--by the way we live our lives day by day. Take the violence of today's world for example, and the increasing tenancy world governments have to solve our problems with violence. Have we not learned that the more we use violence, the more an increasingly violent world is bound to be the result. How many times have we seen a war between two peoples, lead to the birth of more terrorists and eventually to future wars--can we not see what is bound to happen. The more violent disruptive acts occur, the more violence becomes the norm, often with disastrous results. Have we not learned, even now--what Jesus more peaceful army years ago was trying to teach us?

And in case you don't believe that violence is increasingly becoming the norm for the way we resolve our problems in our world, witness a study done just a few years ago, described in an article in USA today as follows:
        America is becoming a nation of angry, short-tempered people. From road rage to airplane rage, grocery store rage, and violence at youth sports events, [and] the media has been reporting these emotional outbursts with unprecedented frequency.
        More than three-fourths of Americans believe angry behavior has increased in places like airports and highways, according to a USA-Gallup Poll. Flight attendants and pilots report a dramatic increase in problem passengers; 66 incidents in 1997, 534 incidents in 1999.

The article went on to say that the increasing busyness of our people, and the constant interruptions in our lives by technology tend to build up internal pressures in people today. Then a general breakdown of social conventions , manners and social controls [quote] "gives a validation, a permission, to be aggressive. Kids used to be guided by social convention to 'keep the lid on.' Today," said the article, "they are guided more in the direction of taking it off." (USA Today, July 18, 2000).

Yes, and I would guess that we've all seen it, ourselves haven't we. How many of you have witnessed an example of road rage of one kind or another. I know I have--like the I time a tried a "Massachusetts left turn" in Cleveland when we were there visiting Peggy's family and friends a couple of years ago. So just as we often do here in Massachusetts, when I was stopped at a light, once it turned green, since I was at the head of the line, I made a quick left turn in front of a driver coming from the opposite direction who was also turning onto that road. Well, he was so mad at me that he followed us for several blocks, tailgating us and blowing his horn. Fortunately that finally let off enough steam for him apparently that he ceased following us, but I was frightened for a moment. And learned not to make a "Massachusetts left turn" in Cleveland.

Yes, and I'm sure we've all witnessed people who've failed to keep the lid on, and increasingly so. And if it's so here on our shores, think what we're doing when we take our violent tendencies overseas. We plant more and more seeds of violence, rather than seeds of a way of love and caring for the other person, get planted. So we need to ask ourselves, as a people: "Who are we becoming? What are we making sure will happen? What is it that is bound to happen in our world, if we fail to follow Christ and his peaceful band, instead of being like Caesar's violent army?"

And the fact that the way we live our lives does make inevitable certain outcomes in the future--the fact that we create outcomes that are bound to happen--should also tell us how important it is in our personal lives to begin with ourselves, and to live our own lives in a way we wish the world would live too. For we are the world, you know. As we live, so we encourage those around us to live--if we love, we're more likely to elicit loving responses; if we're violent, we should not be surprised by violent responses--for then they're bound to happen.

I'm reminded of that old tale of the Magic Mark--you may know it. Years ago William Stidger, a well known preacher in his day, shared the story and it very much speaks to us here today, so I'd like to share it with you. It's the tale, said Stidger, of a "once great and powerful king who ruled over thousands of soldiers and with them had conquered vast domains for his own. He was very wise and brave, respected and feared by all; but no one loved him. Each year, as he grew more ruthless, he grew more lonely, and his face reflected the bitterness in his greedy soul. There were deep ugly lines about his cruel mouth which never showed a smile and a deep frown permanently furrowed in his forehead.

"Now it happened that in one of the cities over which he ruled there lived a beautiful girl whom he had watched for many months as he went about among the people; he loved her and wanted to marry her. So, the powerful king decided to go and speak to her of his love. Dressing in his finest robes and placing a gold crown on his head, he looked into his mirror to see what kind of picture he would make for the woman he loved. But he could see nothing in the mirror, except a face that would cause fear and dislike for himself--for his cruel, hard face looked even worse when he tried to smile.

"But then, wise as he was, the king had a n idea and sent for a magician. When the wizard arrived, the king instructed him at once:'Make for me,' he said, 'a mask of the thinnest wax that will follow every line of my features, but paint it with your magic paints so that I'll never have to take it off. Make it handsome--attractive. Use your greatest skill, and I'll pay any price you ask.'
" 'This I can do,' said the magician, 'on one condition. You must keep your own face in the same lines which I paint, or the mask will be ruined. One angry frown and the mask will be ruined forever, and nor can I replace it.'
"'I will do anything you say ,' said the king, eagerly, 'anything to win the admiration and love of my lady. Tell me how to keep the mask from cracking.'
"'You must think caring thoughts,' replied the magician, 'to do this you must do kindly deeds. You must make your kingdom happy, rather than powerful. You must replace anger with understanding and love. Build schools for your subjects instead of forts, and hospitals instead of battleships. Be gracious, and courteous and loving to all your people.'
"And with those instructions the magician departed and the magical mask was made and carefully placed over the face of the king. So kind and loving was the new face of the king that he appeared far more handsome than he had previously, and the woman he loved was quickly won over and they were married. Well many months passed, and though the mask was often in danger of ruin, the man fought hard with himself to keep it. His subjects wondered at the miraculous loving change in him, and attributed it to his caring wife, who they said, had made him, like herself.
"And since gentleness and thoughtfulness had entered the life of this man, honesty and goodness were also his, and therefore soon he regretted even having deceived his wife with the magic mask. Until at last he could bear it no longer and he summoned the magician.
"'Remove this false face of mine!' he cried. 'Take it away! . . this deceiving mask that is not my true self!'
"'If I do,' said the magician, 'I can never make another, and you must wear your own face as long as you live.'
" 'Better so,' said the now loving and caring ruler, ''than to deceive one whose love and trust I've won dishonorably. Better that I should be despised by her than go on doing what is unworthy, for her sake. Take it off, I say, take it off!'
"And so the magician took off the mask, and the lord, in fear and anguish, sought out his reflection in the mirror. As he did so, suddenly his eyes brightened and his lips curved into a radiant smile. . .the ugly lines were gone--the frown had disappeared--and lo, his face was the exact likeness of the mask he had worn so long! And when he turned to his beloved wife, she saw only the familiar features of the man she loved." [Slightly revised from the original: "The Magic Mask", There Are Sermons in Stories, Abingdon-Cokesbury Press: New York, 1942,pp 45-47]

You see how important are the patterns we get into as a people, whether as nations, or as individuals? Day by day, we become just that much more heavenly or more hellish, as C.S. Lewis once put it. We determine who we will become, and what our world will become by our actions, day in and day out.

So as Christ rides into our lives today, will we seek to follow him, day by day, or those other armies in whom we far too often put our hopes for salvation. It's time we looked to the Prince of Peace to be saved. To shout hosanna! to God, not our own small gods of power and material wealth and might, and always trying to get our own way. With our palm branches we need to follow the road Christ leads us toward. To seek spiritual peace in our daily lives, and a loving peace with our neighbors in our world. If we will-- since God has also come into the city of our lives to help us, and to lead the way----that way of peace, it will be clear then you see--that God's peace is bound to happen--on earth as it is in heaven! Amen.