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Scripture: Mark 16:1-15
Sermon
Some of you
might be fans of old westerns like High Noon and the string of spaghetti
westerns that Clint Eastwood starred in in the 1960’s. There
was a theme in many of these westerns; the reticent hero would find
himself alone, left to
fend for himself against his enemies. Usually he would be abandoned
by the town, though he would remain loyal to the townspeople.
And then, after a period of believing that the hero might lose to his
enemies, he would ultimately triumph.
There is a bit of the spaghetti
western in the Easter story. The story begins on Palm Sunday with
two triumphal entries into Jerusalem. The first entrant comes in from
the west, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, leading Roman soldiers
into the city. His appearance along with his army symbolizes the
military strength of the Roman Empire, his earthly kingdom. The second
entrant into Jerusalem is Jesus. He comes in from the east, with
the sun behind him. He is praised by the people as he rides in
on a humble donkey, not looking particularly regal.
The week between Palm Sunday
and Easter is the climax of the conflict between two kingdoms, two worldviews:
Pilate’s worldview of a domination system, where the Roman Empire
is in charge; and the worldview of Jesus, where the earth is God’s
kingdom. That conflict is evident through the whole story of Jesus,
but it comes to a head in Jerusalem during Passover.
Like the old westerns, Jesus
as the hero goes to the edge to protest a social system where there
is power without justice. He condemns the rich who lack concern
for the poor. This system of injustice had become so widespread in the
Roman Empire that it was considered normal, but not for Jesus.
Jesus confronts this system, confronts the authorities, offering himself
as a model for others, including us, to do the same when confronted
by injustice. This man of humility engages us and invites us to
follow him.
To those looking on at the
two processions, the contrast would have been clear. Pilate’s procession
was representative of a social order, where might makes right, where
the Roman Empire was in charge. When Jesus rode in amidst proclamations
and shouts of joy from the people that Jesus is Lord, he was making
a very clear statement—a political statement, a royal statement about
true kingship.
Jesus as king was not a conquering
hero with weapons of mass destruction. His weapons were humility,
justice, and peace for all the nations. And with his weapons,
he could break the power of military might. While Pilate’s procession
embodied power, violence and the glory of the empire that ruled the
world, Jesus’ procession embodied a kingdom of peace and justice,
ushered in by God.
The confrontation between these
two kingdoms is what drives that final week. Jesus knew that the conflict
would come to a head and that it would lead to his own death. He tries
to explain it to his disciples, but they can’t hear this message.
It’s too hard.
The last week, leading up to
Easter is hard. But without Easter, we would not know about Jesus.
If his story had ended with the crucifixion, most likely, he would have
been forgotten, along with numerous other people of the time who claimed
to be prophets. Just another rebel crucified by the Roman imperial
authorities in a bloody century where thousands of such executions occurred.
Without Easter, we would not
have Good Friday because there would have been no abiding community
to give meaning to his death. But we do have the Easter story;
the story of Jesus being raised from death by God. The story of the
empty tomb.
The Easter story tells us that
Jesus Lives – he continues to be experienced after his death on the
cross over 2000 years ago. The gospels tell us of the appearance
stories; to the women, to the disciples, to the crowd. The resurrection
shows us that Jesus is not among the dead, but among the living.
Jesus is a figure of the present, not just the past. The gospel
writer John says blessed are those who have not yet seen but believe.
Our faith assures us that the tomb is empty because Jesus has risen;
it assures us that death has been swallowed up by life. It is only in
faith that we can accept this mystery. But if we do accept it and live
our lives believing that this has indeed happened, we will make it real
in our world.
The Easter story not only tells
us that Jesus Lives, but that Jesus is Lord. God has vindicated
Jesus. God has given a resounding Yes to Jesus and a resounding
No to the powers who executed him. The fact of the matter for
Christians is that Jesus is Lord, and if Jesus is Lord, than that means
that the rulers of this world are not. Easter affirms that the
domination systems of this world are not of God, and that they do not
have the final word. God does. This is the good news.
Christ’ death on Good Friday
and his resurrection on Easter are a central image in Christianity,
and they are the path to transformation. The path involves dying
to the old way of being, and being reborn in a new way of life.
Dying, rising and rebirth. Jesus says, if any want to be my followers,
let them pick up their cross and follow me. We can participate
in the transformation that Jesus has placed before us. The apostle
Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer
I, but Christ who lives in me. If anyone is in Christ, there is
a new creation.
It is High Noon. The
hero enters town from the east, riding a small donkey, the sun at his
back. And coming in from the west, Pontius Pilate, the ruler of
the empire, followed by his huge army. A significant show of his
military might. On Good Friday, we see the staggering forces of
the empire lined up against the solitary Jesus as he preaches and teaches
about the kingdom of God. Even against military might, Jesus challenges
the domination systems of this world that sometimes seem to be normal.
But even through his challenge, he invites us to pick up the cross and
to journey with him through death to resurrection.
Holy Week and the journey of
Lent are about an alternative procession and an alternative journey.
The alternative procession is what we see in Palm Sunday – an anti-empire
and nonviolent procession. The alternative procession is the path
of transformation that leads to a journey with the risen Christ, whether
we have seen him personally, or whether we don’t need to see to believe.
Holy Week is the annual remembrance of the last week of Jesus.
A wondrous
world of mystery has opened up before us, inviting us to step into it.
It presents us with two questions for consideration:
- Which journey are
we on?
- Which procession are we in?
May we always affirm
life. Choose Christ.
May it be so. Amen.
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Queen Anne 
