The celebration of the Lord’s
triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the reading of the Passion narrative
portray the oftentimes fickle and changing tides characterizing our
daily existence.
The rising part of those fickle
and changing
tides represents all of the good that comes from hard work. That can
include, among other things, doing as well as one can in school, working
at one’s personal growth to nurture a marriage, engaging in activities
that interest other family members in order to sustain and enhance
family life, or toiling away to make a decent living. In Jesus’ life,
the rising part of those tides represents all of the good he
accomplished for others and, especially, for sinners.
The cresting part of those fickle
and changing tides represents the recognition people receive from others. It
may include recognition from one’s parents, a respected teacher, one’s
spouse, kids, and friends, or even, one’s boss. In Jesus’ life, the
tides' crest came that first Palm Sunday in Jerusalem as the community
of the Jewish people honored Jesus. They threw a parade and cheered him
with "Hosannas." They called him "Son of David" and
"King of Israel."
The ebbing part of those fickle
and changing
tides represents the other side of the cresting part, the painful
fallout that oftentimes results as one’s accomplishments are all but
forgotten. While people dream about being able to sit back and to bask
in the glory of all they’ve accomplished, the reality which the
Passion narrative portrays is that other people quickly forget all of
the good that one has done on their behalf. In Jesus’ life, the ebbing
of these changing tides begins on Holy Thursday evening, grows on Good
Friday, and is given its fullest expression in his last gasp, "My
God, why have you forsaken me?"
Today’s commemoration of Jesus’
triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the reading of his passion at the
start of Holy Week alert us to these fickle and changing tides. Yes:
people work hard and do accomplish much. Yes: people enjoy being
recognized by others. And, yes: many people dream of basking in the
glory. But, the harsh reality communicated by the Passion narrative is
that, as the memory of one’s accomplishments ebb, people are abandoned
and are tempted to wonder why even God has abandoned them.
As Christians, we need to be
alert to these fickle and changing tides because they represent the
negative side of human motivation. That negative motive involves making
our decisions to do something---even good things---because we desire the
praise of others, even God. Rather than making decisions based solely
upon what is good, right, proper, and just, we allow praise to motivate
us. For Jesus' disciples, that is deleterious.
Lest we forget, the second
commandment states explicitly, "Thou shall not have strange gods
before me." In light of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and
the narrative of his Passion, another way to state the idea communicated
in the second commandment is: "In the decisions you make, don’t
ever choose to do anything that closes your heart to the love of
God." As God’s creatures, what the second commandment requires is
that we base our decisions not upon a rational calculation about how to
maximize the amount of praise we will receive, irregardless of whether
that praise comes from friends or associates, from family members or one’s
spouse, or even, from God. Instead, we should base our decisions solely
upon the spiritual calculation that tells us to do that which opens our
hearts wide to the overflowing abundance of God’s freely given love.
No doubt about it, this is a very
tough standard. But, as disciples, we have Jesus as our model. It is
Jesus who points us in the direction that allows God’s freely given
love to grow in our hearts as we imitate the example of His
only-begotten Son.
Throughout his life, Jesus sought
praise neither from others (including his family and friends) nor from
God. Instead, Jesus modeled how prayer enables us to remain focused
intently upon allowing nothing to impede God's love from growing in our
hearts. For example, Jesus prayed for forty days in the desert and
experienced multiple temptations. Yet, persisting in prayer, Jesus
decided not to allow temptation to keep God's love from growing in his
heart. And today we heard how, following what would prove to be his
final Passover meal, Jesus spent several hours praying in the Garden of
Gethsemane. Once again, Jesus is tempted. Yet, Jesus prays, "Not my
will but your will be done," having made the decision to allow
God's love to grow in his heart. Through prayer---whether in the desert
or in the garden---Jesus' motive was love of God not praise.
As disciples, this represents our
challenge.
As the fickle and changing tides
rise and crest in our lives, we must make decisions. There’s no
getting away from this fact. As we pray about what God asks of us, we
will be tempted---just as Jesus was---to focus upon concerns other than
that which should be of utmost concern for Jesus’ disciples, namely,
allowing God’s love to grow in our hearts.
When the fickle and changing tides ebb in our lives, as both today’s commemoration of Jesus’
triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the narrative of his Passion remind
us, we will experience rejection just as Jesus did. The greatest
temptation will come, however, not as the crowds---including
acquaintances, friends and family members---mock and jeer, saying
"If you could save others, why don’t you save yourself?" No,
our greatest temptation will come when we must decide if God has
abandoned us.
For people who believe that God
has abandoned them, the joy of the miracle of Easter is very far off.
Why? Because these people close their hearts to the
freely-given gift of God’s abundant love.
This Holy Week, let’s be
steadfast in prayer, as Jesus was in his hour of temptation. Let’s do
so by turning away from the idolatry of seeking praise. Let us open our hearts so that God will fill
them with His love. Then, we will experience the miracle of God's life
that is Easter.