Palm Sunday

In this article, I am going to focus on some of the events of the Passion and Death of Jesus and not on a particular Gospel passage.  We are going to be hearing these stories on different days of Holy Week.  I hope you like the commentary.

Entrance into Jerusalem. 

The Jewish people at Jesus’ time would select the Paschal lamb to be sacrificed four days before the Passover weekend.  Palm Sunday is the day of choosing the Lamb and the Palm Sunday readings show how the choosing happens.  Jesus enters Jerusalem to acclamations and shouting.  All are happy to see him and some talk of making him king.  Jesus arrives riding a donkey.  Kings always travelled by horse and chariot in Jesus’ time but he arrives on a lesser animal – a burro.  He is king, but not in the same way as the king of Egypt or Roman Emperor, so his mode of transport is different.  Also people are waving palms which were symbols of victory.  Jesus will be victorious by next Sunday but not in the way of an earthly king.  His victory is over sin and death.  The people acclaim him but in just a few days their “Hosannas”  will become “Crucify him!”  After he arrives, Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard and the servants.  The servants reject all the envoys (prophets) of the Master.  Finally the vineyard owner sends his son thinking, “Surely they will respect my Son.”  The servants plan to kill him.  Jesus knows he will follow the way of the prophets – rejection and death.  But he is the last of the prophets because his death will bring salvation to all.

Last Supper

The Lamb will be sacrificed to establish a new covenant.  With whom does God make this new covenant?  Everyone.  The Jews of Jesus’ time were told they were the Chosen People and all others were unclean.  All people are God’s chosen ones now.  The Jews offered sacrifice to thank God and appease God.  The blood of the sacrificed animal was poured out upon the altar.  Now the blood of the sacrificial victim, Jesus, would not be spilled out on the altar but would be drunk by his disciples.  “Whoever does not drink the Blood does not have life in him,” says Jesus.  The Passover meal that the apostles share is unlike any other because the sacrifice is consumed and Jesus’ life is now in their bodies and they will carry Jesus in their bodies to the ends of the earth.  When we celebrate Mass, the Body (consecrated bread) is on a plate and the blood (consecrated wine) is in the chalice.  They are separate.  If our body and blood are separated, we cannot live but the body and blood of Jesus are mixed together when we receive communion.  We have life in us when we celebrate Communion in our commemoration of the Last Supper.

Another point.  To make bread and wine, created things have to be destroyed.  Wheat kernels are crushed for the bread.  Grapes are crushed for the wine.  In this destruction, new possibilities open for these substances.  It is only by destruction that the bread and wine can be made.  In the same way, Jesus’ body is destroyed so that new life can come to the world.

I will write more about this next week.  This is part of the talk I gave at the Spanish Mission. 

  I invite your comments.