It’s easy to shout, Jesus, or Christ, is king. It is another thing to live your life as if you actually believed it. It is easy to say Christ is king, especially if you think you can gain some political or social advantage by doing so. It is easy to play to religious crowds, making them think you are one of them by saying good, pious words. But Jesus will not be fooled. It is no good to say Christ is king if you are not following after him, letting him and his teachings direct your life. If you are unwilling to follow what he said you should be doing, you show you do not love him. No matter how many times you say Christ is king, no matter how many times you say Lord, Lord, he will not know you if you have ignore or abandon him as he is found in the poor, the vulnerable, the needy, or the oppressed. You will be far away from him, and your words will be empty and vain. Thus, many (not all) who praised Jesus as he entered into Jerusalem, many of those who proclaimed him king, did so with the wrong intention; they expected he could be manipulated by praise. They might have believed he was the messiah, but they wanted him to be a king who took up arms and destroyed all their enemies, starting with Rome. They wanted Jerusalem to be made the new center of the world and hold all earthly power. Jesus had already been tempted, at the start of his ministry, to take and use such power, and he rejected it. He rejected it once again at the end of his temporal ministry. It was his unwillingness to use it, to follow through with such desires, that some (if not many) of those who first proclaimed him king turned on him. That is why, when he was captured by the authorities, tried, and condemned, they would look upon him with so much contempt that, when given the choice to free him or Barabbas, they would they would choose the one they believed would cause Rome the most trouble, that is, Barabbas.
Let us learn the proper lesson from Palm Sunday. It is good to praise Jesus, to proclaim him king, but we must do so with the right heart, following after him and his ways instead of trying to use him for our own inordinate, selfish desires. We can proclaim him king even as we find soon afterward we crucify him by what we do (or fail to do). If we denigrate the poor, the orphan, the widow, the oppressed, the migrant, the refugee, or anyone else who is vulnerable and suffers unjustly at the hands of the rich and powerful, we denigrate Christ; if we would have them suffer more, and worse indignities, we make Christ suffer in the same way; if we send them away to their deaths, Christ dies in and with them. That is, it can be said that we crucify Christ when we use political power and authority as a way to demonize and attack those in whom Christ said he is found. What good is it to proclaim him king with our lips, when, by our actions, we claim lordship over him and dismiss his concerns?
Yes, Palm Sunday is a day of triumph for Christ, and we should shout, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we should rejoice in the way Christ was glorified, but we should not forget the full story and the warning which it presents to us. It is easy for us to say the right words, to shower Jesus with praise, but to do so with the wrong intention, hoping to manipulate him so that he fulfills our selfish desires. We should rejoice in and with Christ, when he is properly elevated, such as when those who are in need are helped and shown human dignity. We should rejoice when Christians work to bring the peace of Christ to the world, not a false peace which allows injustices to reign, but the peace of the kingdom of God, where the righteousness of love prevails:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you (Philip. 4:4-9 RSV).
When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, the plot against him grew as those who could not use and manipulate him feared that they would lose whatever power and authority they possessed. When Lazarus was brought back from the dead, when Jesus healed the sick and lowly, when Jesus helped those who they abused, those who hated him feared him even more because they believed many of the people would no longer listen to them. They feared they would lose whatever authority they possessed, and so they decided to do what they could to put an end to Jesus, and that meant, also putting an end to many of those whom Jesus helped:
When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus (Jn. 1:9-11 RSV).
Jesus brought relief to the oppressed, giving them a peace which had been denied them, and this was seen as a challenge to those who sought power and authority for themselves, power and authority they wanted to use, not for the common good, but for their own private interests. This continues to be the case today. Many who are religious, many who proclaim themselves Christian, are upset at Jesus and the way Jesus’s teachings goes against their own express wishes; they do not care about the people, about those in need, and indeed, they are willing to sacrifice anyone who gets in their way while still trying to claim themselves as being Christ’s followers. They proclaim Christ is king with their lips, but in their hearts, they shower contempt upon him. Let us not be like them. Let us, after proclaiming Christ as king, follow him all the way to the cross, cherishing those in whom he is found, those who are suffering at the hands of the powers that be, those who are dying because they are unjustly being denied their rights. Let us honor Christ as king, not just with words, but with our actions.
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