March 29, 2015 – The Sunday of the
Passion: Palm Sunday
© 2015 Evan D. Garner
Alfred Hitchcock earned
the nickname “The Master of Suspense.” He was a pioneer of modern
cinematography, and his skill behind the camera remains unparalleled. He also
knew what was required in front of the lens in order to keep his audiences on
the edge of their seats. For example, in his most well-known film, Psycho, Hitchcock shot the infamous
shower scene dozens and dozens of times, using different actors as the
knife-wielding perpetrator. He wanted to be sure that the audience couldn’t
guess the identity of the killer from the actor’s height or build, so Janet
Leigh stood in the shower for hours as a host of different killers pretended to
plunge a knife into her chest. In fact, Hitchcock’s insistence that the scene
be repeated so many times left its mark on Leigh, who, for the rest of her
life, never again took a shower, always insisting when she travelled that her hotel
room have a bathtub.
We want to know how the
story ends. Whether it’s watching a mystery or cheering for a team or electing
a candidate or calling a rector or choosing a spouse, we all want to pick the
right one. We want to know ahead of time how things will turn out. When all is said
and done, we want to be able to look back and say, “Yep, I could tell what was
going to happen; all along I knew that I made the right choice.” But sometimes
you don’t know. Sometimes there is no way to know. Sometimes the director fools
us. Sometimes the coach or the politician lets everyone down. Sometimes the
minister doesn’t fit as well as you thought he would be. Sometimes the man or
woman you loved with all your heart turns out to be someone you never really
knew at all. And maybe, just maybe, the man who rode into Jerusalem on a colt isn’t
the sort of savior you thought he would be.
When it comes to picking
the right side, today is the day when our shortsightedness smacks us most
sharply in the face. As the service begins, we acclaim Jesus as the king who
has come in the name of the Lord—the one who will reclaim the throne of our
ancestor David. Our shouts of “Hosanna!” are signs that we recognize Jesus to
be the one who has come to establish God’s kingdom here on earth—the one who
will overthrow tyranny and lead us to victory. But only minutes later, when
confronted with his disruptive and seditious ways, our shouts change to
“Crucify him!” as we call upon Pilate to put this rebellious pretender to
death.
Which side are we on? Surely
we must choose one or the other, but, as history repeats itself yet again, we
are reminded that our answer is always “both.” We want the Son of God to come
and win our victory for us. We want to share in his triumph. We want to bask in
his glory. But, as soon as things get hard, we give up. We lose heart. We run
away. We even turn against the one we thought would save us. Even Jesus’
disciples—his closest and strongest supporters—denounced him in his moment of
need. Only the women were left to take care of his body, and their work was
done not with hope in their hearts but only clinging to the certainty of defeat,
which Jesus’ lifeless body made clear. Is that the Jesus we claim to be our
king?
In a children’s sermon,
when the preacher asks a question, the right answer is usually “Jesus.” And,
when I ask you whose side you are on, the answer should be just as obvious. We
all want to be on the winning side. We all want to stand shoulder to shoulder
with Jesus. But, if we are going to call ourselves Christians, if we are going
to be true followers of Jesus, we must learn to embrace the way of the cross as
more than just the road that leads to Easter. It is no accident that the Son of
God was nailed to a cross. The passion and death of Jesus are integral to our
understanding of who God is and what God wants for the world.
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