Sermon for Palm Sunday – 25th April 2021: Matthew 21, 1-11
Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens and Zoom
I would like to touch on three themes briefly this morning: Lazarus, The Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and the Bridegroom.
Six days before Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem for the week long celebration of Passover, St. John tells us that Jesus visits Bethany. This was a village about 2 miles from Jerusalem, on the other side of the Mount of Olives. The village name means in Hebrew either ‘The House of Dates’ or ‘The House of the Afflicted’.
This is the village of Mary and Martha, sisters, and their brother Lazarus. All three were known to Jesus, and he was known to them – quite well, we must assume. Sometime previously Lazarus had died. There is some thought that Lazarus might have been a leper.
The most noteworthy point is that at some date before this recorded visit Jesus had visited Bethany, very much at the behest of Martha and Mary, and had raised Lazarus from his grave.
This event must have travelled easily into the surrounding area, including Jerusalem, and had reached the ears of the religious authorities. What Jesus had done in Bethany was a deep threat to religious stability in the city and in the Temple. So much so that when the authorities actually do decide that Jesus has to be done away with, Lazarus is also mentioned. He too should die – after all, this walking miracle was as dangerous as anything else Jesus might get up to.
The raising of Lazarus is a turning point in this whole Jerusalem based drama. That Jesus has returned to Bethany near to the Festival is bad news.
The day before the Sunday of the Palms the Orthodox Church celebrate ‘Lazarus Saturday’ acknowledging the connection between what happened in Bethany and what is about to transpire on the day Jesus arrives at the city gate.
‘Lord, you came to Lazarus’ grave and called him by name, to assure your disciples of your resurrection from the dead. Hell then was robbed: it gave up him who had been dead four days, as he cried out to you: ‘Lord whom we bless, glory to you’. (from Lazarus Saturday Vespers, tr. Wybrew, Orthodox Lent Holy week and Easter p84).
So today we read of Jesus arriving at one of the entrances to the city. Those who knew of him were either travelling with him from Bethany and the surrounding area, or were awaiting him at this city gate.
It is easy for us to think of a big celebration – rather like the arrival of a modern day celebrity – but we would be wrong. This is no ‘star’ who is arriving, but a humble man on a donkey. The group that gathered may be rather deceiving also. Not all of the residents or visitors to the city had heard of Jesus, nor even cared. Remember that our gospel writers may have their ‘lense’ focussed on Jesus, but there is no news trending and a miracle worker going viral. No paparazzi. Much, if not most city life was going on as normal, oblivious of what was happening at one of the gateways to their city.
It is difficult for us as Christians to realize that Jesus was not the centre of things, and this is not a joyful occasion, or at least not as we normally think of joyful.
The crowds are not dancing and clapping at this moment, but they do shout out. They shout out ‘Hosanna’ which is not a scream of excitement, but which means ‘Have pity on us’. How many celebrity icons would expect to be greeted with that? ‘Have pity on us’. Just some days before this Jesus had pity for his dead friend Lazarus, and out of that profound and humanly incarnated divine pity, Lazarus walks out of his burial chamber.
These people who gathered would have had a bundle of expectations. What would he do? Where would he go? What would they do to him here? This is a threshold of anticipation. Maybe they hold their breath.
So, we have thought of Lazarus, and we have touched on the Entry in to Jerusalem, which we call, perhaps wrongly, ‘Triumphal’. But something is about to happen.
It is during the days between the Day of the Palms and his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane four days later, that Jesus tells two parables about a Wedding Banquet – at least in St. Matthew’s version of events. At the heart of any marriage is, of course, the bride (a theme that can be explored at another time) but also the Bridegroom. Western Christians would expect the theme of the Bridegroom to be found in Advent, leading to the Birth of Christ, but in the Orthodox Church this theme is central to the days immediately after Palm Sunday.
In particular the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids emphasizes this theme. It is perhaps better known as the Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins. The NRSV, in order to underpin the imagery translates it as Bridesmaids. The arrival of the Bridegroom is imminent. The anticipation is building. Are we ready – do we have our lamps prepared? When the Bridegroom makes his arrival will we be found awake and alert?
‘Look, the Bridegroom comes at midnight’ says the Troparion on the Monday of Holy Week in the Orthodox tradition, ‘Blessed the servant he finds watching; but worthless the one he finds idling. Take care, then, my soul: let not sleep overcome you, lest you be handed over to death and shut out of the kingdom’. And again ‘Your marriage chamber, my Saviour, I see arrayed, and I have no wedding robe, that I might enter. Clothe me with brightness, giver of light, and save me’
Thus as we reflect on the arrival of the Bridegroom to the Wedding Chamber, so we pray that we will be ready and prepared, clothed with the wedding garments, for the coming of Jesus into his kingdom. For behold the Bridegroom is here and on the cross the divine covenant will be consummated – Consummatum est Jesus utters in the Latinized version of the scriptures. ‘It is completed’. ‘It is accomplished’. ‘This is how the kingdom of the Father looks’. The Bridegroom is in his chamber. The Bridegroom is united with his Bride, the Church, through the mystery of the Cross.
‘Let us love the bridegroom, brethren, and look after our lamps, radiant with virtues and right belief; so that, like the Lord’s wise bridesmaids, we may go in prepared with him to the marriage feast. For the bridegroom, as God, gives to everyone the unperishable crown.’(Troparion from Matins on Tuesday of Holy Week, Wybrew p97)
Notices:
Monday 26th – Good Friday daily 10.00 Zoom (special link – see website)
Good Friday 18.00 Service in church (pre-register)
Easter Sunday (2nd May)
10.00am Holy Liturgy in St. Paul’s (pre-register)
12.00 noon Zoom Worship (this is a new link! – see website)
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