Making A Choice
Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday as it is now called in some churches is certainly one of the greatest festivals of the Christian Year. I know that I really enjoy the processions of children with palm branches waving singing out “hosanna”; I have since I was a kid – back when I was doing it. However, for many years, I wondered just what this day really does signify in terms of the everyday life of a Christian.
Is it simply a reminder that fickle human beings can shout "Hosanna" one day, and then a few days later, those very same people can turn and with equal sincerity cry out, "Crucify him"? Certainly that is a part of the Holy Week story. But then it struck me… Palm/Passion Sunday's real purpose is to remind us of the necessity of making a choice ... making a decision about Jesus Christ, and Christ's claim on our lives.
When Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem on that day long ago, he made it abundantly clear that he was God's Messiah! From that moment until now, people have had to decide:
Are we for him or are we against him?
Will we accept him as the Lord of our lives or will we reject him?
That choice is still yours and mine, and depending on what we decide, it can be the most important turning point in our lives! There are always those voices who would like to eliminate this matter of decision from Christianity. There is something in human nature that hates to decide "Yes" or "No." Those choices are too absolute; too restrictive. We would rather stay in the shades of gray, somewhere in between.
A while ago, I heard a radio announcement that the next week was scheduled to be National Procrastinators' Week. "Actually," said the announcer, "they were going to hold the celebration this week, but the organizers decided to put it off until next week!"
Our modern society has made such a virtue of openness and neutrality that we forget that it’s the fundamental choices we make that shape all of life, and for that matter, the life to come.
I once met a woman who told me she would not become a Christian because there were too many obstacles in the path of belief. She said, "I'm not an atheist, but I'm just not convinced that God exists, or that Christianity is the right religion. I'm going to withhold judgment, and consider the matter impartially."
That's fine, except that I hope this woman decides pretty soon. She was somewhere in her late 80s, and her so-called "neutrality" is fast becoming academic! The simple fact is no one can remain neutral on the issue of Jesus Christ.
We must decide – either we’re for him or we’re against him; there is no middle of the road – no setting on the fence.
Was Jesus of Nazareth a psychopathic fool?
or did he know how life “at its best” should be lived?
Is God real or not?
I have always felt a real sympathy for the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, when it comes to this issue, because he tried as hard as anyone in history to avoid having to make a decision about this troublesome Jesus of Nazareth. Accepting Jesus as the Son of God was preposterous for this Roman, but crucifying what he perceived to be an innocent man was equally distasteful. I’m sure Pilate wondered why he had to do anything with Jesus… Why couldn't he just wash his hands of the whole disturbing affair?
But even though Pilate was the powerful Roman Governor, and Jesus but a humble carpenter from Galilee, Pilate stood confronted with an issue he could not dodge.
Neutrality was impossible!
Many years ago there was a colorful National League baseball umpire named Charlie Moran. Moran regarded himself and his baseball decisions highly. He was one of those umpires who took great personal pleasure in telling some high paid ballplayer, "You're out!" Well, one day, in a big game, there was a close play at home plate. The runner and the catcher waited eagerly for Moran's decision, but it was so close, even Charlie hesitated. Finally the catcher shouted, "Well, is he safe or is he out?" Moran drew himself up to his full height and, looking down on the catcher with all the boldness a baseball umpire can muster, he shouted, "Mister, 'till I calls it, he ain't nothin' at all!"
Life would be so much simpler without choices. But Palm Sunday confronts us with the reality of making choices. As individuals, there is a choice to be made every day
- between sobriety and drunkenness,
- between honest dealing and cheating,
- between life lived for God and life lived for self.
That same necessity of choice confronts us as a nation. We can no longer be neutral about
- the destruction of our natural resources,
- or the critical shortage of energy,
- or the issue of human rights for all citizens,
- or the explosive situations in Africa, the Middle East and in Latin America.
These are realities that we can no more wash our hands of than could Pilate of old wash his hands of responsibility for Jesus of Nazareth.
This day confronts us with a choice not unlike the one Joshua gave to the Hebrew people: "Choose you this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"
1. Those Who Rejected Jesus Christ
Let's consider those who on that first Palm/Passion Sunday chose not to accept Jesus as the Christ. For many people, both then and now, Jesus is simply not the kind of Messiah they expected. The fulfillment did not live up to the promise!
It is not unlike a young couple who have the big wedding, the glamorous reception, and the romantic honeymoon. They come home to start their married life on Cloud Nine. But then comes the reality: a stubby beard in the morning ... hair curlers all over the bed ... the crunch of burnt toast ... short tempers ... the clash of wills ... the inevitable compromises. Suddenly, "living happily ever after" turns out to be something very different from what either had expected!
In the same way, Jesus was simply not what people expected. They wanted a king who would justify their lifestyle, reprimand their enemies, vindicate their selfishness, and confirm their prejudices. By comparison with most kingly entrances into a royal city, Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem was a pretty shabby affair.
- Instead of an army, there was a following of ragged peasants.
- Instead of generals and courtiers, there were a handful of very ordinary disciples.
- Instead of a warrior-king, there was a humble man riding on a donkey, a symbol of peace.
Jesus' whole entrance into the city was a challenge to the world.
- It said God's ways are not the world's ways.
- It said love and not hatred is what God most desires.
- It said God's power and grace can save us, not human strength and wisdom.
The gospel writer tells us that Jesus wept over the city, because of the unwillingness of people to choose life over death. I believe God still weeps over the ceaseless conflicts in this broken world: - the conflicts between rich and poor;
- the conflicts between people of different race or ethnic backgrounds;
- the conflicts between those who worship the Living God in different ways.
Perhaps one of the most telling symbols in all the world of our brokenness and our failure to recognize Jesus as the Christ is a church building! The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is built over the traditional site of Calvary and the Garden of Resurrection. It stands today only because some ugly steel scaffolding supports the walls. It’s been described to me as one of the dirtiest and most depressing places in the world! The church is jointly owned by the Abyssinians, the Armenians, the Copts, the Greek Orthodox, the Syrian Orthodox, and the Roman Catholics. The priests of these various traditions will hardly speak to one another. Each communion preserves its own chapel, conducts its own ceremonies, and no agreement can be reached about the repair of the building.
To make matters even more ludicrous, the keys to the building have been entrusted to a Muslim family, who answer the call of Allah five times a day by praying on the front steps!
Nowhere in all the world is there a more vivid symbol of the brokenness of Christ's Body, and the brokenness of a world that has chosen to reject the love of God in Jesus Christ.
2. Those Who Chose To Receive The Christ
But for those who chose to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord on that long ago day, it was a decision that transformed all of life.
- There was Zacchaeus who had mishandled money.
- There were James and John who had mishandled their desire for recognition and power.
- There was a woman named Mary who had mishandled the gift of her sexuality.
- There was Peter who in a moment of weakness betrayed his best friend.
What actually happened to change their lives? You might say that in Jesus Christ they saw themselves more clearly than ever before.
- In Christ, they saw the possibilities of what it means to be truly human.
- In Christ, they saw the love that forgives our past, and the transforming power that makes us into new persons.
So they made a choice -- a choice to let Jesus Christ be the Savior of their sinful lives, and the Lord of all!
Some years ago, a new pastor was called to a spiritually dead church in a small Oklahoma town. The pastor spent the first week calling on as many members as possible, inviting them to the first Sunday service. But the effort failed. In spite of many calls, not a single member showed up for worship!
So the pastor placed a notice in the local paper stating that since the church was dead, the pastor was going to give it a decent, Christian burial. The funeral for the church would be held at 2 p.m. on the following Sunday. Morbidly curious, the whole town turned out for the "funeral." In front of the pulpit, there was a large casket, smothered in flowers. After the eulogy was given, the pastor invited the congregation to come forward and pay their respects to the dead church.
The long line of mourners filed by. Each one peered curiously into the open casket, and then quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look. You see, inside the casket, tilted at just the right angle was a large mirror. Each one saw his own reflection in the mirror as perhaps never before!
That is still what happens when human beings allow the Living Christ to confront them in their sinful brokenness. This special day calls us to make a choice to receive God's Christ,
and through him, let our lives be made whole again by the power of God.
As you begin this Holy Week, can you truly say in your heart, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!"
The choice is up to you!..
