Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord B: March 24, 2024

The day begins on a high note: Jesus enters Jerusalem seated on the colt of an ass which had never been ridden. The disciple’s cloaks had been piled on it back. People from all over the city lined the streets, indeed people from all over the Empire there for the Passover wanted to see Jesus also. They spread leafy branches all over the road in front of Jesus to honor him. Everything seemed right for the coming of the kind of Messiah for which everyone hoped. But what a difference a few days would make; what a startling lesson would be given to everyone from somewhat removed pilgrim to the very Twelve themselves.

As the week goes on different Gospels tell us how Jesus preaches openly, doesn’t back down from the authorities, but neither does he show physical or military power to crush them. He teaches with power, but does not use power to conquer either the Jewish or Roman governments. Even though one of the Twelve realizes that the ship is sinking, the other eleven profess strong belief in Jesus. While the betrayer goes out to sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the rest say with Perter, “Even though I have to die with you, I will not deny you.”

This Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, let’s explore what impetuous Peter has to teach us. Remember, Peter is the Rock upon which Jesus wishes to build his Church. Remember also, that Peter is each one of us; he is you, he is I. One of the first things that comes to my mind when I think of Peter is Enthusiasm. If Jesus had not chosen ‘rock’ in Greek for his new name, he could just as well have chosen the word for ‘enthusiasm,’ which means ‘the god within;’ it implies zeal for god.

Simon Peter’s enthusiasm or zeal for God began with his first encounter with Jesus at his call by the lake: depart from me, I am a sinful man; instead of departing Jesus gave him his new name: Rock. At the Transfiguration, Peter had the nerve to offer to build three tents. When asked if the disciples wanted to leave Jesus too after urging his disciples to eat his body and drink his blood, Peter answers: to whom shall we go, you have the words of everlasting life. Then Peter confesses Jesus to to the Christ, the son of the living God, and then Peter professes to die with Jesus, and later, profess his love for Jesus tree times. Yes, enthusiasm for Jesus is very evident in Simon Peter. But we have to admit that enthusiasm goes only so far. Enthusiasm can be a jump-start to get Peter going, to get us going. All the same, if it is not followed up depth in our commitment to the core of who Jesus really is, and what his message really is, then enthusiasm falls short, it is like the seed that falls on thin soil, and is not rock after all. Peter’s faith in and love of Jesus does grow, but not because of his enthusiasm, but from his suffering.

Peter does bear his cross, and not just the literal one he died on. Peter learned the depth of Jesus love for him, and the depth of what Jesus’ life, death and resurrection means through Peter’s suffering. Enthusiasm has to be deepened by suffering in Christ and with Christ, to make true belief in the kind of Messiah Jesus is possible. It’s not the waving palms that bring true faith and redemption, as we have seen. Our glorification comes through a different wood, the Wood of the Cross. Can our glorification be any different from the glorification of our Savior?

This Holy Week we today, like Peter then, are given the opportunity to build on the wood of the palms, to embrace the Wood of the Cross. We are invited to find the God within us and dwell with him. Only then can the rush of our enthusiasm become union with Jesus, so that our very selves can bring him to those Jesus puts in our path as we move to the heavenly Jerusalem.