Matthew 21:1-11
Isaiah 50:4-7
Philippians 2:6-11
Matthew 26:14-27, 66
 
Normally on Palm Sunday we read one of the Gospel accounts of Jesus preparing to enter Jerusalem before we have our procession into the church. This Gospel at the beginning of the Palm Sunday Liturgy has been a favorite for me, not because I get to read it, but because it sets up for us Jesus preparation to enter Jerusalem for the last time. While we will not be reading this at Mass this week due the changes that COVID-19 has forced us to observe, I thought it was still important enough for us to reflect on it this week.
 
Jesus ministry was spent mostly in Galilee, teaching and praying with and for the people. He taught in their synagogues, cured them of diseases and taught them about the Kingdom of God. It was there He gathered is disciples and began His preparations to go to Jerusalem.
 
As always, we must keep in mind the audience the writer is reaching out to. With Matthew, his followers came from a very strong Jewish background and they knew the scriptures very well. It is with that knowledge that Matthew portrays Jesus as the fulfillment of the Jewish traditions. Matthew uses the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 showing how the King comes to them, meek and humble riding on an ass. It was the custom of the King to come to a city riding on a horse, or for the Romans, who conquered cities, then rode into them victoriously on war horses.
 
This stark contrast is one the Jewish people would have understood so well from their long history. They had lived on both sides, the glorious victories and the agonizing defeats and suffering at the hands of their captors. It is this paradox that sets the stage for Jesus to go to Jerusalem and to His suffering on the cross for us.
 
Isaiah is writing in the first person in these passages as he describes his role as a prophet for the Lord. He understands it is not he who has the knowledge or ability, but it is because of the Lord who has given him the tools he needs to carry out his duties under the commands of the Lord.
His purpose was to arouse the people, the weary exiles from Babylon, into action. He receives the Word of the Lord day be day, not rejecting or turning his back on what the Lord has told him to do. The Lord sends His word to those who need to hear it, to those who are the most in need, the very ones that Isaiah has been sent to, who are the same ones who persecute him in his ministry.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians today we have a hymn that was composed to show the humility of Jesus. We don’t know if Paul wrote it himself, or whether it was one that was already known to the people and Paul used it to illustrate his teachings about Jesus.
This hymn starts out by showing the humble Jesus, who is not using His status as the Son of God to exalt Himself, but then moves on to God lifting Him up, exalting Him.  Not only does God do that, but He also says that the name bestowed on Him is above every other name, meaning He is giving Jesus the name Lord. Its no wonder the Jews were so upset that this lowly son of a carpenter is given the name Lord, the name they are prohibited from speaking.

This great mystery of Jesus being man and Lord at the same time, is one that has carried down through the ages, one that we can not explain or understand. That, as a mystery, we have to just accept it in faith and know that if we cant accept this now while we are here in our earthly forms, then that day we start eternity with the Lord will find us with all of the answers to all of the questions we ever had.

Each of the Gospels have their own version of the Passion, that each of the authors, especially Matthew in our cycle A of readings this year, have put together and are told to their own followers so that they would understand it and be meaningful for them. Each is filled with details, links to their history as a Jewish people, and references that they could connect with.

Our participation in reading the Passion, both on Palm Sunday and Good Friday enable us to participate like we were right there with Jesus every step of the way to the Cross. One of the most powerful experiences I ever had was when reenacting the Passion with the youth group I worked with several years ago. I was asked to play the part of Simon, the Cyrenian, who was forced to help Jesus carry His cross. That was a very powerful, emotional moment in my life that brought home for me the fact that Jesus was the one who had been sent for my sins to die on the cross.

With what we are facing in the world today, the stay at home advice we have received to combat COVID-19, it would be good for us to take and set aside some time to read the passion, without interruption, and attempt to put ourselves in the shoes of those who witnessed Jesus betrayal, His life, death and resurrection, and to spend a few minutes with the Lord this week.
 
Peace be with you all until we meet once again.