Archive for the ‘Triumphal Entry’ Tag
Above: A Crucifix
Photographer = Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Innocence
MARCH 28, 2011
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Liturgy of the Palms:
Luke 19:28-44
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Liturgy of the Word:
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:1-13
Luke 23:1-56
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Some texts are standard for Palm/Passion Sunday on the Humes lectionary. The account of the Triumphal Entry varies from year to year; each of the four versions gets its year. Likewise, the Gospel reading varies each year. It is always the Passion, though. The readings from Psalm 31, Psalm 118, Isaiah 50, and Philippians 2 are evergreen, though.
I focus on Luke 23:1-56 in this post.
The Gospel of Luke hits us over the head with Jesus’s innocence. Christ’s innocence is a theme in 23:4, 14-15, 22, 40-42, and 47. Whenever the Bible keeps repeating a theme, we need to pay attention to that theme.
The execution of Jesus was a travesty and an example of judicial murder.
There is an interesting moral and legal question: Is it better for a court to convict an innocent person or to acquit a guilty person? The answer is obvious: the latter. Innocence should always lead to the absence of a conviction, incarceration, and execution. I gaze with moral horror at those who would ever approve of convicting any innocent person.
The crucifixion of Jesus has more than one meaning. It is, for example, a component of the atonement; the resurrection equals the final act. The crucifixion of Christ should also spur us on to affirm that convicting and punishing the innocent is never acceptable.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 29, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD, COMPOSER, ORGANIST, AND CONDUCTOR
THE FEAST OF DORA GREENWELL, POET AND DEVOTIONAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHN KEBLE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND POET
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JONAS AND BARACHISUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 327
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/03/29/innocence/
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Above: Triumphal Entry
Image in the Public Domain
A Faithful Response, Part II
APRIL 2, 2023
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Liturgy of the Palms:
Matthew 21:1-11
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Eucharistic Liturgy:
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:1-13
Matthew 27:1-66
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Rejoice, heart and soul, daughter of Zion!
Shout with gladness, daughter of Jerusalem!
See now, your king comes to you;
he is victorious, he is triumphant,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will banish chariots from Ephraim
and horses from Jerusalem;
the bow of war will be banished.
He will proclaim peace for the nations.
His empire shall stretch from sea to sea,
from the River to the ends of the earth.
–Zechariah 9:9–10, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
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The author of the Gospel of Matthew invoked that image of the triumphant Messiah on the Day of the Lord when crafting the account of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The procession was just one parade into the city that day; there was also a Roman military parade. The separation of religion, state, and oppression did not exist, especially in Jerusalem during the time of Passover, the annual celebration of God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. At the first Passover animal blood prompted the angel of death to pass over the Hebrew homes and delivered Hebrews from the consequences of sins of Egyptians.
Two of the assigned readings seem ironic on Palm/Passion Sunday. Isaiah 50:4-11, set in the context of the latter days of the Babylonian Exile, teaches that (1) the Hebrew nation’s suffering was just, and (2) righteous exiles accepted that. Yet we Christians hold that Jesus was blameless, without sin. The suffering author of Psalm 31 ultimately affirms trust in God. Yet we read in Matthew 27 that Jesus perceived that God had forsaken him. My analysis is twofold: (1) Many passages of scripture prove to be appropriate for a variety of circumstances, and (2) much of the Biblical narrative is paradoxical.
Philippians 2 and Matthew 27, taken together, affirm the humility and obedience of Jesus. We should follow Christ’s example, we read in Philippians 2. That is a high calling, and perhaps a fatal one.
The vision of Zechariah 9:9-10 has yet to become reality. Until then we must trust in God, despite how foolish doing so might seem, and persevere in humility and obedience to God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 25, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BEDE OF JARROW, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND FATHER OF ENGLISH HISTORY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDHELM OF SHERBORNE, POET, LITERARY SCHOLAR, ABBOT OF MALMESBURY, AND BISHOP OF SHERBORNE
THE FEAST OF SAINT MADELEINE-SOPHIE BARAT, FOUNDRESS OF THE SOCIETY OF THE SACRED HEART; AND ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN AND MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MYKOLA TSEHELSKYI, UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/a-faithful-response-part-iii/
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Above: Stained-Glass Version of the Moravian Logo
Image Source = JJackman
The Lamb Who Has Conquered
MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2023
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The Collect:
O God, your Son chose the path that led to pain before joy
and to the cross before glory. Plant his cross in our hearts,
so that in its power and love we may come at last to joy and glory,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 30
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 36:5-11
Hebrews 9:11-15
John 12:1-11
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A Related Post:
Prayer for Monday of Passion Week/Holy Week:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/prayer-for-monday-of-passion-weekholy-week/
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Your righteousness stands like strong mountains,
your justice like the great deep;
you, Lord, shall save both man and beast.
–Psalm 36:6, Common Worship (2000)
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The Synoptic Gospels tell us something powerful and vital visually: Jesus entered Jerusalem that signal day on the back of a beast of burden. This was a clear sign within his culture, for a king who had won already rode such an animal to the peace talks. Thus our Lord and Savior entered Jerusalem triumphantly not as a conquering hero but as one who had triumphed already. As the wordy Jesus of the Fourth Gospel says,
I have overcome the world.
–John 16:33b, Revised Standard Version—Second Edition (1971)
The servant of God in Isaiah 42:1-9, in the original meaning, is the Hebrews, the Chosen People. That mandate is also the assignment of all the faithful people of God—Jews and Gentiles—to shine brightly for God and to work justice-righteousness. (Justice and righteousness are the same in the Bible.) One test of how well we perform on that standard is how we treat others, especially the vulnerable. That is a good idea to remember as we proceed through Holy Week and approach the liturgical observance of our Lord and Savior’s judicial murder—his crucifixion.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 28, 2013 COMMON ERA
THANKSGIVING DAY (U.S.A.)
THE FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN THE YOUNGER, DEFENDER OF ICONS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH PIGNATELLI, RESTORER OF THE JESUITS
THE FEAST OF KAMAHAMEHA AND EMMA, KING AND QUEEN OF HAWAII
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/the-lamb-who-has-conquered/
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Above: The Punishment of Korah and the Stoning of Moses and Aaron, by Sandro Botticelli
Numbers and Luke, Part VI: Servant Leadership
MAY 23 and 24, 2023
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Numbers 16:1-22 (45th Day of Easter)
Numbers 16:23-40/17:5 (46th Day of Easter)
Psalm 98 (Morning–45th Day of Easter)
Psalm 99 (Morning–46th Day of Easter)
Psalms 66 and 116 (Evening–45th Day of Easter)
Psalms 8 and 118 (Evening–46th Day of Easter)
Luke 19:11-28 (45th Day of Easter)
Luke 19:29-48 (46th Day of Easter)
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TECHNICAL NOTE:
Numbers 16 has 35 verses in Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Bible yet 50 verses in Protestant ones. So Numbers 17:1-5 in Protestant Bibles = Numbers 16:36-50 in Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox ones. And 17:1-5 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox) = 16:36-40 (Protestant). Life would be simpler if there were just one system of versification in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, would it not?
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ARCHELAUS, received the kingdom of Judaea by the last will of his father, Herod the Great, though a previous will had bequeathed it to his brother Antipas. He was proclaimed king by the army, but declined to assume the title until he had submitted his claims to Augustus. Before setting out, he quelled with the utmost cruelty a sedition of the Pharisees, slaying nearly 3,000 of them. At Rome he was opposed by Antipas and by many of the Jews, but Augustus allotted to him the greater part of the kingdom (Judaea, Samaria, Ituraea) with the title of Ethnarch. He married Glaphyra, the widow of his brother Alexander, though his wife and her second husband, Juba, king of Mauretania, were alive. This violation of the Mosaic Law and his continued cruelty roused the Jews, who complained to Augustus. Archlaus was deposed (A.D. 7) and banished to Vienne. The date of his death is unknown. He is mentioned in Matt. ii. 22, and the parable of Luke xix. 11 seq. may refer to his journey to Rome.
—Encyclopedia Britannica (1955), Volume 2, page 264
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What right did Moses have to rule? And what was the proper basis of the Aaronic priesthood? Korah and his confederates wanted to know. So they challenged Moses and Aaron. They also died trying. Exuent those reels. The basis for all that they opposed was God, the narrative tells us.
The Parable of the Pounds refers to Herod Archelaus, whose 1955 Encyclopedia Britannica entry I have typed verbatim. The appointed king, like Archelaus, was a very bad man. The placement of this parable immediately before our Lord’s Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem cannot be an accident. Jesus is a king, but of a sort very different from any Roman puppet, such as Herod Antipas, who appears in Luke 23:8-12. Antipas was Tetrarch of Galiille and Perea. He had ordered the beheading of St. John the Baptist. Ironically, the Tetrarch’s journey to Rome in search of the title “king” had an unexpected result. The Emperor Caligula, convinced by Herod Agrippa I, brother-in-law of Antipas, that Antipas was conspiring against the Emperor , banished him (Antipas) to Lugdunum, Gaul, now Lyon, France, in 39 CE.
Seeking glory is a dangerous game and wielding authority is a great responsibility. Power might grind down those who lack it, but it also consumes many people who desire it. Moses did not seek the alleged glory of leading a mass of grumblers in the desert. And going to the cross just a few days after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was the glorification of Jesus in the Gospel of John, albeit a painful and humiliating manner of attaining it.
You know that among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
–Mark 10:42b-45, The New Jerusalem Bible
The context for that lesson from the Gospel of Mark is shortly before the Triumphal Entry and immediately after James and John, our Lord’s first cousins, ask for honored places in Heaven. And it fits well here, in this post, with the assigned readings for these two days.
Every generation has its share of violent tyrants and petty dictators, unfortunately. Yet every generation also has its servant leaders, men and women who struggle to do the right thing, to wield authority honorably, without losing their souls. It is a difficult calling, one in which, I pray, they will succeed.
I pray also that the rest of us called to other pursuits will work effectively for the benefit of others, not our own aggrandizement, in all the ways in which God leads us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 21, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ALL FAITHFUL MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, JESUIT
THE FEAST OF HENARE WIREMU TARATOA OF TE RANGA, COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEING
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN JONES AND JOHN RIGBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/numbers-and-luke-part-vi-servant-leadership/
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LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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