PROCESSIONAL GOSPEL John 12:12-19
12The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” 16His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
FIRST READING Zechariah 9:9-12
9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.12Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
PSALM Psalm 118:19-29
19Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord. 20“This is the gate of the Lord; he who is righteous may enter.” 21I will give thanks to you, for you answered me and have become my salvation. 22The same stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24On this day the Lord has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! Lord, send us now success. 26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord. 27God is the Lord; he has shined upon us; form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar. 28“You are my God, and I will thank you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.” 29Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his mercy endures forever.
SECOND READING Philippians 2:5-11
5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
GOSPEL Mark 14:1–15:47
1It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest {Jesus} by stealth and kill him, 2for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” 3And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” 10Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. 12And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.17And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 22And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same. 32And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” 43And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 46And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 50And they all left him and fled. 51And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. 53And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. 54And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. 55Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. 57And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, 58“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” 59Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. 60And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 61But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? 64You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. 65And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows. 66And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. 69And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 70But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” 72And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. 15 1And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. 6Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” 15So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. 16And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. 21And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. 33And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 40There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. 42And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
FOR THE WRONG REASON
Have you ever stopped and considered why people do what they do? Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that people act and behave the way they do based on motivations. People only respond when motivated. If you can determine or understand what motivates people, it’s easier then to understand their behavior.
As part of my undergraduate degree I was required to complete two basic psychology classes. However, if you include the various management courses I’ve completed over the years, that include basic instruction on human behavior, the counseling classes I completed at Seminary, plus my experiences in the military and in various parts of the world, then I can comfortably say that I have at least an elementary understanding of human needs and motivation. From all this training, I learned that one of the factors that affects human behavior is known as a “Significant Emotional Event”.
By definition, a significant emotional event or many times referred to as a SEE, is an experience or experiences that create an emotional meaning, possibly even a belief, which can have a profound affect either instantaneously, or, can affect us later in life. The emotional meaning derived from this event can be positive or it could be negative. An event can become a SEE, if it’s perceived as an intense experience. This experience, in many cases is a traumatic event, which will carry with it great emotional influence. The age of a person, will generally determine the level of difficulty in dealing with the event’s emotional power. Therefore, any event can become a SEE based on an individual’s age and emotional threshold.
Simply put, a Significant Emotional Event or events, is anything in our past that affects behaviors or forms beliefs in the present. By way of an example, a series of events from my past that can be considered a SEE, was the chemical warfare training I received during my first assignment to Korea.
When I first entered the military in 1979, the major danger to our nation’s security was the cold war threat. During this assignment I endured long and intense training on how to survive in a chemical environment. On numerous occasions, I would work for hours on end, in chemical warfare gear, responding to simulated chemical weapons attacks. As you can imagine, communication in a gas mask and what we called MOPP gear was difficult.
As a way of communicating more effectively in this type of environment, the Air Force uses alarm signals. Many of you probably remember the “noon whistle” or air raid sirens that most towns tested each day at noon. These are the same sirens the Air Force uses to warm the troops that a conventional or chemical attack is immanent or in progress. We were trained to react in a certain manner, depending on the type of siren we heard. So, because of the intensity of this training, it created a SEE which had a profound impact on my behavior throughout my military career. The power of this SEE became apparent upon my return from Korea in late 1980.
Shortly after returning from Korea, I was in an auto salvage yard with my father when the “noon whistle” was tested. Since it sounded exactly like the imminent attack warning signal that I had been trained to respond to, I did exactly that, I responded. In the middle of that junk yard I started to crawl under a car and instinctively began reaching for my gas mask. Needless to say, my dad at first was very confused by my behavior, but then began to see the humor in it as soon as I realized what I was doing and explained.
My chemical self-defense training had created a response which affected my present behavior. And because of the reaction of my father, even today I find myself getting annoyed and can’t stand to hear noon whistles. In our Processional reading for today, we see how the miracles and actions of Jesus up this this point had created significant emotional reactions in many of the residents and visitors of Jerusalem that had been exposed to Jesus’ ministry.
These residents and visitors who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, had also heard the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It hadn’t been but a short time since the news of Lazarus, still wrapped in his grave clothes, stumbled out of the tomb and into the waiting arms of his sisters and friends. This news, which had significantly upset the religious establishment, had undoubtedly spread throughout Jerusalem as well as to the surrounding towns. Now, anxious to see Jesus, these residents and pilgrims alike, go out to heap praise on this itinerate Rabbi, hailing Him as one who comes in God’s name as well as the King of Israel. For them they saw Jesus as the promised Messiah. But the problem was, who did they actually come to see?
Jesus and His message had become quite popular. And this too is what troubled the Pharisees. They, and the rest of the religious establishment, felt powerless against this Galilean man who claimed to have come from the Father in heaven. And their greatest fears were being realized; many of the Jews were beginning to question the teachings of the religious leaders, choosing instead to believe in this charismatic teacher. Here’s a man who not only teaches about love and kindness but demonstrates it every time He associates with the marginalized in society, each time He touches and heals a leper, opens the ears of the deaf, and tells people that their sins are forgiven. All this scared the Pharisees.
Before too long, the Pharisees fear that everyone will begin to follow His teaching. John records their reaction in chapter 11 starting at verse 45, “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. So, the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation” (vs. 45-48.) And now, their worst fears were being confirmed when the crowds who had been at Lazarus’ tomb begin to testify. “Look,” the Pharisees exclaimed in verse 19 of our gospel reading, “the world has gone after him!” It’s no wonder the people wanted to see Jesus.
After all, He’s been inviting folks to “come and see” from the very beginning of His ministry. His teaching is different from the current religious establishment. And it’s easy to imagine how seeing water turned to wine or a man given back his sight could have a profound effect and lead people to believe in and follow the One who can do such things. Or, possibly it was the news that those close to Him had heard the voice from heaven, for the third time. This time confirming that God’s name in Jesus would indeed be glorified. Whether those lining the street that day came to see the suffering Messiah, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world, (John 1:29) or the messiah, a man empowered by God to free them from Roman rule, is somewhat of a question.
No doubt those gathered that day came to see the right person; they came to see Jesus. However, many of them came for the wrong reasons. It’s obvious by the reaction of the crowd a week later, that a good many who gathered to wave palms, were looking for a warrior who could restore the Hebrew people back to a powerful nation. Everyone there that day knew the Hebrew people were God’s chosen. Most knew the history of the Jewish people, of God rescuing them from their enemies, time and time again. Most looked forward to a promised Messiah, one who would return them to God’s favor. The problem was, for those looking for someone to free them from Roman rule, they were disappointed because this isn’t why Jesus was sent.
Jesus had tried repeatedly to tell His followers that He was sent to be the suffering Lamb; the Lamb of God who would take away our sin. The One who would break the bonds of hell and death and be raised 3 days later. Jesus told His followers that He came to give life abundant to all who believed. Yes, Jesus is the Messiah, but the people weren’t listening. They came that day to God’s chosen, to hail Him King of Israel and yes, they were right. But they came that day for the wrong reason. They came looking for what they wanted God to provide. They didn’t come looking for see what God had sent to them. And this is the problem many still have today.
Far too many people who come to God simply see God as an instant gratification resource. They only come to God when they’re in trouble. They only come to worship when it’s convenient. They only want to see God as a warm and fuzzy God, who over looks our sin no matter what, and takes everyone to heaven. Everyone except those who are repulsive, who commit heinous crimes, or the ones that we despise. In short, those who see God as an infinitely benevolent God, One who is an instant answer to all life’s problems, they see that so long as you’re basically a good person, then God provides you with everything you ask for and then takes you to heaven when you die, no additional effort or commitment required. Many want God, but they want Him for the wrong reasons. These are the people who refuse to hear God’s call to die to ourselves and give our lives over to Him; to serve and worship Him alone. For those of us who look to the suffering Messiah, for those willing to be buried with Him in Baptism, we see our call, on this Sunday which begins the Holy Week, as one to take up our cross and follow Jesus, no matter where that might lead.
During this season of Lent we’re called to follow Jesus all the way to Golgotha, all the way to the cross, where we will stand, together with those followers who asked at the beginning of His ministry, “Where are you staying?” It’s there, in the face of the world’s many ways of death, poverty, economic collapse, hunger, sickness and war that we’re drawn even closer to Jesus. It’s there, in the light of the stark reality of life at its end that we begin to catch a glimpse of life at its fullest.
Jesus promised us that, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself”. His unselfish act of love is most certainly a positive significant emotional event which creates a response in all our lives. First, it creates a response of contrition, for it was our sin that put Him on that tree, and second, it’s a response of thanksgiving and praise for the One who willingly laid down His life, so that all who believe and obey can have the peace of knowing, that not only has the power of sin been defeated in His death, but that in His resurrection, death itself, has lost its sting! It’s because of His resurrection that we have life eternal in God’s presence.
So why are we here? Why have we come to this place, and who are we looking for? Are we looking for the messiah, the one who simply grants our wishes anytime we ask because we’re basically good people, or are we looking for God’s Messiah, the Savior of the world; the One who bids us to take up our cross to serve a world in need? Amen
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