Palm Sunday of The Lord's Passion Year A - 13/4/2014 - Gospel: Mt 26:14-27:66
Rub elbows
Palm procession is a joyful celebration of people who have their eyes focussed on Jesus and their hands holding and waving green branches. They sing joyfully and slowly walk in the same space in procession. It filled their hearts with joy, full of hope in Jesus. They heard Him, saw Him and longed to serve under His charismatic leadership. Jesus dressed as an ordinary young man rode on an ass entering the holy city Jerusalem, surrounded by his friends and the crowds. Amongst the crowds they rubbed elbows because they were packed so close together and they were pushing and trying to see clearer and hear better from the man on the ass. The people on the sides of the road also rubbed elbows as their waited and reminded one another that the man on the ass was approaching them. I imagine that there were people in the crowd who couldn't see much of Jesus they had to stand on their toes to get a bit more of Jesus whom they admired and loved.
Where else do we find the rubbing of elbows? Events that happened prior to the Palm Sunday involved religious authorities who saw Jesus as a threat to their power but they said not the truth to the people; instead of telling of their own fear they linked their fear to the political issue to get the public support and also employed the foreign power to destroy Jesus. They told the people if Jesus continued to draw such the crowds the Romans would come and take away their land and nation. From the enclosed room the high priest Caiaphas told that it is better for one man die to save many. Caiaphas' statement was right in a sense that one man, Jesus, died to save not just the nation but save the whole world. The death and resurrection of Jesus saved not one race but the entire human race and anyone who recognizes the death of Jesus for their sins will be saved. They had rubbed elbows as a sign of silent consensus in the enclosed room and that common consent was now being put in action. There was no time for the second thought. They needed to act quickly and gave no time for a second proposal. The determination to kill Jesus was so strong that everything had to be done without delay. The arrest happened at night and trial began to take place straight away and by next morning the verdict was given and the death sentence was carried out within the same day.
There is another rub of elbows amongst the disciples of Jesus. It began with the betrayal of a friend, an inner circle of friends who betrayed their leader which Jesus revealed at the Last Supper. The twelve who quietly rubbed elbows with one another wondering who the Master meant in His speech would betray Him. They all took turns deny to deny knowing and took allegiance promising to be faithful to Jesus. The disciples were free to speak and yet there was no cohesion between the inferiority and exteriority of their thoughts and feelings. This kind of differentiator we saw from the religious leaders as we had pointed out earlier that they not told the truth of their thoughts.
The final rub of elbows happened when the disciples and the religious authorities heard about the resurrection of Jesus. The same sign or symbol- rub of elbows- but it has different a meaning for each group. It depends on the intension of the group. Some of the disciples were full of joy to hear about the Risen Christ; others were in doubt and the religious authorities were again ran up against time to stop the news of the resurrection of Jesus as they were busy planning propagandas against it.
Let's now examine our thoughts and feelings towards the event.
Where else do we find the rubbing of elbows? Events that happened prior to the Palm Sunday involved religious authorities who saw Jesus as a threat to their power but they said not the truth to the people; instead of telling of their own fear they linked their fear to the political issue to get the public support and also employed the foreign power to destroy Jesus. They told the people if Jesus continued to draw such the crowds the Romans would come and take away their land and nation. From the enclosed room the high priest Caiaphas told that it is better for one man die to save many. Caiaphas' statement was right in a sense that one man, Jesus, died to save not just the nation but save the whole world. The death and resurrection of Jesus saved not one race but the entire human race and anyone who recognizes the death of Jesus for their sins will be saved. They had rubbed elbows as a sign of silent consensus in the enclosed room and that common consent was now being put in action. There was no time for the second thought. They needed to act quickly and gave no time for a second proposal. The determination to kill Jesus was so strong that everything had to be done without delay. The arrest happened at night and trial began to take place straight away and by next morning the verdict was given and the death sentence was carried out within the same day.
There is another rub of elbows amongst the disciples of Jesus. It began with the betrayal of a friend, an inner circle of friends who betrayed their leader which Jesus revealed at the Last Supper. The twelve who quietly rubbed elbows with one another wondering who the Master meant in His speech would betray Him. They all took turns deny to deny knowing and took allegiance promising to be faithful to Jesus. The disciples were free to speak and yet there was no cohesion between the inferiority and exteriority of their thoughts and feelings. This kind of differentiator we saw from the religious leaders as we had pointed out earlier that they not told the truth of their thoughts.
The final rub of elbows happened when the disciples and the religious authorities heard about the resurrection of Jesus. The same sign or symbol- rub of elbows- but it has different a meaning for each group. It depends on the intension of the group. Some of the disciples were full of joy to hear about the Risen Christ; others were in doubt and the religious authorities were again ran up against time to stop the news of the resurrection of Jesus as they were busy planning propagandas against it.
Let's now examine our thoughts and feelings towards the event.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia