josephholubsermons


 

Palm Sunday
March 28, 2010
Luke  19:29-40

Reversing The Flow

About 50 miles south of here, between Leadville and Buena Vista at Twin Lakes Reservoir,  there is a very interesting hydroelectric power plant.  It’s called the Mt Elbert Pumped-Storage Power Plant.  I call it a power plant that reverses the flow!   

Let me explain.  During off-peak times, when demand for electricity is lower, the power station pumps water out of Twin Lakes, up the side of the mountain through large pipes to a higher mountain reservoir called the Mt. Elbert Forebay.  During peak demand times the water is released, and it comes rushing back down the mountainside, through the pipes, where it is channeled through the turbines producing electricity that is fed into the grid.  It is only through a reversal of the flow against gravity that electrical energy can ultimately be produced.  Many years ago I happened to be there, inside the building, when they reversed the flow. The plant is equipped with an 170,000 horsepower electric motor that reverses the turbines, pumping the water up the mountainside.  When that thing kicked in, the place literally rumbled and vibrated. 

For a right-brained, metaphorical thinker like myself, that serves as a huge metaphor in which to frame this day of church year – Palm Sunday – the first day of Holy Week.  In his ministry Jesus consistently reversed the flow on the status quo, and when he did a powerful energy was fed into the grid of life, and he created a rumble that is still vibrating the world!

Jesus reversed the flow.  Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem on his little donkey was an intentional counter-demonstration to something that was happening on the other side of town.  Jesus rode in from the east, but on the opposite side of the city, from the northwest, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, would lead a procession that included impressive numbers of armed imperial cavalry and marching foot-soldiers, symbols of the power of the empire – the kingdom of Caesar – Rome – who ruled the world!   

It was the beginning of the week of Passover, the festival that celebrates the Jewish people's liberation from an earlier imperial empire – Egypt.  Pilate's display of mighty Roman power was to discourage civil disorder that often occurred during Passover, and to forcibly remind the common peasant class who was really in charge – in charge politically and economically - and also in charge religiously as the Romans collaborated with the indigenous elites and temple hierarchy to exploit the poorer masses.   

Pilate's procession displayed not only Roman power, but conveyed Roman theology.  Caesar was not merely the ruler of mighty Rome and its vast empire, but Caesar also carried the designation "Son of God."   Banners bearing the inscriptions like, "Caesar, Son of God", "Caesar, Lord and Savior" and "Caesar, bringer of peace on earth" accompanied the procession. Caesar was considered “divine.” 

Luke carefully notes Jesus' pre-arrangements, meaning it was a planned counter-procession; a premeditated demonstration in the tradition of the Jewish prophets, specifically the prophet Zechariah who envisioned a non-violent king of peace arriving in Jerusalem on a colt;  a king who would banish the weapons of war, commend peace to the nations and establish justice and fairness in the land in all things.  In this king’s kingdom, economic injustice would no longer rule the land.  Jesus' entry conveyed that in the Kingdom of God no more would oppressive power be religiously and politically legitimated.  No more would the powerful exert leverage over the powerless and rig the system for their advantage. No more would war and violence throw daily life into chaos and suffering. 

Jesus reversed the flow.  When he rode into Jerusalem on his humble donkey it was an “in your face” counter-demonstration against the religious-political-economic system that dominated the lives of the common people – that kept them trapped in powerlessness and poverty.  He was riding smack into the counter-current of political and religious power, symbolized by the procession occurring on the other side of town.  Any first century person would have seen the severe contrast and the irony of the whole situation. 

Notice that a similar “reversing of the flow” occurs in our epistle from Philippians this morning. (p. 7 of your bulletin)  This passage from Philippians is one of Paul’s most famous and familiar.  Scholars call it a “hymn” in that it is Paul’s summery of the story of Jesus for him and a charge/challenge to the Philippians to live a Christ-like life.  Listen again as I read a portion:

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,” (says Paul) “who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself… even to the point of death… on a cross.”

I need to pause here for a moment and do a quick Bible study. Biblical scholars have interpreted this passage against three possible contrasting backdrops; three backdrops that help us understand the meaning of the passage.

The first contrasting backdrop is that of Adam and Eve (Adam and Eve as symbols of all humanity)  According to Genesis the temptation to which Adam and Eve surrendered (to which humanity surrenders) is the desire “to be like God.”  Adam’s “sin”, if you will, was to be godlike, exerting godlike power and control in all things.

With this as the backdrop, Paul is saying Jesus reversed the flow.  Paul is saying that Jesus did not grasp at being godlike in a controlling sense, but Jesus emptied himself in love for the sake of others.  Jesus lived his life moving smack into the counter-current of a prideful humanity who clamor for godlike power in every relationship.  Paul is saying that Jesus’ life is an ironic testimony that the true godlike way is found, not in grasping for power and control, but in self-emptying and self-giving love as embodied in Jesus’ life.

The second contrasting backdrop is the idea of the pre-existent Christ that developed over a  period of time in early Christianity.  This is a very traditional understanding of this passage and most likely a view most of us were taught in whatever religious training we may have had.  This is the view that Christ was with God in some way from the beginning (pre-existent); and that the pre-existent Christ emptied himself of divine qualities in order to become the human being Jesus to be with us.  It’s different than the first backdrop, but it’s like the first backdrop in that the flow is reversed from godlike aspirations to human expressions of love as the Christ-like way to live.

The third contrasting backdrop, and the one that carries the most meaning for me, is against the backdrop of Paul’s first century world of politics, economics and religion.  We might ask, “Who was it in Paul’s world:  who claimed to be in the form of God; who regarded “equality with God as something to be exploited”;  who would never, ever empty himself in any way, shape or form for anybody?”   The answer, of course, was Caesar and his empire/kingdom. 

With this as a backdrop Paul was contrasting the way of Caesar and his kingdom with the way of Jesus, which was the way of the “Kingdom of God.”  It’s not necessary to decide which of these three backdrops is right or wrong, but to see that all three have in common Jesus reversing the flow from the way the world usually operates and accepts as normalcy – to the way things could be according to kingdom of God – which Jesus embodied in his life – which Paul calls on the people of Philippi to adopt as their mindset for living as Jesus followers – and challenges us to adopt as well.

Jesus' life and ministry and his journey to the cross was a reversal of the flow of the status quo, and as a result a powerful energy was released into the grid of life that challenges our lives and world with a new mindset and new ways of living and being – the energy of the love, grace and compassion of God.

I reflected this week on people that have had an influence on my life; people who have modeled for me what it means to live with the mindset of Jesus; people whose lives have reversed the flow of the status quo, if only in some little way, especially when the status quo has been unjust and exploitive.  My list is long and there are many people I could name, some I have known personally, and others are but figures of history, but nevertheless have impacted my life.

For some reason I thought of Rosa Parks.  On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery Alabama, African American Rosa Parks courageously refused to obey the bus driver’s order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger.  Rosa’s action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and her act of civil disobedience became an important symbol of the civil rights movement.  She became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation and oppression.  Rosa Parks reversed the flow of the designs of prejudice that had come to be accepted as normalcy and the status quo.  She climbed on that donkey with Jesus and rode!  She embodied in her life what Paul meant when he said, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…”    

In his world of 2000 years ago Jesus reversed the flow as he embodied God’s love, grace and compassion.  Jesus reversed the flow:

The call and challenge that comes to us this day is to climb on that donkey with Jesus; to live with his mindset of reversing the flow; to follow his resolve, courage and commitment into the counter-current of resistance created by a world that more readily accepts the ways of Caesar as normalcy than the ways of the kingdom of God. 

In his ministry Jesus consistently reversed the flow, and when he did the energy of God’s grace and compassion was released into the grid of life, and he created a rumble that is still vibrating the world.   We, in this place today, are called to climb on his donkey and be led by him to continue that rumble and vibration in our world.   “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…”