March 24, 2002 - Passion/Palm
Sunday
Is 50:4-9a; Ps 31:9-16; Ps 118:1-2, 19-29;
Ph 2:5-11; Mt 21:1-11; Mt 26:14-27:66; Mt 27:11-54
EMPTY YET FULL
Theme: Christ's
Surrendering
ILLUMINATING TEXT AND THEME
What a contrast between the way that Jesus enters Jerusalem and the way
in which a Roman general would enter Rome at the head of a triumphal procession.
Jesus rides upon a donkey, symbol of peace and friendship.
The Roman would stand proudly in a chariot, symbol of war and conquest.
Jesus is surrounded by his rag-tag band of former fishermen, peasants and
a tax collector.
The Roman general would lead a marching army of battle-scarred soldiers.
Jesus' followers wave palm fronds which they have cut from trees.
Army battle banners and standards, topped by proud eagles, would tower
over the columns of soldiers.
The disciples and crowds hail Jesus with Messianic quotations from the
Psalms.
The Roman crowds would have praised the bloody victories won by the general,
evidenced by the long lines of shackled prisoners behind his chariot.
Jesus anticipates a week of controversy.
The Roman looks forward to a lengthy time of wining and dining.
Jesus knows that soon his name will be vilified and himself condemned to
death.
The Roman general will see his name enshrined in the annals of the Roman
Senate and his name added to the list of the heroes of the Empire.
In short, whereas the Roman general would have been full of himself at
fulfilling his ambitions, Jesus has emptied himself of all ambition and
pride as he enters into the city where his enemies hold sway. Matthew, from
Jesus' temptation in the wilderness to his struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane,
shows that Jesus' sense of call to Sonship, received at his baptism, involves
a long spiritual battle to submit to God's will.
The metaphor of emptying himself comes from the apostle Paul's letter to
the Philippians. Paul knows how even the most harmonious church can be split
apart by the ambitions and schemes of self-centered people. Thus he tells
his readers to look to the interests of each other, rather than to their
own. He gives them the highest possible example for laying aside one's own
interests for the sake of others, that of Jesus Christ. We can never be
sure whether verses 6 though 11 were taken from a hymn being sung that Paul
heard or something written by Paul himself. But these verses are a very
powerful and apt description of one theory of what took place in the life
of what John called the divine Word. In a few easily understood phrases
we suddenly understand that the divine Son "emptied" himself of
all heavenly power and entered into the body of a human being—not of
a powerful ruler or noble, but of that of a servant or slave. This person
so humbled himself as to become obedient to God, even to the point of death—but
as a result was raised up, or exalted, by God so that all of creation would
pay homage to him. Jesus has become empty, but God has made him full.
Such a view was basic to the teaching of Jesus about the kind of life he
came to call us to live. "I have come," as he said, "not
to be served, but to serve." Those who would follow him must pick up
their own cross, he warned. When his disciples foolishly tried to talk him
into giving them important posts in the coming kingdom, he told them they
must become like a child, that his kingdom would reverse the order and values
of the present world. Jesus had flip things around dramatically giving up
total power and becoming powerless to bring everyone to God. He was sticking
with what worked. Romans might rise to posts of power and enjoy ordering
around their underlings, but not his followers. To be first in the kingdom,
they would have to empty themselves of any ideas based on acquiring power
and authority over others. Whereas most ambitious people are full of themselves,
Jesus' followers are to be full of God's Spirit.
The successful CEO's of American corporations are lionized in the financial
pages of newspapers and often reap big rewards from the sale of their books
on how to achieve success. By success, they mean "bottom line"
and victories over their opponents, as well as lucrative invitations to
sit on the boards of various banks, corporations, and to lend the prestige
of their name to important charity drives. Nor is it just in the realm of
business that this lust for power dominant, leading to our being full of
ourselves. Alongside the books by the princes of commerce and industry,
our bookstores are filled with the writings of various spiritual gurus who
promise us wealth, health, and success if we follow the laws they have discovered.
Some even blatantly assure us that God wants us to be rich and famous. We
follow them at great risk, because they lead us directly away from the Man
who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
The above promises are a long way from those made by the Man urging us
to take up our cross. Except for a few outstanding disciples, such as an
Albert Schweitzer or a Mother Teresa, the emptied Disciples of Christ will
seldom see themselves on the covers of magazines or invited into the halls
of the rich and the famous. But by forgetting themselves for a while, laying
aside any prerogative of rank or privilege, they will be able to achieve
great things for the kingdom of God. And their reward will be the same that
Christ said is given by a Master to his servant, "Well done, thou good
and faithful servant."
ILLUSTRATING TEXT AND THEME
In The Interior Castle, the 16th century Saint Teresa
of Avila wrote, "When we empty ourselves of all that is creature and
rid ourselves of it for the love of God, that same Lord will fill ourselves
with Himself."
**************
Perhaps the most famous occurrence in the history of the church of emptying
oneself took place at Assisi in January or February of 1206. The conflict
between Pietro Bernardone and his rebellious son Francesco had been the
talk of the little Italian hill town. Ever since the young man's war experience
and long illness, Francesco had been acting strangely. After his conversion
in the little ruined chapel of San Damiano, just outside the walls of Assisi,
Francesco's giving away of the family cloth and money to the poor had enraged
his father. The father sought to build up the business, and the son seems
bent on tearing it down by giving away everything! The conflict came to
a head when the father appealed to the bishop. When Pietro charged his son
with being disobedient and ungrateful, Francesco's response was to tell
his father that he would now cheerfully give him back his money and his
clothes. Disrobing, he stood naked before all. According to one account,
the embarrassed bishop placed his own cloak over the young man. Another
says that Francesco walked away with a shepherd's rude cloak about him.
In one brief act the son emptied himself of his inheritance—his wealth
and fine clothes, his status and security in the community—in order
to claim a greater inheritance, that of the kingdom of God. While scarcely
daring to imitate Francis, the world continues to admire and even to venerate
him as St. Francis.
**************
Another man who emptied himself of some of the things that the world regards
as important was Albert Schweitzer. He studied at the Universities of Strasbourg,
Paris and Berlin, achieving high honors. In 1900 he was ordained and became
the curate of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Strasbourg. His star rose
to prominence when a year later he was appointed the principal of the theological
seminary there. At the same time he was gaining reknown as an accomplished
organist and expert on their construction. His book on Bach was reprinted
in numerous languages, and his championship of a simple playing of the master's
music, minus all the flourishes dearly loved by many organists, became the
accepted standard. As a scholar, Schweitzer became known throughout the
Western world with the publication of his book
The Quest for the Historical
Jesus. But even while he was engaged in his academic and musical pursuits,
he was feeling the call to become a missionary. This would involve giving
up his comforts and prestigious positions in Europe and going to Africa—not
as a scholar, but as a medical missionary. So, at the relatively advanced
age of thirty, Dr. Schweitzer went back to school and immersed himself in
an eight-year program of becoming a doctor. In 1913 he finally left for
Lambarene, in what then was French Qequatorial Africa (now Gabon) to set
up a hospital. Some thought this emptying of himself was foolish, but Schweitzer
never looked back. During his first year at Lambarene he treated some 2000
patients. He did return to Europe, first during the period when he was interned
in France as a German national during the First World War, and then later
to raise funds for his African work by giving organ concerts and lectures.
He emptied himself so that his life would be full of service to God, and
full it was. Far from being buried in some obscure corner of Africa, he
found that he became a magnet drawing seekers, journalists, and eventually
even the Nobel Peace Prize.
**************
In the film,
A Civil Action, a flamboyant lawyer embarks on a course
of action that will lead to his emptying himself of his flashy life style.
Jan Schlichtmann loves the fast cars, custom-made suits, and night life
that his law practice provides. So when a grieving mother comes to him accusing
two large corporations of causing leukemia in her son, he smells big money
in the suit. But the suit becomes complicated, necessitating the hiring
of expensive technical experts and laboratory tests. Soon his firm is deep
in debt, with the outcome very much in doubt. But something happens to Jan
as he gets to know the victims. He becomes obsessed with winning justice
for them, no matter the cost. The cost turns out to be his entire fortune
and the law firm. Unable to continue the case because of lack of money,
he stands, at the end of the film, in a court of bankruptcy, where the judge,
in looking over his assets, remarks that he doesn't have much to show for
his life. We can tell by his face, however, that Jan thinks otherwise. He
has emptied himself only to find himself as a champion of the downtrodden.
We learn at the end of the film that he moved to another state where he
opened a law practice to gain justice for other victims of corporate misrule.
**************
There is a telling scene in Richard Attenborough's film
Gandhi, in
which the Indian leader is arguing with his wife Kasterbai. She is objecting
to his assigning her to latrine duty at their ashram. As a high caste Indian
she believes that cleaning latrines is the duty of a low caste or untouchable.
Gandhi insists on her taking on the lowly task, telling her that the two
of them must set the example for other members of the ashram. He envisions
a society in which all are equal, and his vision begins with their present
community. Kasturbai must, in effect, empty herself of her old notions of
what makes a person important and worthwhile. She reluctantly submits when
Gandhi, uncharacteristically lashes out at her in anger, telling her she
must leave him if she will not do what he says. He realizes immediately
that he too must empty himself of his cultural perrogative that men have
the right to tell women what to do.
**************
The good news is that even if you're not ready to make a total commitment,
then at least a partial surrender of your time and energy will provide you
with benefits—at least when it comes to exercise. Surveys have found
that three out of four Americans are satisfied with their general health,
even though, in fact, most are overweight and only one in three exercises
on a regular basis. Some theorize that many Americans shy away from exercising
for fear of not being able to endure tough workouts. But two studies in
the last year indicate that even moderate exercise can yield significant
results. A Dutch study, published in
Nature, found that almost any
extra exertion, even walking up stairs, can lead to the loss of pounds over
time. A separate research project, published in
The Journal of the American
Medical Association, indicates that women who walk even one hour per
week will cut their heart-disease risk in half, compared to women who are
more sedentary.
**************
Fred Turner set out to make a point. He wanted to prove that most people
in America are good. So a number of years Fred Turner began to walk across
the country, starting from his home in South Carolina. Unfortunately, though,
Fred only got to the state line. As he was walking across the bridge that
connects South Carolina and Georgia, a faded red pickup truck pulled up
beside him. The men inside the truck asked if he was the man who was walking
across America to prove that people are good. Fred said that that was who
he was. So the men in the pickup truck responded by saying, "Good,
give us your wallet." After they took Fred's money, one of the men
pushed Fred off of the bridge and into the river below. Battered and bruised,
Fred was left to consider whether or not to try his walk across the country
again. For the time being, though, he said that he just needed time to regroup.
Being totally committed to a cause—just as Jesus was committed to the
cause of God—does not mean that you will be exempt from opposition
and hostility.
**************
Kamstra, a Dutch travel agency, offers to arrange vacations for customers.
The only twist is that there are no hotel accommodations included. Instead,
the travel agency arranges for you to spend up to four nights sleeping on
the streets of a European capital city like a homeless person. Some people
are signing up for the trips as a way to combine survival skills and team
building. Others are signing up in order to see what the life of a homeless
person is like. The cost to experience poverty on the streets is $430.
**************
Some people today are ready to commit themselves to just about any cause.
The challenge is to make sure the cause is truly worth offering one's life
for. A 60-year-old parachutist plunged to her death in the autumn of 1999
when her chute failed to open while jumping from the El Capitan peak in
the Yosemite National Park. Jan Davis was one of five jumpers to leap from
the summit in order to protest a recently enacted rule against such jumps.
The park had instituted the ban when earlier in the year a jumper successfully
parachuted from El Capitan, only to drown in the river below. Davis' jump
had been intended to demonstrate that jumps from the peak could be done
safely and therefore should not be banned.
**************
One way that Jews continue to surrender themselves to God is through the
annual observance of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Strict rules for
that day require that there be no eating, drinking, or sex. The idea behind
those prohibitions is that they are meant to simulate the qualities of death,
where there is no eating, drinking, or sex. When Yom Kippur is over, those
activities may then be resumed, with the hope that people will have a renewed
appreciation for all the aspects of life.
**************
Not only are some people hesitant to surrender themselves to God by committing
themselves completely to God's ways, but some people even hesitate to surrender
themselves in commitment to their marriage partner. One Florida couple experienced
an extremely short period of marital bliss. At the reception, the bride
began to pelt her husband with wedding cake, punched him in the face, and
kicked him as he lay on the floor. The fight apparently started over a disagreement
concerning their wedding presents. Police arrested the bride, who was later
released on $5000 bail.
**************
Partial commitments are rarely taken seriously by other people. As the Continental
Congress continued its debate over whether to declare independence from
Great Britain, the delegates decided to take a preliminary vote to determine
how many of the colonies were prepared to pursue independence. On July 1,
1776, only nine of the thirteen colonies cast ballots in favor of separation.
Nine out of thirteen certainly was a clear majority. But the Continental
Congress feared that anything less than unanimous support for the move would
be viewed as a sign of weakness by Britain and by the other nations of the
world. Thus, the delegates waited until July 4, when they had successfully
rallied support from all of the colonies, to announce the Declaration of
Independence.
**************
On a dry spring morning, a group of men and women gathered near a grassy
field outside of Chicago. When the signal was given, torch-bearing runners
took off across the brush, leaving a line of flame behind them. Soon a wall
of orange heat swept across the field, leaving only a blackened earthen
surface in its wake. For about ten years now, Illinois has discovered that
fire's natural destructiveness holds the promise for re-birth for the state's
grasslands. When the first pioneers came through Illinois about 150 years
ago, the prairies were rich with countless types of natural vegetation.
But in recent decades, those prairie wildflowers and plants have almost
reached the point of extinction because of the spread of weeds. And so the
burning wipes out all the life above ground, destroying wildflowers and
weeds alike. But the wildflowers have much deeper roots, some reaching as
far down as 15 feet. So the wildflowers are able to sprout new life and
flourish in those areas where fire brought apparent death.
**************
"You can worship only by becoming weak. Woe to the presumptuous person
who in his proud strength is audacious enough to worship God! The true God
can be worshipped only in spirit and in truth—but precisely this is
the truth that you are entirely weak. In fact, you are nothing." (Soren
Kirkegaard)
**************
"Never do things by halves." (Proverb)
**************
Oh, how I wish there was some wonderful Place,
Called the Land of Beginning Again.
Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches
And all our poor selfish griefs
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door, Never to be put on
again! (Ella Wheeler Wilcox)
**************
On the early morning TODAY show following September 11
th and
just before Thanksgiving, Katie Couric interviewed Rabbi Avi Weiss. Her
theme was the Rabbi's technique for ministering to those who were coming
out of the shock and trauma of crisis. Her questions were directed to the
Rabbi's way of addressing pain.
Rabbi Weiss carefully defined his flexibility to allow the person to speak
about his/her pain. "As Pastoral Counselors we cannot try to absorb
or relieve the pain but rather to recognize and to address the pain. We
encourage the person to describe their pain and carefully listen to their
feelings... No matter if they are continually mixed-up or overlapping with
each other.
It may help to touch or embrace them when they have reached a time of silence.
That may be the best way to accept their trust and give them comfort and
confidence!"
Katie's questions included, "How do you feel about touching or hugging
a complete stranger?"
The Rabbi's answer: "Even more helpful than to embrace or hug is
to know when to step forward or when to step back...."
That Interview demonstrated to me the competence and confidence of the
Rabbi, who had discovered the power of Pastoral Care.
**************
Can someone be empty yet full at the same time? Of course, one must continually
empty oneself, if one is to continually be filled by Jesus.
empty of selfishness full of Christlikeness
empty of ambition, full of willingness to do His will
empty of despair, full of hope
empty of pride, full of compassion
**************
Rome understood a show of power. Sending a Roman Legion along the Apian
Way to keep the peace was very effective. Building a city like the world
had never seen to bring vanquished foes before their senate in chains. Putting
down uprising after uprising in Pilate's Palestine. The pomp and glory that
was Rome was founded in the art of intimidation of their enemies.
Jesus understood a show of power too. Blessing the little children, healing
a blind man, feeding the multitudes, raising the dead, all constituted legitimate
exercises of power by Jesus. Yet, when the time was full for his entrance
into Jerusalem, he humbled himself and rode upon a colt. Where was his power?
It was in the certainty of this being His hour (Kairos is Greek for fullness
of time, as Chronos is Greek for measured time.). He knew what they could
do to him. He knew what God would do for him. He knew the sacrifice he would
make was the will of God for his life. He knew that the cup from which he
was to drink was offered, not by powerful Romans, but by the Father who
sent him. The ancient code of the Texas Rangers refers to such a display
of power as Jesus produced on Palm Sunday: "No man in the wrong can
defeat a man in the right who keeps on coming." The key is the "keeping
on coming."
2nd
Quarter 2002
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