A Tale of Two Parades

There were two parades on that first Palm Sunday. We are familiar with one of them. We know the story of Jesus coming down from the Mount of Olives to enter the city of Jerusalem from the East. He enters riding on a donkey to shouts of praise and an adoring crowd.

This is the week of Passover when tens of thousands will gather in Jerusalem to celebrate the most important religious and political festival of the Jewish people. Passover acknowledges the escape from bondage in Egypt. It is a volatile time.

On the other end of the city, from the West, from Pilate’s headquarters as Caesarea Maritima, came another parade. It was a parade of Roman soldiers, metal, leather, horses, swords, hammers, nails, crossbeams, probably carried by slaves. It was Passover, and Rome needed to secure the peace. There would be an increased presence at the Temple and throughout Jerusalem.

There would be crucifixions. There always were. Rome crucified thousands. They crucified for sedition. Those who stirred up the people would be crucified publicly. Pilate was especially ruthless. He would execute without trial. He was even too ruthless for Rome. Historian Josephus reports that Rome called him back not long after the execution of Jesus for his brutality.

Jesus was a messiah, an anointed one, as a successor of David. I think he thought of himself as a suffering servant for his people. His way of resistance was not violent, but non-violent. Like those who put their lives down before the blasphemy of Caligula, refusing to move, who would risk death for justice, Jesus, too, resisted violence with non-violence and the proclamation of the justice and peace of God.

Blessed are the poor. Love your enemies. That is what Jesus lived and died for.

As we enter Holy Week, I invite you explore the last week of the life of Jesus as a struggle between two ways of living. One way is the way of Empire, peace through strength and the other is way of Jesus, peace through justice.

There were two parades on that first Palm Sunday.

In which parade will we march?