Today we celebrate the
feast of Palm Sunday. Palm
Sunday in a nut shell signifies Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. By this
entry, in the form of parade, Christ unveils his messianic kingship. He tells
the world about his heavenly kingship and kingdom, which are not of this world.
And the people acknowledged that by laying down their palm fronds for the King
Jesus Christ to walk on as recognition of his divine kingship. There is so much
mystery in and lessons from today’s gospel, Luke 22, 14-23, 56.
With his triumphant
entry into Jerusalem, Christ teaches us the true meaning of kingship and leadership-
having at all times the attitude of a servant characterized by humility,
selflessness, obedience, forgiveness, etc. When his apostles were bickering
over which of them was the “most important” among themselves, he reminded them
that “The Kings of the pagan nations rule
over them as lords and the most hard-hearted rulers claim the title……” In
this sense, Christ was telling them to imbibe a model of leadership that sees
the lowest man in a group as the leader and the highest person as the servant. This
he spelt out in his words: “….. let the
greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.” In
our earthly conception of kingship and leadership we wouldn’t have expected him
to dine ordinary people in society. But as an example to us he dined among the
people we regarded as servants. He showed them that his kingship has no discrimination
against people for whatsoever reason; his model of leadership is accommodating
and gives respect to everyone. With these words:
“You are the ones who have been with me and stood by me through my
troubles; because of this, just as the kingship has been given to me by my
Father, so I give it you. You will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and
you will sit on thrones and govern the twelve tribes of Israel,”
he re-assured them and
showed them how committed his model of leadership was. We represent the
apostles today and Christ in today’s gospel reading was speaking to us just
like he did to his apostles.
However, as Christ speaks
to us today in the gospel passage, he is aware that some of us will turn our
back on him; and he knows already how some of us will act like Judas and other
apostles who denied having anything to do with him. But he is always willing to
pardon and have us back to his flock. The question that has been passed onto us
from today’s gospel is if we are willing to accept into our heart this
triumphant entry Christ has made into Jerusalem? Our hearts signify Jerusalem. The
way we accept today’s message and the ones to come through out the incoming
week will determine whether we are keeping up the rejection, betrayal and the
death on the cross that meted out to Christ by the Jews.
