Palm Sunday
April 9, 2006


Of the long passion reading we have just heard, I want to focus on two moments, two ‘stories within the story.”

The first one, you almost want to dismiss it and say: “what is it doing here?” It is the story of the woman who anoints the feet of Jesus. However, Jesus himself says: “Wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."

What this woman did, therefore, tells us how to read and understand the Passion of Jesus. Briefly stated, her seemingly extravagant anointing of Jesus represents, in microcosm, what Jesus himself is about to do for the whole world. Just as she breaks open the exquisite alabaster cruet and pours its precious and fragrant ointment on the head of Jesus in view of his death and burial, so also Jesus will allow his body to be broken in death and will pour the precious ointment of his life-blood on all of us who are destined to die.

Her action is considered wasteful and foolish by the bystanders, so that Jesus must correct them as he praises this woman for her generosity. And, in like manner, what Jesus does may appear to be foolish and wasteful to an unbelieving and cynical world, but his Father will raise him from the dead and thereby confirm forever the wisdom of his generosity.

And if we take this little story of the anointing of Jesus seriously, we will learn that the passion story is not primarily about how much Jesus suffered, but rather about how much he loved. He did suffer, of course, and his suffering was intense. But suffering as such is not necessarily redemptive. What makes the pain and suffering of Jesus the source of salvation for us is the fact that it resulted from his extraordinary loving. We all know that suffering can come from other sources than loving, such as, not getting our own way or being wedded to false goals, but this kind of selfish suffering has nothing in common with the suffering of Jesus. It is only suffering that is wedded to love that becomes redemptive. SO, offer your sufferings in love this week. Let the fasting you do, the extra mile you walk, the insult you ignore be a part of your expression of love for God.

The second ‘story within the story’ is the agony in the garden. How easy it would have been for Jesus to turn back. To say: “The heck with this.” But he didn’t. What he chose in the garden was to see the journey through to the end. To pay the price in his own body for his love and devotion. Martyrs throughout the ages have echoed this same choice – to express their discipleship no matter the cost.

So when you are tempted to watch a movie you know you shouldn’t on Cable TV, when you have the chance to cut the legs out from a co-worker who made a mistake, when it is in your power to hold someone in unforgiveness because of their offense, THINK of Jesus in the garden, and pray for the same grace – to see your loving through to the end…