1 Sunday, April 1, 2012 Palm/Passion Sunday Pastor Dena Williams Denver, CO Mark 11:1-11 Mark 15 The Holy Gospel

according to the Community of St. Mark in the 15th Chapter Glory to you, O Lord As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered him, "You say so." Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, "Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you." But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead.

2 Pilate spoke to them again, "Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" They shouted back, "Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him!" So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take. It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left.

3 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!" In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also taunted him. When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "Listen, he is calling for Elijah." And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down." Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee;

4 and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem. When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid. The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, O Christ Bartimaeus It was just the other day, when, for the third time, Jesus told his followers: We are going up to Jerusalem. And there I, the Son of Man will be betrayed. The priests and teachers, those who collaborate with the Roman government, will condemn me to death. They will turn me over to the Romans who will mock and spit and flog and kill the Son of Man.

5 Today Jesus and his friends begin their walk toward Jerusalem. On their way, they stop for awhile in the city of Jericho. Jesus sees a blind man sitting by the road. The man, Bartimaeus begs Jesus to restore his sight. Son of David have mercy on me, he cries as Jesus passes by. Jesus speaks, Go; your faith has made you well. Immediately his sight is restored. Bartimaeus leaps to his feet, and having nothing nor no one to leave behind in Jericho, he joins the crowd following Jesus. They walk south from Jericho toward Jerusalem. As they walk, Bartimaeus talks with the others, those who follow Jesus. He hears stories. Apparently he is not the first person healed by this wandering prophet. There was that boy possessed by an evil spirit, and the foreign woman whose daughter had a demon. Everyone has a story to tell Bartimaeus. One tells of the deaf man whose ears were opened. That reminds another of the blind man at Bethsaida, who, like Bartimaeus regained his sight. As Bartimaeus hears the stories and sees the devotion of Jesus followers, he can hardly contain his joy. He has found the Messiah, the one sent from God to bring healing and hope and salvation to the people. It is almost too much to believe. All in the same day, he sees the light of morning for the first time in his life, miracle enough, and now he finds the Savior of the world. Ten miles down the road from Jericho,

6 the crowd comes to the village of Bethany, just two miles outside of Jerusalem. As the people fill the dusty streets of Bethany, they share water and food and rest in the shade. Now Bartimaeus hears even more of the story. It seems that this Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to free the people from oppression, the oppression of poverty, disease, and persecution. Bartimaeus is so excited. Here he is, no longer a blind beggar by the side of the road, but traveling with the one who will enter Jerusalem as a victorious King. This is the one who will bring liberty to the people, people like him, the poor, the ill, the oppressed. The mighty rulers will be thrown down from their thrones, and this new King will rule. Prosperity and peace will reign throughout the countryside. And he, Bartimaeus will be right there to see it happen. Bartimaeus is eager for the crowd to gather and follow Jesus the final two miles into Jerusalem, where he will undoubtedly be crowned King by the people. Instead of leading the crowd out of Bethany, however, word spreads that Jesus sent to the neighboring village for a colt. A colt! Bartimaeus wonders. Why on earth would the new ruler of the universe send for a colt? Bartimaeus watches as two of the followers lead the young horse into Bethany. He watches quietly as the followers place their cloaks on the colts back, and as Jesus climbs onto the animal. Bartimaeus is puzzled, but he decides that this colt must be a temporary solution.

7 Jesus must be saving his strength for the final triumphant entry. There will probably be a great horse and chariot waiting outside the city walls of Jerusalem. There Jesus will slip from the colts back and ride into the city victorious, in style, and with honor. The entourage gathers at the edge of the village and heads out to walk the last two miles to Jerusalem. Now things are really getting exciting. The people begin singing, they are going into the fields, bringing back branches to scatter in the road in front of the colt carrying Jesus. They shout hosanna in welcome to their new king. By this time, Bartimaeus is very confused. This is not how it was supposed to be. Who ever heard of a victorious new ruler riding into the city on a colt? This cannot be right. Dont these people know who Jesus is? As the frenzy grows around him, as people shout and sing praise, Bartimaeus grows silent. He may be just a few hours removed from being a blind beggar sitting by the road, but he knows some things about Kings and Roman rulers and power. There is something wrong with this picture. Jesus, riding on the colt, leads the crowd to the steps of the temple. Among cheers and singing, Jesus climbs the steps.

8 Now, thinks Bartimaeus, Now is the time. Jesus will make a great speech. The people will dethrone the Roman emperor. His henchmen who rule the temple will flee. Jesus will be crowned ruler of all Judea. His excitement grows again, as Bartimaeus watches Jesus enter the temple. He rushes forward so as not to miss a single detail. Most of the crowd stays in the street, laughing and dancing. But Bartimaeus makes his way through the crowd and slips in through the temple doors. There is Jesus with some of his followers. Bartimaeus waits for the proclamation, the coronation, the celebration. He watches in amazement as Jesus and his followers look around the entrance room of the temple. They wander into other rooms, looking at the furnishings, commenting on the architecture, discussing the lay out. They look like a bunch of tourists, Bartimaeus thinks to himself. Bartimaeus, dejected, decides it is time to go home. He is very glad, of course, for his new found sight. He is grateful, but disappointed. There will be no new King crowned in Jerusalem today. He might as well go home. At least now, he thinks, I will be able to work and make a living. He leaves the temple, makes his way through the crowd, and heads back down the road to Jericho. Days later, Bartimaeus finds a job. He is working in the wheat fields and saving a little money

9 so that he can buy his own land. Hes dreaming of the future, who knows, now that he can see, now that he can work, maybe there will be a house, a wife, some children. He hears the wheat farmer talking to another worker. Seems that the prophet named Jesus, the one who passed through town last week, seems he was betrayed by the temple rulers and turned over to the Romans and they crucified him just outside Jerusalem. Bartimaeus pauses from his work, leans on his rake. He gazes at the wheat gleaming in the sunlight, grateful for eyes that can see. He turns back to his task, harvesting the golden wheat that will become the bread of life. Amen