Rabble-Rouser

For most of the Christian world, we are in the midst of what is known as Holy Week. It is the week that begins with Palm Sunday and culminates with Easter. It commemorates the last week in the life of Jesus.

But the Holy Week depicted in the Bible wasn’t a celebration. It was a non-violent (and sometimes violent – I mean, Peter DID cut off a servant’s ear) protest, just as most of Jesus’ actions were. The Palm Sunday processional, where everyone cheered and shouted Hosanna (which means “save us”), was a procession of mostly poor peasants praising a local rabble-rouser who really had no political power but yet scared the local government nevertheless. The local rabble-rouser was a practically a nomad of minority origin, riding a young donkey with simple palm branches and coats creating his “red carpet.” He wasn’t trying to do more than show light and hope, peace and joy as he shook the world up with his messages of love. And yet, it became something of legend.

Jesus went against the status quo, against nationalism, against “the machine” as it were when he healed the sick, accepted the outcast, socialized with the marginalized, and quietly did everything he could to remind people that all were welcome. He loved ALL, even those who wanted to see his downfall. He accepted ALL. He tried to save ALL, though not in the way they were expecting. And he was condemned for his actions.

The mostly poor peasants that were cheering him on and shouting his praises on Sunday were screaming at him by Thursday, since he wasn’t showing them the power that they wanted. They wanted a savior who would overthrow the government was violence. He was a savior who brought reconciliation and grace. And since he accepted the marginalized and the outcast, he was made one too despite the celebrity status his peaceful rabble rousing had brought.

He was trying to show a different way of life, a way of life that should have been all along.

The world is still in conflict that way. We lift up the Holy Week as a celebration, but it’s in conflict with the ideas we hold fast to today. We want the power of being able to push our views and beliefs on to others in this “Christian nation”, but yet we don’t celebrate that all are welcome and that love is the key. We sing Hosanna and wave our palm branches every Palm Sunday, but we are relatively safe….. unless we are kept outside the doors because of our gender, our sexuality, our immigrant status, our past offenses, our social status. In the country where I reside, we aren’t persecuted literally for our beliefs, but if we follow the same ideals as the one from whom our religion was created, we are lambasted and condemned as “socialist” or “woke” when we try to create the changes that should have always been followed. We become pariahs of sorts.

“Tell the rabble to be quiet / We anticipate a riot / This common crowd is much too loud / Tell the mob who sing your song / That they are fools and they are wrong / They are a curse / They should disperse.”

~ lyrics sung by Caiaphas in the song “Hosanna” from the musical “Jesus Christ, Superstar”, written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber

In a world where grace is offensive (thank you for that, Rev. Yoo!), peace is controversial, and love is the protest (yes, I’ve used a song title from Jars of Clay, since it is still my favorite band) may we continue to be the peaceful protestors, the rabble-rousers, the “woke socialists,” the love of Christ who continue to shine light, give peace, bring joy, be magic, extend hope and welcome all as we love fiercely….. just as the one we are celebrating this week had.

Stay magical, friends.

Write your own story.

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