Stephen Baldwin
NT: John 19.28-40
If a Tree Falls in the
Woods…
If a tree
falls in the woods and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Of course, right. Because you’ve heard trees fall before, and
the thud of hundreds or thousands of pounds of wood slamming into the ground
creates huge sound waves. But hearing is
a human process requiring ears, a brain, and a sound to decipher. And if no human was around to perceive what
happened when the tree fell, then how could you say anything with certainty? This is the essence of the debate which has
been going on for centuries.
The point
of this riddle is that perception is reality.
Your only actual knowledge of “reality” is your personal perception of
it. If I asked three different people what
they thought of the food at a particular restaurant, they would probably have
three different perceptions of it. If
three people observe a crime, they each will tell a slightly different witness
story. With that in mind, let’s think
about the Palm Sunday story from different perspectives.
What do the
crowds perceive? A coronation. They’re spreading their cloaks on the road to
make way for a king sent by God to save them.
The king isn’t quite what they expected.
He is riding a donkey instead of a horse, wielding a palm branch instead
of a sword, and dressed like a regular guy instead of a soldier. Even so, they chant and cheer. They see Jesus as a king. This parade instills hope in them.
What do the
leaders perceive? For the Roman and Jewish authorities, it’s also a coronation, but not
a happy one. The people are bowing down
to someone else, someone they don’t control, someone who doesn’t bow down to
them. This parade threatens them. Deeply. They see a man who could take
everything they hold dear from their fingertips.
What does
Jesus perceive? Truly, heaven only
knows. It had to feel like a rollercoaster
for him. Thrilling one minute and
terrifying the next. Sure, it was great
that folks finally understood who he was.
Sort of. They recognized him as a
king, but he wasn’t the king they expected.
And he knew where the road he traveled would lead. When they found out who he really was, they
would kill him. He’d known that for a
while now, but knowing something will happen one day and then having it happen
are two very different things.
If a tree
falls in the woods with nobody around to hear it, does it make a sound? If a king is nailed to a cross with everyone watching,
can they hear his cries?
On Palm
Sunday, the creation existed in such harmony that even the stones were shouting
hosanna! The streams looked in awe as
Jesus strode by. The palm branches bowed
down before him. The birds flew by to
catch a glimpse of the one sent to save all creation. Even the stones were shouting!
What do we
perceive today when we read this familiar story of Palm Sunday? I can’t speak for you, but I can tell you
what I see. I see a man carrying the
weight of the world willingly. I see the
son of God, born in the stable with the animals, now all grown up, fulfilling
his purpose, calling forth all of creation, including the animals and the
stones he was born amidst. I see him enduring
the crowds and the heat and the threats and the looming violence, because from
his perspective, we are worth it. He
hears our every thought, and to him, we are worth every ounce of effort exerted
on the long road to Jerusalem.
This week,
I want you to pay attention to trees falling in the forest, birds passing by
overhead, wind blowing through the woods, and stones shouting. Because when you hear the creation groaning
for the Savior, you know what it is saying.
Hosanna! Save us! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord! Amen.
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