Hosanna Hands, Hostile Hands, Humble Hands

Palm/Passion Sunday

April 9, 2006

Hosanna Hands, Hostile Hands, Humble Hands

Hands are pretty expressive accessories, and so it’s not surprising to hear the word hands in various expressions. Hands up; you're under arrest. Okay, hand it over. He's got this hands down. He's a pretty handy person to have around. Hands are so expressive that it is said of some that the one sure way you can keep them quiet is to tie their hands behind their backs.

Hands play a vital role in the themes that weave their way through this Sunday before Easter. The day begins at the gates of Jerusalem in triumph, and ends in tragedy on the hill of Golgotha. It begins with palms; it ends in passion. It begins with a crown; it ends on a cross. But every step of the way, hands tell the story.

The day begins with "hosanna hands". These are hands, some waving palm braches, others just waving, in joyous welcome to whom the people expect to be a military hero who will lead an army against the nation's Roman occupiers, a king who will reign over the nation in the style of the quintessential king King David.

These "hosanna" hands are oddly reminiscent of how Simon Maccabaeus entered a hundred and fifty years before, after he had blasted Israel's enemies in battle. In the apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees we read of Simon Macceabaeus: "And he entered into (Jerusalem) the three and twentieth day of the seventh month, in the hundred, seventy and first year, with thanksgiving and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and viols, and hymns and songs, because there was destroyed a great enemy out of Israel." It was a conqueror’s welcome. Hosanna hands greeted Simon Maceabaeus; hosanna hands greeted Jesus.

But we see how quickly these hosanna hands turn to hostile hands. On Sunday a sea of hands gently swayed in welcome and praise with joyous and excited voices raised in shouts of Hosanna. But by Friday there is another sea of hands, this time raised as fists, with shouts of "Crucify him".

Have you ever looked at your hands when you are angry? They are usually clenched in a fist. And a fist tells a lot about anger's affect on a person.

A fist is a hand closed tightly. It can neither give nor receive. The sole potential for a hand so configured is to hurt. And that was the disposition of the crowd toward Jesus on Friday. Their hands were closed; they wanted nothing from this man. Jesus offered them a kingdom of love and forgiveness and service but they would not accept it. They preferred a kingdom of power and vengeance and personal gain. If Jesus would not hand them these they would refuse anything else.

Hostile hands closed in a fist not only cannot receive, they also cannot give. Hostile hands with shouts of "Crucify him" would give Jesus no second chance. The only thing that those clenched hands could give Jesus was punishment. As they raised their fists in anger it was as if their very fingers wrapped around the hammer's handle that would drive the nails through Jesus' hands.

But today is more than a day just of hosanna hands and hostile hands; it is primarily a day of humble hands. This Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday squeezes into a single worship service the events and emotions that begin and end Holy Week. And the hands that best tell that story are not the hosanna hands of misunderstood praise, not the clenched hands of disappointed anger, but the open and outstretched hands of humble service nailed to a cross.

Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross."

The contrast between those hostile hands and those humble hands could not be starker. Hostile hands are closed and will not receive anything. Jesus’ humble hands on the cross were open to receive the sins and punishment for all of humanity. Hostile hands are closed giving nothing. Jesus' humble hands on the cross were open giving his life-blood for you and me. Hostile hands were closed with the sole potential to hurt. Jesus' humble hands on the cross were open for the healing of all humanity.

I find it interesting in myself how quickly in the reading from Philippians 2 that I focus on what Jesus did. He emptied himself; he took the form of a slave; he became obedient, to the point of death - even death on a cross. But look with me at how that hymn of praise begins: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." Or, as we might put it this morning, let the same hands be to you that was to Christ Jesus.

Here is a warning against "hosanna hands" that welcome and praise Jesus for all the wrong reasons. Jesus did not come in power; he came in weakness and vulnerability. Jesus did not come to conquer; he came to give his life. Jesus did not come promising riches and privilege; he came giving an example of humble service. Be careful when you welcome Jesus with hosanna hands. Know who and what you are welcoming.

Here also is a warning against hostile hands. Recognize the times when your hands, too, are clenched out of resentment and disappointment. No, we do not raise a clench fist and shout "Crucify him", but most of us, at one time or another, have harbored a resentment that Jesus did not work for us as we expected he should.

Here, rather, is an invitation to "have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus" who extended open hands of humble service, who gave his life that we might live. A wealthy woman was once asked to help the people in the slums of her city. She refused, saying that she did not want to set foot in such filthy places. One day, she dropped her diamond wedding band in the mud. Without a moment's hesitation, she put her hand into the mud and picked up her ring. "It is not fear of filth," said her friend, "that prevented you from helping the unfortunate in our city, but rather an unwillingness to put yourself out for anyone but yourself." Hands groveling in the mud for a diamond ring are not humble hands; but hands feeding the poor in the slums would be.

A famous Japanese statesman of a generation ago once said, "We do not worship our emperor; we love him completely. One day a commander at Port Arthur called for volunteers to cut the barbed wire entanglements that prevented the Japanese troops from advancing. He said, "You will never come back. Nor can you carry a gun. You will take your place and cut one or two wires and fall dead. Another will take your place and cut one or two wires more. But you will know that upon your dead bodies the armies of the emperor will march to victory.'"

"Total regiments volunteered for these sure death parties." And, he added, "If your Christians loved your God as we Japanese love our emperor, they would have long since taken the world for him."

Twenty centuries ago Jesus spread out his hands in humble service for the entire world. And ever since then he has looked to those who follow him to follow his leading for the welfare of the world. In the words of St. Teresa of Avila: "Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which to look with Christ's compassion to the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good, and yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now." Hands - expressive as much as they are functional. May ours be like those of Jesus - of humble service. Amen.

May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.

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