We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, who are still here, and we honor with gratitude the land itself and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.

2023 Sun April 2

Matthew’s Passion Account

Each of the Gospels stresses something different about the event according to Catholic writer Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.:

  • Mark: the suffering of Jesus, how he was tragically rejected, unfairly condemned, viciously beaten, horribly insulted, and cruely mistreated by multiple groups .
  • Matthew: the kingship of Jesus, how the de-facto ruling powers (esp. Pilate & Caiphas) conspired to get rid of someone they saw as a political threat.  
  • Luke: the innocence of Jesus, how Pilate said he did not deserve death, and others (Herod Antipas, centurion, repentant thief) also recognized his innocence.
  • John: the exaltation of Jesus, how he remains in charge, driving the all action, completing the will of the Father, and being glorified as he is lifted up.

Year A, the current church year, features Matthew’s story of the Passion. Matthew’s account portrays Jesus as a regal figure, a king who suffers and dies for his people. His purpose in coming into the world was to save his people from their sins (1:21). In his gospel, Matthew shows that Jesus is an obedient, faithful seeker of God’s will in his life, and that Jesus pays heed to the Torah. Jesus carries out his role as the obedient Son of God, innocent of any wrong; yet he is crucified. He goes willingly to the cross.

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Lectionary, Palm Sunday, Year A

I.Theme –   "Strength is concealed in humility, pain is hidden in triumph, victory, in defeat, life, in death, God, in human form" -Diedrik Nelson

 

"Palm Sunday" – Giotto (1305-06)     "Betrayal & Arrest of Christ" – Fra Angelico (1450)

The lectionary readings are here or individually: 

Old Testament – Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm – Psalm 31:9-16 Page 623, BCP 
Epistle –Philippians 2:5-11 
Gospel – Matthew 26:14- 27:66 

"Borg and Crossan (The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’s Final Days in Jerusalem) imagine not one but two political processions entering Jerusalem that Friday morning in the spring of AD 30. In a bold parody of imperial politics,  Jesus descended the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem from the east in fulfillment of Zechariah’s ancient prophecy: "Look, your king is coming to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (Matthew 21:5 = Zechariah 9:9). From the west, the Roman governor Pilate entered Jerusalem with all the pomp of state power. Pilate’s brigades showcased Rome’s military might, power and glory. Jesus’s triumphal entry, by stark contrast, was an anti-imperial and anti-triumphal "counter-procession" of peasants that proclaimed an alternate and subversive community that for three years he had called "the kingdom of God."

This week has two liturgies – Liturgy of the Palms and Liturgy of the Passon.

"The church is called to reckon with paradox on this week: triumph and rejection, death and rebirth." So writes Melinda Quivik in Working Preacher. The week begins with Jesus triumphant arrival and by the end of the week he is killed.  Next week we trace the path day by day.  God is sacrificed by those he brings life. 

"Strength is concealed in humility, pain is hidden in triumph, victory, in defeat, life, in death, God, in human form" -Diedrik Nelson 

The theme is established by the first lesson The servant is disciplined by suffering so he may bring strength and refreshment to the oppressed, but there are those who oppose him. Willingly he submits to those who torture and humiliate him. But God is his helper, so he is not disgraced or shamed. God vindicates him, no one can convict him.

The servant willingly suffers humiliation at the hands of his adversaries. He is not disgraced or put to shame because Yahweh vindicates him and helps him; no one can declare him guilty.

The servant of the Lord is opposed (Isaiah), is obedient to death (Philippians). He is betrayed, tortured and crucified by those who should have listened to him, and is recognized as Son of God by a centurion (Matthew). He will be vindicated (Isaiah), exalted by God (Philippians), and honored by the unexpected (Matthew).

The Passion story can be broken down in the following scenes

1. Jesus is anointed by an unnamed woman at Bethany.

2. Judas agrees to betray Jesus.

3. The disciples are instructed to prepare for the Passover meal.

4. Jesus shares a “last supper” with his disciples.

5. Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him three times.

6. Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.

7. Jesus is arrested.

8. Jesus is interrogated by the high priest and his council. Peter denies Jesus three times.

9. The high priest and his council find Jesus to be deserving of death; they hand him over to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.

10. Jesus is tried by Pilate.

11. The crowd, given a choice between Jesus and the bandit Barabbas, choose to have Barabbas released and Jesus crucified.

12. Jesus is manhandled and mocked by the Roman soldiers.

13. Jesus is crucified and dies on the cross.

14. Jesus is buried in a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimethea. 


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