Every year on Palm Sunday, the roles for the Passion reading are parceled out. One person reads the part of Jesus, another Peter, and another the high priest. Together we tell the story of the last days of Jesus’ life. Those of us who don’t have a particular part, who stay in our pews, play the crowd, the hoi polloi. It is not a flattering role. We are the ignorant, the vengeful, the colluders, the people who willfully reject Jesus.
There comes the moment when Pontius Pilate, the man in charge, says to us: “Which prisoner do you want me to set free?” And we cry, “Barrabas!” Free Barabbas , the murderer! Then Pilate asks us: “Then what should I do with this man Jesus?” And we say, “Crucify him!”
Delivering that line is a hard thing to do. I know some people who just can’t say it. But most of us do our best to call forth the gusto that’s needed to make this line visceral, to shout this terrible, terrible mistake. Because it’s real and it has to be said. Because it is necessary and helpful to put ourselves in this role. To recognize that there are times when we are ignorant, vengeful, or colluding…times when we willfully reject Jesus.
It’s like an annual confession of the worst in us, and it is exhilarating and pathetic at the same time. Continue reading
