The Political Power of Palms

Seattle Mennonite Church Sermons

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is a deliberate act of political confrontation with the Roman Empire’s powers-that-be. After casing the mostly deserted late evening Temple, he makes plans to return the next day to make a royal mess of things; to disrupt business as usual. The Way Jesus walks, the Way that Jesus calls us to walk (together!), is a Way lined with palms that leads to confrontation with Empire.
Sermon begins at minute marker 5:03
Mark 11.1-19
Resources

• BibleWorm podcast: Episode 531 – The Triumphal Entry, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr.
• Ched Myers, “Palm Sunday As Subversive Street Theatre,” posted on Radical Discipleship, 2021.
• Marcus J. Borg & John Dominic Crossan, The Last Week: A Day-to-Day Account of Jesus’ Final Week (Harper, 2007).
• Image: Melissa Kelly
• VT 146 Lord Jesus, Come and Overturn #99565 words: David Gambrell music: Klug’s Geistliche Lieder ©2015 GIA Publications, Inc. Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-726929. All rights reserved.