New Testament Reading
Matthew 21: 1-11
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Sermon
During the height of its power, it was commonly said that “the sun never sets on the British Empire.” By 1921, the British Empire ruled over roughly a quarter of the world’s land and a quarter of the world’s people, 458 million people in all. In some parts of the world, the empire might have seemed invincible, unbeatable. But, then in 1930 something unusual began to happen. In obscure, remote villages unknown to most of the world, in villages full of poor, brown, and seemingly powerless peasants, crowds began to gather. They gathered raising cheerful shouts and greetings as a humble, scantly dressed man passed through. The man was Gandhi, and along with a band of dedicated followers, he would commit an act that would ultimately reverberate throughout the British Empire. In a simple, yet profound gesture, Gandhi was marching to the sea to make salt.
To you and I, salt might seem rather insignificant outside of concerns for high blood pressure, but to the common people of India, it had a real and symbolic meaning that would galvanize a movement. Salt was a staple of the Indian diet, and the British had not only created a monopoly over it, they had taxed it to an exorbitant extent. The poor were disproportionately affected. For Gandhi to make salt of his own was to violate the law of the British Empire. For the poor of India, this act instantly struck the nerve of a long suppressed grievance. It ignited a sense of indignation and a cathartic hope. For the British Empire, the significance of the march was initially lost beneath its hubris. Gandhi had written in advance of the march to the British Viceroy to inform him of his plans and to make a series of demands. The Viceroy shrugged it off with contempt declaring, “At present, the prospect of a salt campaign does not keep me awake at night.” As if batting away an insignificant fly, he rejected Gandhi’s offer to meet with him.
On the eve of the march, 60,000 would gather to hear Gandhi speak. About his call to nonviolent civil disobedience, a reporter from the U.S. who was present wrote, “This call to arms was perhaps the most remarkable call to war that has ever been made.” Gandhi marched, and along the way, among the crowds one could witness that a visible and audible change in consciousness was occurring. A newly found sense of self-respect was beginning to develop. Defiance was giving rise to joy. When Gandhi finally reached the sea, twelve thousand marchers gathered around him on the shore as he bent down to the ground and “raised up a handful of sand.” This simple yet symbolic act signified “the end of the salt monopoly and the beginning of civil disobedience.” “News spread all over the country.” From “nearly every town especially those on the coast” came reports of “people making salt.” While the march had little material impact upon the British Empire, it had a more important impact on the consciousness of a people. The seeds for overthrowing the British Empire had been planted.
Around the year 33, the Roman Empire was the mightiest empire on earth. Stretching from England to Africa and from Syria to Spain, it ruled over a quarter of the world’s people. To some, the empire might have seemed invincible, unbeatable. But, then something unusual began to happen. In obscure villages outside the holy city of Jerusalem, in villages full of poor, seemingly powerless peasants, crowds began to gather. They gathered raising joyful shouts of hosanna as a man rode by humble and on a donkey. The man was Jesus, and along with a band of dedicated followers, he would commit an act that would ultimately reverberate throughout the Roman Empire.
The march of Jesus and his followers was one of two marches into Jerusalem that week, perhaps even that day. The other march was the march of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. The two marches are worth comparing. In the march of Jesus, those who gathered and joined with him for his journey were poor, insignificant Jewish peasants coming to celebrate Passover. Jesus rode on a donkey. To the Romans, the donkey was a beast of burden scorned with jokes and derision. To the Jews, the donkey was a symbol of royalty. It had carried their kings. With a crowd waving palms, laying down cloaks, and shouting hosanna, Jesus and his disciples came proclaiming a message. They proclaimed the arrival of the empire of God, the empire that would once and for all bring peace. They proclaimed Jesus as their king, their Lord and Savior. They proclaimed he was the Son of God. The poor gathered in excitement and hope.
On the other side of Jerusalem was another march, arriving from the Roman outpost of Caesarea Maritima. Every Passover, as all of the people of Jerusalem knew, Pontius Pilate arrived with his army. He and his army arrived with their chariots and warhorses. They came to put a stop to any rebellions inspired by the Jewish celebration of liberation from the Egypt. They came wearing helmets and armor, bearing swords and shields, waving banners, and beating drums. They came proclaiming a message. They proclaimed the might and power of the Roman Empire, the empire that they asserted had for once and for all brought peace to the world. They proclaimed the Emperor as their Lord and Savior. They proclaimed he was the Son of God. The poor watched in fear and anger.
If there had been elections back in the Roman Empire, Jesus would have been the candidate without any campaign money and Pontius Pilate would have been the one raising millions of dollars a day. Christians often like to depoliticize Jesus. Jesus was about individual salvation or love or something regarded as apolitical, with the exception perhaps of abortion and gay marriage, and we all know how much Jesus had to say about those issues. Yet, what happens when we consider Jesus in the context of the Roman Empire? Jesus becomes undeniably political in the sense that he consciously challenged the Roman Empire and presented an alternative. Just as one would never think of Gandhi as apolitical, it should be almost inconceivable to think of Jesus as such.
Jesus, however, was political in a unique way. As was the case with the Roman Empire, Jesus wasn’t political in the sense of being about military might and intimidation. As was the case with the high priests, Jesus wasn’t political in the sense of holding an office and using religion to manipulate people. Jesus was political in saying that the last shall be first. He was political in declaring that service to others rather than exploitation of others is what defines greatness. He was political in exhibiting personal humility as a mark of virtue rather than honors accorded by others. He was political in demonstrating that nonviolence rather than violence is how we should live. He was political in proclaiming that one should love others as oneself rather than dominating over them.
Gandhi once said, “Jesus was the most active resister known perhaps to history.” He declared that Jesus “was nonviolence par excellence.” In their political genius, Gandhi and Jesus were in some ways similar. Gandhi and Jesus were both good at drawing from the culture of their people to inspire and raise consciousness. Both used the staple foods of peasants as symbols for their rallying cry. Gandhi used salt, and Jesus used bread and wine. There is something deeply profound and resonating in resistance that is rooted in the most basic elements of life.
In the past couple of months, I have had my consciousness raised about an issue that I never imagined I would ever mention in a sermon. The issue is food and the need to resist the influence of corporations on our food choices. Lately, my family has been discussing and debating Michael Pollen’s recent bestseller In Defense of Food. The book makes the argument that nutrition science has combined with corporations and the government to lead us down some unhealthy eating paths when we probably would have been better off following the traditional diets that our mothers once told us to follow. All this can be very confusing for me since my mother is a dietician who studies nutrition science. At any rate, my mother and I have agreed on certain things that I will present to you as the Berndt Family Rules for Ethical and Healthy Eating:
Rule #1: Eat more fresh produce and whole grains, while eating less processed and refined foods. As the Western diet moved from fresh produce and whole grains to processed and refined foods, we lost out on the health benefits of those earlier foods and began eating large portions of foods that are more fattening and less enriching. Thus, we would be better off if we returned to our cultural roots: our moms or, depending upon one’s age, our grandmothers and great grandmothers.
Rule #2: To the extent that it is practical and feasible, eat locally grown and organic food. Today, we have the opportunity to not only eat in a healthy and enjoyable manner, but also in a manner that is responsible to the environment. Not many years ago our choices were dictated to us by what our local grocery store carried, but luckily for those of us who can afford it, there is now the possibility of buying produce that is not transported long distances and is not grown with pesticides and fertilizers.
Rule #3: Promote changes to our nation’s trade and agricultural policies as well as labor and environmental standards throughout the world. Contrary to what some say changes can be made that are good for farmers in both the U.S. and third world countries. It is a myth to think that farmers in different countries need to be pitted against each other in market competition. Consider first that agriculture today is anything but a free market with all of the Western subsidies that benefit huge corporate farms and harm poor third world farmers. Yet, more importantly, there is no reason to think that governments shouldn’t have policies that reflect the common values of decency, fairness, and equality. To me, those sound like values Jesus would endorse.
The exciting part about taking on the issue of food as Christians is that our churches are living repositories of food culture. We love food. Nothing brings a church together like a good potluck. At the fall gathering of our conference, one of the keynote speakers actually announced that she was having a church potluck for her wedding reception dinner. Recently, I read that a church I once attended is addressing the food issue by holding what they call a “100-mile Potluck Dinner and Movie Night.” The idea is to challenge people to bring foods with as many ingredients as possible that are grown within 100 miles of where they live. Who would have thought that church potlucks might be the incubators for the next great social change movement?
Therefore, rejoice and have hope! We no longer have to mope about there being nothing we can do about the problems of the world. We can proclaim the kingdom of God, and pass the organic greens. We can give thanks to Jesus, and break a loaf of whole wheat bread. We can shout hosanna, and enjoy the food that our Lord hath provided. Amen.