April 10, 2022 - Sunday of the Passion / Palm Sunday
The movement of this day—from shouts of praise to words of denial and cries for crucifixion—mirrors the path of discipleship. The lives of Jesus’ followers hang in the balance between faithfulness and betrayal. For Peter, the act of denial is subtle and insidious. He claims not to know Jesus; he claims to have no place as his disciple. On the surface it is seemingly harmless. It happens, and then is over in a moment. In reality, the harm is deep and lasting. Subtle but harmful denial happens in a split second as disciples compromise faith for the sake of self-protection—as they’re too embarrassed to give thanks; as someone knows how to help but fails to do so because it’s inconvenient; as resources are hoarded. While Peter withholds everything for his own sake, Jesus, for the sake of others, withholds nothing. As disciples fail to claim their place with Jesus, Jesus’ embrace claims them. From the cross, Jesus offers mercy wide enough to claim even those who do not know what they do.
