"Before Jesus, They Laid Down Their Palms" March 28, 2010, Palm Sunday, A Sermon by Rev. Lillie Henley
“Greetings to you Lucretia, my dear cousin. Greetings to your family. My parents send their love to my mother’s sister and her husband and all my beautiful cousins.
We are settled in our villa close to Pontius Pilate’s palace here in Caesarea. When father was assigned to Pilate, I did not know we would be so close to the governor. Father is at the palace in his occupation as accountant for many hours a day.
As in Rome, privilege and rank surround us. Mother has many servants and a large villa to administer. Both she and father are determined that my education will not suffer because we are assigned to the middle of the Roman Empire. Father says Palestine is a politically sensitive location, as most of the trade routes between the East and the West run through this barren country and peace must be kept at all costs.
My personal attendant is a young, educated Jewish girl whose family has suffered tragedy and illness. They have lost their home and had to seek work as servants or tutors. My mother found out about her through the slaves of our household, and hired her to attend me and study with me.
She has taught me many things about the people of this land and their religion. As I know you are, Lucretia, as curious a girl as I am, I will share with you some of what my attendant and friend Rebecca has taught me.
Historically, the Jews of this land have been known to have uprisings ever so often.
Since the Maccabean Revolt, there have been at least four significant rebellions and they say, many smaller protests and uprisings. Thus, the Roman ruler must be wary at all times. Pilate has only 3,000 soldiers to keep the peace, but I am told that the Syrian legate has a legion of soldiers available on a moment’s notice, if called by Pilate. When the Jewish ruler Herod the Great died, there was such a rebellion, but the Romans swiftly quelled that resistance by crucifying 2,000 Jews outside the city walls of Jerusalem.
The only time there is a significant, visible Roman presence is when the three major holidays bring thousands of Jews to Jerusalem for temple worship. It is during these Jewish holidays that Pilate, his staff, and the Roman soldiers go to Jerusalem to keep peace. It is critical to keep the Jews from starting revolts at the time of the holidays, because historically, there had been many spontaneous outbursts or revolts during the holidays.
Rebecca tells me that while most Jews believe it is Yahweh’s will that they are ruled by a foreign power, most of them believe a messiah will come and lead them to victory over their oppressors. This historical belief that Yahweh will intervene in human history is integral to their religion. Some believe that his intervention will mean an end to human history and bring about a reign by Yahweh himself. This is the hope of many Jews—divine intervention.
To be a Jew in Palestine means different things to the different classes of Jews. The wealthy Jews who are merchants and/or landowners often, but not everyone, live like Romans. Some are even believed to have statues, which are unlawful under their law. Some, Rebecca says, may even eat pork which is abominable to most Jews. However, even the wealthy Jews practice their religion to some extent.
Those Jews of lower classes are quite serious about their religion. It is also their culture, politics, economics and legal system. This is important to understand, Rebecca tells me, because the Romans do not actually “rule” Palestine. In Jerusalem the Jewish high priest rules, and throughout the province local priests judge and rule as it has been throughout their story—except for of course, when the Israelites had great kings! She tells me that unless there is political unrest, the Romans leave the people alone. That is, of course, except for taxes.
They must pay their taxes to Rome.
Family structure is much the same as in the Roman culture. Fathers are the heads of the household. They exercise supreme rule over their families; wives and children have no voice, no authority. Yet, family means everything. To the Romans, public service is most important. With the Jews, family is most important.
There is an extreme gulf between the upper and lower classes. One percent of the population—wealthy Roman citizens, military leaders, bureaucrats, and wealthy merchants (including wealthy Jewish merchants)—own about 50% of the land. The Jewish priests own another 15% and the peasant farmers own less than 35% of the land. Yet, these peasant farmers have to provide the food for the majority of the inhabitants of Palestine.
The tax burden on these peasant farmers is horrendous. Between the Roman taxes and the tithes required by their religious obligations, the farmers and other working peasants are paying about most of their income in taxes. The burdens of the times are so demanding, that the peasant farmers are unable to let their land lie fallow every seven years which religious tradition requires. This leads to poor agricultural conditions, and if drought occurs or the crops are bad, if there is death, disease, or debt, the farmer peasants lose their land. Then they become sharecroppers, tenant farmers, unskilled tradesmen, or worse -- homeless. Some of the homeless move into the foothills. Some become outlaws, some struggle to live there, and some become subversive rebels.
I would think, Lucretia, that it is common for their hope for divine intervention to be strong.
For now, I close, I will write to you faithfully as always, dear cousin. Having Rebecca here will help me understand this barren desert country and I will keep you informed of my studies. “
Marcus Borg, one of the founders of the “Jesus Seminar,” believes that probably Jesus’ early life was somewhat cosmopolitan because Nazareth was close to a larger city Sepphoris and in an area of extensive trade activity. He writes that, possibly, many of the Jews in the area are bi-lingual, speaking both Aramaic and Greek.
E. P. Sanders and John Crossan, two other Jesus scholars disagree with Borg, believing that Nazareth was too far from Sepphoris to be influenced by their cosmopolitan culture. Nazareth was a working village. Most of the inhabitants worked six days a week and rested on the Sabbath. Their only contact with Sepphoris would be to go there, sell their goods, and come home at the end of the day. Sanders says they are villagers, and like all villagers, even to the present day, too busy and too poor to enjoy the pleasures of a city.
There is no agreement, because there is no way to know for sure.
The inhabitants of Nazareth were, most likely, devout, poor Jews, and Jesus’ family more than likely lived their religion just as everyone else did. They would have observed the Jewish holidays and possibly traveled to Jerusalem on the three major holidays: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
Jesus was a devout and pious Jew.
“Greetings to you Lucretia, my dear cousin. Greetings to your family. My parents send their love to my mother’s sister and her husband and all my beautiful cousins.
Rebecca has just brought news to me about a peasant who may be a subversive. We do not know yet. What we do know, is that he is called a rabbi, well versed in his religion, but he speaks to women, as well as men, and even has followers who are women. It seems they are traveling with him as companions. My mother has even heard that there are wealthy Roman and Jewish women who support his ministry with food and money.
He teaches that women as well as children are important. He preaches that they are more than property and they are part of G-d’s kingdom.
He used to teach in the synagogues, but now he must preach and teach outside because there are so many who come to hear him speak. They say he heals and feeds thousands with just a few loaves of bread and a few fish.
Mother has decided we should find out more about this rabbi Yeshua so we will send servants tomorrow to bring back news. Your loving cousin Diana.”
“Greetings to you Lucretia, my dear cousin. Greetings to your family.
I write with news of the subversive Yeshua. After preaching and teaching throughout Galilee for at least two, maybe three years, he came to Jerusalem with his followers for Passover. Rebecca said he came as a prophet. And, the people were curious about him, like my mother. He rode a donkey into the city, and his followers went before him, laying palms on the streets.
Mother said his followers have “high hopes” for Yeshua. They believe he will change the world, or at least change their lives. She said he already had changed their lives. They used to be fishermen, farmers, and even tax collectors; now they are people filled with hope. They now believe their lives could be different.
As soon as mother heard he was in the city, she went to see what was going on. By the time mother could find a way to travel over to the Temple, Yeshua had been arrested. When father came home, she asked him what happened at the palace. He said, it seems Yeshua’s followers were the only ones who loved him. Pilate did not want to interfere with the high priest, as long as the Jews are “peaceful,” he said. The people of the city cried out for Yeshua’s crucifixion.
Mother said she met Rebecca’s parents. She has invited them over, and some of their friends, to talk more about the Galilean. Of course, it will be when father is away. She wants to hear more about this man who came in to the city as his followers laid their palms before him.
For now, I close, I will write to you after this meeting, dear cousin.