Introduction:

Psychiatrists and Psychologists use a test called a 'Rorschach' Ink Blot Test. Dr. Hermann Rorschach (Swiss psychiatrist, 1884-1922) introduced his test in 1921. The doctor show the patient a card with a complex shape, made by spilling several colors of ink on a card and folding it in half. The patient is then asked, "What is this?"

The cards can look like many things. What you describe seeing is based on what is going on inside your head. If you see butterflies, clowns and sunsets, you're happy. If you see demons, wolves, bats and body parts... you're not. Certain patterns are associated with various serious mental disorders! In a Rorschach Test, what you see is based not on the image so much as what's going on in your head.

I) The First Palm Sunday

On Palm Sunday, Jerusalem was loaded with people. It was a few days before Passover, and people had come from all over the known world to share in this feast. For Jewish people, who by Jesus' day were spread out all over the known world, it was for many a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Jews were spread across the Mediterranean, down in Alexandria, Egypt and beyond, over in Babylon and probably much farther than that, perhaps from India to western Europe.

It was a deeply religious holiday; it was a family time; it was a time of great money-making as thousands of tourists all came into town. It was peak tourist season, every room was rented, and the markets were stripped clean. Exotic trading items, brought by travelers from all over the world were being exchanged and traded, what a shopping spree!

And in comes Jesus, riding on a donkey! He enters Jerusalem for Passover, like all the other tourists- but differently. There is a buzz around town. They heard this story about Lazarus being raised from the dead, just over the hill in Bethany. Many were excited to see this Jesus. And then the crowd starts saying "Hosanna!"- that's Messiah language! Let's take a look at what might have been going on in some of the minds of the people on the street that Sunday. What they saw in that day was a 'Rorschach Test' of what their needs were. What they brought to that situation decided how they would respond. And maybe how we see that day, decides how we respond.

II) Those on the Street

There was the Roman Sergeant. He had seen it all. He had been stationed all over the empire. He had been up on the frontier in Gaul. He had served in Rome itself. He had marched five thousand miles, and served under the Roman eagle for 25 years. He thought he had seen it all. The barbarians to the north fought like madmen. The cities of Greece were full of learning and ancient buildings. Egypt had shown him the pyramids, and he had seen many wonders. But wait until he got home and told them of these crazy Jews. The backwater provinces had little to offer. They were backwards, hostile, dangerous and the Romans were hated. But oh, their crazy devotion to their God. One God- not like the Roman gods, which were old, symbolic superstitions- not anything a Roman soldier actually believed in. These Jews took this seriously! They had many parties, and fought viciously among themselves, to outdo each other in their zealousness for this one God. There was a rather nice temple, but they wouldn't accept the worship of any other gods, either. He would go home soon, but this radical place of Judea was too much. And now some of the rabble said a 'miracle worker' was coming. Some said he was the 'Messiah' the Jews were waiting for- some kind of superman revolutionary who would throw the Romans out. How ridiculous! Nobody could stand up to Rome! What's next? With all these people in town, it would make keeping the peace a bit more difficult. Just one more day on the job, on the way to a pension and home, finally.

The Roman Centurion was his boss. He had heard that Jesus was coming to town. He had a lot more interest in this that his Sergeant, for you see, his slave had been healed by this Jesus! He too had been all over the ancient world, but he had never encountered anyone like this Jesus. He had been stationed in Judea for the past five years. Officers on their way up were often sent to the backwaters as a way of testing them in a place where they could do little harm, but might be seen to have potential. He had been disappointed to be sent to the far end of the Empire, a place where he had little hope that the 'powers that be' in Rome would ever notice him. It was too far out. So he had done his job, but had become very interested in the religion and holy writings of these Jewish people. He had fallen in love with their writings, so different from the myths of Rome and the philosophers of Greece. Then he met Jesus, and his life was never the same. Even so, he worried about Jesus showing up. The Jewish leaders had tried to kill Jesus last time he was there, and no things were no better. He would love to sit and listen to Jesus teach once again, but professionally, he would be much happier when Jesus was safely back out of town.

The Pharisee who stood by the side of the road on Palm Sunday hated Jesus with a passion. Who did this Jesus think he was? He was uneducated, and never had learned the teachings of any of the famous Rabbis who had taught the Law for centuries! The people loved this upstart from Galilee, but he knew nothing of the Law! Not only was this Jesus ignorant, the ignorant rabble listened to him, instead of the trustworthy folks who had given their lives to learning every jot and tittle of the Law and all it meant. They knew every angle. They kept the rules better than anybody else, and they could prove it! This Jesus, he was ignorant, he had a big ego, all he wanted was praise, which should have gone to the Pharisees- they had worked so hard! And worse yet, this Jesus was a lawbreaker and a sinner, because he kept doing miracles on the Sabbath! And picking grain! He did not follow the traditions. He really should be taken out and killed for profaning the Law. This Jesus was destroying the religion of the nation!

The Sadducee looked out from his terraced balcony at the crowd below. He lived in a beautiful Roman-styled villa that overlooked the old city. His family had had power ever since they returned from Babylon, 500 years before. They had outlasted the Persians, outlasted the Greeks, even outlasted the Maccabeean rulers who had ruled for a few generations. They had outlasted Herod, and they could co-exist with the Romans too. Just so long as the rabble didn't give any reason for Rome to come in and make things worse. Life had been pretty good under Herod. They had never seen so much building going on, even if he was crazy. The Sadducees controlled the priests and the temple. They would make a lot of money again this year at Passover. They controlled all the temple tax, the temple sacrificial animal sales and just about anything else the Romans didn't. They were 'old money.' This Jesus was an interesting character, another oddball 'reformer.' The Sadducees were religious enough. Maybe this Jesus would spice things up a bit, and maybe bring in a few more tourists. At least he drove those fundamentalist Pharisees crazy! But let's hope he doesn't cause any trouble. Troublemakers need to be eliminated.

The Zealot hated the Roman garrison. How dare they station troops in the holiest place in the world, the place where the true God sent the prophets and gave the Law! They must be thrown out of God's country! This Jesus fellow has potential! He's good at doing these tricks he does, and the people love him! Now is the hour; he would do for a Messiah! Now was the time for the people to rise up and throw the Romans out! Now is the hour for freedom! Simon the former Zealot had been following Jesus for three years- his fire had gone out as a zealot- if the rest of the underground could just convince Jesus to be their man! Now was the hour! With all these people in Jerusalem, their hit-and-run guerilla tactics would work the best. Keep hitting Rome until it pulls out. Power to the Zealots!

And in that crowd were a leper who was healed, a paralytic who was healed by the pool of Bethesda, and a man who was formerly blind, and hundreds of others whose lives had been touched by Jesus. They rejoiced to see Jesus again. Some wanted to make him king. Some called him 'Messiah.' Maybe Lazarus was there too, newly raised from the dead a couple miles away.

And some were curious. Some wanted to sell things to the crowd, some wanted healing, some saw a celebration on a nice warm Spring day. Some were there to watch him, to collect more evidence. Some worried that he might gain power. Some wanted him dead.

Each looked at Jesus according to their experience, their needs, their agenda, their politics, their theology. With Jesus right there, the true motivation of every heart began to show. You can see things as you enter the Light.

How are you doing today? What do you see in this Rorschach test of Jesus? What do you see as Jesus enters your life in this story today? Are you too busy getting ready for Easter? Or the Palm Sunday concert? Or a week of school vacation? Or chocolate eggs? Cleaning house and fixing a meal for the hoard coming next Sunday?

Where do you fit into this story this morning? Are you here to for a nice celebration with palm leaves and smiling children, or to be a disciple? Are you here to be with family and friends or be a disciple? Are you here because this is your church and you wouldn't think of being anywhere else on a Sunday- or are you here to be a disciple?

Do you look at Jesus today according to your agenda? According to your schedule? Does Palm Sunday mean anything to you today? Do you see a day on the way to something else? Or do you pause and worship the king of Kings? We know the end of the story. He's the same One, named 'Truth' who rides that magnificent war horse at the end of all time. It's Palm Sunday? How will you receive him? What's going on in your head?

Invitation; amen.