Sermon - Palmarum 2023

The Chief Priests Take Counsel Together, James Tissot, between 1886 and 1894

The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sins

1. The Pharisees sought salvation by the appearance of holiness

1. Judas, did likewise

2. Often so do we

2. Though the Jews mocked it, our salvation is by the innocent blood of Christ

We have now entered into the holiest week of the year in which we meditate upon the death and resurrection of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. We do this not because we like to feel sad, and really we’re not particularly sad this week; we’re not trying to manufacture feelings of sorrow. In fact the focus of this week is the Gospel; this week is the heart of Christianity. This isn’t a sad week, it’s a holy week, and therefore it’s a reverent week. With great reverence we reflect upon the crucifixion of our Lord in order that it might be seared into our minds and hearts that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sins.

Unfortunately not all believe this, and it’s often the case that many try to manufacture their own salvation by the appearance of holiness. We saw this in the passion reading: the Pharisees, chief priests, and scribes sought salvation by the appearance of holiness. Jesus recognized this in them earlier in His ministry, saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

It’s shocking to see this play out! “The chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest” in order to plot out the arrest and murder of Jesus. These men, who were supposed to be offering up sacrifices in order to cleanse people of their sins, were instead stealthily plotting how they might murder someone. But initially they didn’t want to do it during the feast, since they were worried what the people might think.

But when Judas, the son of perdition, came and offered to betray Jesus in exchange for money, they willingly changed gears and paid him 30 pieces of silver from the temple treasury. After Judas felt badly about what he had done, betraying innocent blood, he gave the money back to the chief priests. But in order to keep up the appearance of holiness, they acted as if they were above it all, as if they were innocent of what Judas had done to Jesus, they said:“What is that to us?” Instead of cleansing him of his sin, as was their duty, they shut the kingdom of heaven in his face. They will not enter heaven nor allow others to go in.

Judas wasn’t so different from the chief priests. He also was only concerned with the appearance of holiness, not actually being holy. He returned the money back to the chief priests because he didn’t want to appear evil. He had followed Jesus for years and knew that Jesus could forgive sins, but he didn’t return to Jesus to ask forgiveness, that wasn’t his concern, only his appearance of holiness. So he hanged himself in a final act of rejection of God’s grace, as if he could atone for his sins himself by his own death.

After Judas killed himself the chief priests took the coins and said: “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” What rich hypocrisy! They just took money from the treasury to do this evil thing, but now they won’t take the same blood money back because of how it looks! They put Jesus on trial in the middle of the night, bearing false witness against Him. They spit in His face, struck Him, slapped Him, and mocked Him. After they delivered Jesus to Pilate, they incited the crowd against Him. They willingly accepted the guilt of Jesus’ death: “His blood be on us and on our children!” But they wouldn’t take the money back. Blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

So long as a person seeks salvation by their appearance of holiness they will never be at peace. Even after they had killed Jesus and He was resting in the tomb, dead, they weren’t at peace. They returned to Pilate in order to guard the tomb and attempt to prevent Jesus’ prophecy of the resurrection from taking place. Salvation by the appearance of holiness is never at rest or at peace.

We might presume ourselves to be so much holier than those wicked chief priests and Judas, betraying and murdering our Lord, but their sins aren’t unknown to us. We are far too often more concerned with appearing holy than actually being holy. We give the appearance of doing what’s “right,” what’s socially acceptable, but we ignore true forgiveness from God. We keep God’s laws which others can see, we strain out the gnats, but secretly we swallow camels and ignore God’s righteousness.

Therefore, let us learn the lesson which the chief priests and Judas mocked: our salvation is by the innocent blood of Jesus and His blood cleanses us from all sins. Pilate tried with futility to wash his hands of Jesus’ blood, but let us not feign such innocence, instead let us plead guilty of our sins and beg God’s mercy. Let us not be cleansed of Jesus’ blood, rather let us be cleansed by Jesus’ blood, because it is His blood which cleanses us of every uncleanness! The Jews said it in mockery, but we say it in earnest, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Through the flood of Jesus’ blood our sins are forgiven and we receive true holiness and righteousness from Him.

That’s why this is a very good and very holy week. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, shed His blood for us and died that we might live. Let us never cease to cry out fervently to Jesus: Hosanna! Save us! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! 

May God give you a renewing and refreshing Holy Week in which you are cleansed by Jesus’ blood.