St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Wesley Chapel, FL
Preacher: The Very Rev. Adrienne R. Hymes
March 29, 2026● Palm Sunday (Year A)
Gospel: Matthew 27:11-54
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Since the beginning of God’s relationship with humankind, Adam and Eve committed the ultimate betrayal of God’s trust in the Garden of Eden by listening to the serpent and by lying to God. Sin and death entered creation and it was downhill from there.
Betrayal is such a consistent presence in the lives of human beings that one would be hard-pressed to come up empty when seeking examples. Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery for 20 pieces of silver. Absalom plotted against his father, David, to take over the throne of Israel. Delilah used the secret of Samson’s strength to deliver him to his enemies…and that’s just in the Bible!
The stories of the Bible are our stories. They are the relational “stuff” of blockbuster movies and hit songs, and they show up in the everyday lives of human beings in our schools, workplaces, family structures, home spaces and even worship spaces. Wherever human beings are, so shall sin be. There is no shortage of the myriad ways to depict the sin of betrayal—from personal disloyalty to extreme treachery—resulting in the breaking of human relationships. Sin, betrayal, brokenness.
In the 27th chapter of Matthew’s gospel today we witness the insidious nature of the betrayal of Jesus by Jesus’ inner circle disciples, Judas and Peter. Embedded in the act of betrayal is a component of shock and surprise that such wounding would be done by someone close to the one being betrayed; the action is unexpected and the wounded person has been caught off guard.
Judas may have believed that he was getting over on Jesus by wrapping his betrayal in an action that would normally be a way of expressing love and friendship (a kiss) in exchange for the material gain of 30 pieces of silver.
But Jesus was not caught off guard; he was expecting Judas’ kiss of death that would set in motion his passion, crucifixion and death, “…So that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” We know this because Jesus identified his betrayer at the Passover meal with his disciples when Jesus said, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.” Judas denied being that person, but he was fooling himself, not Jesus. Sin, betrayal, brokenness.
After the meal, Jesus told Peter at the Mount of Olives that he would deny him three times that night before the cock crowed. When pressed with the threat to his own life, Peter chose to preserve himself when he thrice denied his identity as one of Jesus’ disciples after Jesus had been captured. Peter could not accept that he would ever do such a thing. Peter told Jesus that even though all would become deserters—never him. And, that even though he must die with Jesus, he would never deny. Peter did both. Sin, betrayal, denial, brokenness.
Whether plotted, reluctant or unintentional, the betrayals of Judas and Peter participated in the unfolding of God’s plan for Jesus’ life, death and resurrection to restore humankind’s broken relationship with God.
Then there was the Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate. Recall that it was the Roman governor’s custom to release a prisoner at the Jewish festival. Pilate had the power to spare the life of an innocent man, but fearing a riot by the blood-thirsty crowd, Pilate chose self-preservation by relinquishing his power and by washing his hands of the whole thing.
Pilate could have used his power to protect the innocent, but he chose to walk away resulting in the strengthening of evil powers and death. Saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood…” did not absolve Pilate of his complicity in the evil unfolding under his rule. Sin, betrayal, denial, apathy, brokenness.
In our Catechism, sin is defined as the, “…Seeking of our own will instead of the will of God, thus distorting our relationship with God, with other people, and will all creation.”[1] Lent is the season set aside for us to do our soul check-ups and to self-examine the ways in which we willingly, reluctantly or unintentionally allow ourselves to be used by the Devil as instruments of sin, when we listen to the voice of the serpent, and disobey God; and those times when we are eager to tear down rather than build up the Kingdom of God with uncharitable thoughts in our hearts that are not of God.
We need to be honest, vulnerable and willing, within ourselves, to accept that even faithful people are not immune to being used by the devil as an instrument of evil for the devil’s behalf. In humility and honesty, we must constantly remind ourselves that we are incapable of saving ourselves; we need Jesus, our Savior, so that when (not if) we fall into sin, we may repent and return to the Lord.
I sorrow for those who mocked and taunted Jesus as he hanged on the cross. They did not have the advantage that we have of looking back at them from the other side of the cross. They acknowledged that Jesus saved others, but were blind to the fact that they, too, were the “others” for whom he remained on the cross sacrificing himself. Jesus did not save himself from suffering and death because he was working in the Heavenly realm, on behalf of “others” to save the souls of those who could never save themselves.
God used the cross—the instrument of torture and death—meant to inflict all kinds of “bad” upon an innocent Jesus, in order to do good—the highest good—in order to save those who didn’t even know that they needed saving. Jesus’ passion and death had a purpose, and it was not about him—His suffering was always about God and it was always for the sake of God’s people. We are reminded that Jesus’ passion and crucifixion are inextricably bound to God’s love story with humankind—a love story that is at once communal and deeply personal. The gruesome cross event, invited, and still invites, humankind into an intimate, healed and restored relationship with God through Christ; it is the Church’s mission.
As sinners of God’s own redeeming, let us be intentional and brave as we take accountability for, and ask for God’s forgiveness, for those things that we have done and those things that we have left undone; for those trespasses we have committed and for those who commit trespasses against us.
We pray for the strength from God to respond to broken relationships with forgiveness rooted in our trust in God, and that He will continue to form us into instruments of His grace and mercy in this broken world.
This Holy Week, let us meditate on sin, betrayal, denial, apathy and brokenness while we rest in the hopeful expectation of Christ’s healing, restoration and resurrection. Amen.
[1] “Sin and Redemption.” Catechism, Book of Common Prayer, 1979, p. 848.
