Jesus enters Jerusalem to adoring cries of “Hosanna!” It is almost Passover, and the holy city is full to bursting with pilgrims. The crowds are riveted by his words and the stories of his miracles. They run before him, laying down palm branches as if he were a king returning home from a great battle. With the people behind him, Jesus has the opportunity to do something big.
What does he do with this power? In all the gospels except John, he goes to the temple and accosts the moneychangers. He challenges the pilgrims, who use them to convert their foreign money into a proper temple offering. Here we do not see the gentle teacher who uses stories to lead people gradually towards a new way of looking at things. This is Jesus the prophet, declaring the truth with fierce words and actions. He cries out, “This is a house of prayer!” as he turns over tables and scatters coins.
Jesus knows his message will be unpopular. But he does not need the crowd to build him up, and he does not fear their disapproval. He is so firmly grounded in God that God’s truth is all that really matters to him. He trusts God to be beside him no matter what happens next.
May God open our eyes, even when what we see is a difficult truth. May God open our mouths, so we may speak the truth we know with the courage of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment