To The Temple

This photo shows the graveyards outside of Jerusalem upon the side of the Mount of Olives. On the left side of the image lay the ruins of the large temple court where Jesus overturned the tables of money changers and sellers of animals for sacrifice.

Holy Monday

Often times we skirt from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday without much thought as to what happened in the days in between. Yet, like most of our scriptural stories and religious lessons, there is significant value in opening the pages, reading the words, and asking some questions.

What happened? What happened that Jesus was welcomed with throngs of people celebrating his arrival, elevating him via a practice that resembled an imperial parade to an execution days later? If we skip from parade to resurrection, we lose the opportunity to ask ourselves which character in the story we resonate with the most. If we skip ahead, we miss the lessons about power corrupting. If we skip ahead, we miss the relationships, the darkness, and the emptiness of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

According to the synoptic gospels, Holy Week is the only time Jesus comes to Jerusalem. With each event recorded of his time there, Jesus acts with full knowledge of what the holy scripts say. His actions are intentional, to resonate with the words and lessons the people, the scribes, and the high priests know as a part of their religious heritage.

On what we now call Palm Sunday Jesus enters the city in an act that defies the laws of power and authority for political rule, Rome. And, on Holy Monday he enters the temple and accuses the religious authority's power as well.

Jesus coming to the temple and overturning the tables comes with a crafted whip and an indictment to the injustice perpetrated by the high priests via organized religion. This isn't a long, drawn-out act; for the roman soldiers who marched into the city for Passover with Pontius Pilate are nearby to maintain order at Temple Mount. It is enough of a disturbance and non-verbal accusation to draw the attention of the high priests.

In a short 48 hours, Jesus has rallied the energy and support of the 'common folk' and simultaneously acted in defiance of both the political and religious leaders. Justice, mercy, and equity are the ideological building blocks Jesus is crafting the final days of his life upon.