Tension Mounts

Holy Tuesday

It has been my experience that Christian communities take one of two paths...(a) the faith community jumps from the celebratory high of Palm Sunday directly to the celebratory high of Easter morning or (b) the energy after Palm Sunday resembles the calm before the storm holding off until Thursday and Friday to examine Holy Week.

When you dig into the scripture stories though, Holy Tuesday holds the record for the most scriptural content. After an anti-imperial demonstration on Sunday and an indictment against the temple leadership on Monday, Jesus remains active stirring the crowd and drawing the attention of the powerful with his anti-establishment behaviors.

The high priests and other religious authorities grow in their frustration and are equally paralyzed by the energy and support Jesus stirs from the on-lookers. The increased foot-traffic of Passover in Jerusalem is giving Jesus and those he contradicts an audience at all times.

There are three stories to look up in your bibles as you consider the theological implications of Holy Tuesday on our journey to and beyond the cross. Each of these takes place in the temple courtyard where Jesus had turned tables the day before.

First, I invite you to engage the story when the "high priests, scribes, and elders" ask Jesus from whom he receives his authority. Jesus weaves an answer that forces the religious leaders to give prophetic authority to John the Baptist to provoke Jesus's answer. The leaders decline. (Mark 11.27-33)

Next, I invite you to read through the parable of the wicked tenants. This parable wasn't new to the religious leaders; they would've recognized the parallels to the teachings of the prophet, Isaiah. The accusations of greed would've been strikingly accurate. (Mark 12.1-12 and Isaiah 5.1-7)

Finally, the temple leaders try another question meant to catch Jesus in a trap between his faith, the gathered crowd, and the power of the law. They ask him about taxes and if they should be paid. Again, Jesus scripts a response that circumvents an indictment against him. "Render unto Caesar" prevents the crowd from turning against him as well as maintains deference to the legal authority. If one were to dig deeper, the faith of Jesus we read so much about in scripture would indicate his actions speak louder than his words; "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it." (Mark 12.13-17 and Psalm 24.1).

As the sun set that first Holy Tuesday, Jesus had continued to rally the crowd of the marginalized against the political and institutional powers that actively oppressed to maintain power, authority, and wealth. And, simultaneously, Jesus accentuated the ways he was a problem that needed to be solved for the high priests.

Speaking truth to power was going to have consequences, eventually, during the bustling Passover in Jerusalem so many years ago.