Conflict in the Temple - Rev. Tom Downing

Scripture: Mark 11:15-18

"Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, ‘Is it not written,
“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”?
   But you have made it a den of robbers.’ 
And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching."

The turning over of the tables of the money lenders was only the first of a week of conflicts in the temple. That was Monday. On each of the next few days Jesus returned to the temple to teach and conflict followed. The headings in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible list one conflict after the another: "Jesus' Authority Is Questioned" by the chief priests. He tells them "The Parable of the Wicked Tenants." The Pharisees and the Herodians ask "The Question about Paying Taxes." The Sadducees ask "The Question about Resurrection." One of the scribes asks him about "The First Commandment." Jesus answers "The Question about (the Messiah being) David's Son." "Jesus Denounces the Scribes" for exploiting the poor. Jesus praises "The Widow's Offering." Finally, "The Destruction of the Temple is Foretold" and the plot to arrest Jesus by stealth becomes the primary goal of his detractors.

This is no "gentle Jesus meek and mild" of the saccharin paintings and poems. This Jesus is a physically imposing, working class man taking the part of the poor and oppressed with lighting wit and rabbinic wisdom. And yet, he already must know that this is a contest he cannot win by strength or wit or sheer rightness of his cause. The deck is stacked against him by the respected, the wealthy and the powerful. The courage it takes to continue the fight, on his own terms, returning good for evil, love for hate, healing for violence, is beyond human understanding. It is only possible with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the constant voice which tells him, "You are my beloved in whom I am well pleased. Love my people as I have loved you."


The time will come, just as it does for all of us, when he can no longer hear that voice. The test of character will come, just as it does for all of us, when he has to continue through the valley of shadow of death where sight fails and faith alone can guide. Pray that we might remain as faithful to him as he was to us.

From Triumph to Tragedy - Rev. Tom Downing

Scripture:  John 12:12-15

“The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

Recently, Dr. Roy Heller, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Perkins School of Theology, spoke to us about the Torah’s description of the ideal king. Here is the passage he quoted: (The bullet points are his.)

“When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,” you may indeed set over you a king whom the Lord your God will choose. One of your own community you may set as king over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is not of your own community. Even so,

• he must not acquire many horses for himself, or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, since the Lord has said to you, “You must never return that way again.”
• And he must not acquire many wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away;
• also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself.

When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall have a copy of this law written for him in the presence of the levitical priests.

• It shall remain with him and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God,
• diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes,
• neither exalting himself above other members of the community nor turning aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left,

so that he and his descendants may reign long over his kingdom in Israel.”

            - Deuteronomy 17:14-20

Dr. Heller pointed out that kings in the ancient world performed three functions: making war, establishing alliances and accumulating a treasury with which to finance these projects. To make war in the ancient world, one needs horses for chariots and cavalry. To establish alliances, the king must marry wives from the royal families of other kingdoms. To finance these projects the king must acquire silver and gold in great quantity. Deuteronomy seems to forbid all of these, so what is the king supposed to do? The king is to study the word of God until it is written on his heart, to observe the law in his daily living, and refrain from exalting himself above the community. In other words, the king is to rule by being an example of doing the will of God, which the Torah summarizes as to love God with all your heart, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.

When Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people hail him as a king.

The palm branches they wave are the closest thing they have to a national flag, since they are not permitted to make graven images. They cry, “Hosanna!” meaning “Save us!” just as they cried to their Maccabean kings who saved them from Syrian oppression. They want a king, but not the king from Deuteronomy. They still think of kings, like Caesar, who are skilled at making war, establishing alliances and accumulating gold for the greater glory of the kingdom. The fact that Jesus rides a donkey, the symbol of peace, rather than a warhorse, is the beginning of their disillusionment.

It is little wonder that by the end of the week another crowd is crying, “Crucify him!” He is not going to lead them in a revolt against the Romans. Others will do that and eventually lead to the destruction and exile of Israel. He is not going to make alliances and compromises with the kingdoms of this world. It was an alliance with Rome against Syria, that originally brought Israel under Roman rule. He is not going to encourage them to buy their way into greater security. Wealth will not save those who have turned their backs on the poor. The Zealot revolutionaries will burn the tax rolls and slaughter the aristocracy.

Jesus is there to be the King set forth in Deuteronomy, to lead by example, to show them what a life lived in love with God, neighbor and even enemy looks like, to show them what a kingdom without boundaries of race, class or belief looks like, to show them that with the power of the Holy Spirit, the law written on his heart, what at first may look like tragedy, will become in the end a triumph.

Prayer: Lord, you are a king who rules by love not force. Be my king. Help me to live your example of love in all that I do. Amen. 

Standing Tall for Failed Causes - Dr. John Fiedler

24 Hours That Changed the World: "The Burial"

I’m not sure that Joseph of Arimathea gets enough credit in the midst of all the Holy week observances. It may seem like a mundane detail that he stepped forth and requested the body of Jesus be taken off the cross so that he could give him a decent burial…..but it’s not.  Being the clever creatures that we are, we know when a cause is lost and how to shrink away so as to minimize collateral damage through association.  We watch political candidates announce the end of their campaigns as if they were euphoric  and pleased rather than an announcement of defeat.  The disciples who of all people knew and followed jesus had fled and abandoned their leader. Judas had betrayed Jesus and Peter denied being a part of his ministry.

But Joseph calmly stepped forward and “owned” that he had a deep love and abiding respect for Jesus and he was willing to take on whatever persecution from government or Sanhedrin that might come his way as a result of providing a tomb for Jesus.

What are the bare bones basic values of your faith that you will stand for in the face of any and all adversity?  When have you been tempted to “cut and run” and how has your faith given you the courage to continue?  Joseph had no guarantee of the resurrection of Jesus. He was simply determined to do the right thing.