Scripture: Mark 11:15-18
Then they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus 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.”
Thought for the Day: What actually got Jesus executed? There are lots of opinions, but in the 1st Century Roman World there were only a couple of crimes that were punishable by crucifixion: sedition or treason. It is equally important to know that the Jewish Leadership would not have had any real power when it came to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus even though there are places in the Gospels that suggest otherwise. If Jesus had a following, but wasn’t causing any problems from the Roman’s standpoint, the government would have allowed him to continue whatever he was doing. The Romans always chose the coarse of action that had the least potential for conflict. Until Jesus entered the temple and begin causing trouble there was really no good reason for the Romans to give Jesus a second glance. But with that act, Jesus was causing problems that could have been associated with sedition – of undermining the peace and stability of Rome. And later, when confronted about the claim of his kingship, his less than straight answer would have raised the flag of treason. Like any movement in history without political power, acts of subversion that force the hand of the powerful is often required. Jesus was embodying the prophetic cry against those who used the temple like a thieves’ hideout, but was he also using this single moment to bring his ministry to a climax – to bring it to an ultimate impasse with the powers that be?
Prayer: Be with us, O God of the Journey, as we move closer to Golgotha and the symbol of your extravagant love. Amen.
MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE
7PM
GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE
7PM
