As we talked about yesterday, Jesus reached his destination. And when we entered Jerusalem, he was hailed as a king, as the king, with many in the crowd believing that he would be the one who’d free the people from Rome. Of course, as folks who’ve heard the story, we know these expectations were not really accurate or appropriate, at least not on a geopolitical level. Although he was certainly the Christ, his kingdom was going to involve more than political influence and military power. Instead it was going to be like a treasure hidden in a field or a merchant who searches for fine pearls. It was going to be like a drag net or a mustard seed or leaven in a lump of dough. In other words, it was going to represent God’s rule on earth, something that could only be described with parables and metaphors. Christ the King had arrived, and yet his ultimate destiny was still about a week away.
But Jesus being in Jerusalem was important. I mean, this was the Holy City, the city of David. It was the ancient capital of ancient Israel and later Judah. But even more significant, it was the location of the Temple, God’s dwelling place, the single most important building in Judaism. Let’s just say Jerusalem was a big deal. And because it was so important, it had a unique symbolic value to the Jews. In a sense, it embodied the entire nation, both politically and spiritually. And that was the reason why these words from Jesus were so important: “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me. And now you’re so desolate, nothing but a ghost town. What is there left to say? Only this: I’m out of here soon. The next time you see me you’ll say, ‘Oh, God has blessed him! He’s come, bringing God’s rule!’” [Matthew 23:37-39, MSC] Jesus was morning the passing of this special place. And this perspective became important for the song, “Poor Jerusalem.”
You see, the role of Jerusalem was about to change. No longer was God going to be limited to a single place or people. Rather, the scope of his authority and love was expansive, encompassing everything and everyone. Of course, this is something we all may need to remember when we assume that, even though God loves the world, some parts are more loved than others. And this contradicts any human attempt to build a wall around God’s mercy and grace so that it protects those whom we believe should be protected and that excludes those whom we’re sure should be excluded. In fact, maybe we should also experience the same kind grief Jesus felt about his holy city as we look at all those places and people, words and actions that we’ve stamped as holy and untouchable.
Of course, Jesus wasn’t the only person who’d just arrived in Jerusalem. You see, although it was the home of the religious establishment, it wasn’t the center of political power, not in ancient Judea. Instead, Roman authority came from a city on the Mediterranean Sea named Caesarea. That’s where the governor lived and the Roman garrisoned their troops. And this just made sense. I mean, Jerusalem was inland, on the top of a mountain, easily cut off and isolated, while Caesarea was on the coast, a place that could be supplied or evacuated, if necessary.
But once a year, at Passover, the Roman governor and a small army would go to Jerusalem. And for them, this was more than just showing the flag. At Passover, Jews from all over the world came back to their spiritual home; therefore, the place was crammed with people, making it ripe for revolt and revolution. In other words, once a year, the fuse was set. And it was the job of the governor and his soldiers to dowse any spark and to extinguish any flame. And so, along with Jesus, Governor Pontus Pilate was also in the city. Now, historically, Pontus Pilate was a bit of a jerk, doing things that intentionally antagonized the Jews. But in the Gospel of Matthew, Pilate’s wife was portrayed in a kinder light. You see, she warned her husband about condemning Jesus. Matthew wrote, “While court was still in session, Pilate’s wife sent him a message: ‘Don’t get mixed up in judging this noble man. I’ve just been through a long and troubled night because of a dream about him.’” [Matthew 27:19, MSC] And even though, in Jesus Christ Superstar, the dream was moved from wife to husband, a new antagonist was introduced in the song, “Pilate’s Dream.”
And so, all the major players have been introduced: the Jewish leaders who’ve already decided that, for the sake of the nation, Jesus had to go, the clueless and the confused crowd, Judas who was disappointed and Pilate who was haunted, and of course, Jesus who was being moved toward a fate that he didn’t seem to understand fully. And since both he and the Temple were crucial to the story, that was where Jesus went. And what he found was radically different from what he expected. And I think the Evangelist Mark captured his response when he wrote, “They arrived at Jerusalem. Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started throwing out everyone who had set up shop there, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon merchants. He didn’t let anyone even carry a basket through the Temple. And then he taught them, quoting this text: ‘My house was designated a house of prayer for the nations; You’ve turned it into a hangout for thieves.’” [Mark 11:15-17, MSC]. Now this encounter was the basis for the song, “The Temple.”
And so the scene was set. For the most part the characters and motivations had been established. But we’re still a few days away from the point in the story when the stone started rolling down hill. And even though I don’t believe the music between the cleansing of the Temple and the last supper falls into two, neatly divided days, that’s how I’m going to approach it on Tuesday and Wednesday. And at this point, according the musical, it seems as though only two characters have any understanding that something greater than what appears on the surface is happening, and I’m talking about Jesus and Judas.
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