WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN HOLY WEEK?  TUESDAY                                                                                  Mark 11.20 – 13.2 

                            The Temple at the time of Jesus, Israel Museum 

On the walk back into Jerusalem the disciples saw with astonishment that the fig tree that Jesus had cursed had withered.  This went some way beyond the normal prophetic gesture.  Jesus said, if you wish something and really believe it, it will happen.  So be careful what you wish!

In the temple, though not mentioned in the gospels, I guess that there were still Galilean heavies at each gate, making sure that no traders tried to creep back in.  It was like a major sit-in.  So the nobs, the priests, scribes and elders came to put Jesus into his place.  “What’s your authority for doing all this?”  A fair question, and a difficult one.  Jesus replied with another question.  “I’ll tell you if you tell me what was John’s authority for baptising people.  Was it from God or was it just his own idea?”  The top priests were sure it was his own idea, but they did not dare say so with this fanatical crowd around them.  So they said,   “We don’t know.” Jesus replied, “So I won’t tell you either where my authority comes from.”

Jesus went on to tell a pointed story.  An absentee landowner built a vineyard and let it to tenants.  But when he sent servants to collect his percentage, the tenants beat them up and even killed his son.  What will he do?  He will have those tenants killed and let the vineyard to others.  Everyone understood that the story was an attack on the Temple leadership, who were very unpopular anyway, and the chief priests etc slunk off with as much dignity as they could.

So they tried another tack to try to discredit him.  The Sadducees (priests) were very conservative and had nothing to do with the newfangled belief in resurrection.  So they asked him a trick question about a woman who had married seven brothers, who had all died in turn.  Who was she going to be married to in the resurrection?  This is the only instance of Jesus giving a straight answer to a question:  “When the dead rise, they will be like angels in heaven … You are quite wrong.”

Some Pharisees were keen Jews, wanting to live a life of complete ritual purity.  They admired Jesus’ faith but questioned his not taking the religious rules seriously enough.  And perhaps he was getting just too  popular.  So they came up with a trick question,

“Is it right to pay taxes to the Roman emperor?”  Tricky.  If he said no, there were Roman soldiers in the Antonia fortress overlooking the temple ready to arrest him.  If he said yes, the crowd would turn against him in the blink of an eye.  Jesus asked them to show him a coin.  “Whose head is on it?” he asked.  “Caesar’s,” they replied.  “Then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  Brilliant or what?

But some influential people there were not against Jesus, they just wanted to check him out.  A scribe – someone who could read and write and knew the Hebrew scriptures inside out – asked what was the most important commandment.  Jesus simply recited the ABC of the Jewish faith, verses that were repeated at every prayer service.  “Hear O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is One, and you shall love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength – and your neighbour as yourself.”  The scribe replied, “You’re absolutely right.  To do that is much more important than all these temple sacrifices.”  Jesus responded, “We’re on the same page.”  Actually he said, “You’re not far from the kingdom of God.”

That was the end of all these quizzing questions.  Jesus went on to put a question mark on traditional beliefs, e.g. that the Messiah – God’s anointed – was going to be a son of David.  I think he was saying, forget about the pigeon holes that we want to box God in with,  the moving of the Holy Spirit is what counts.  We are told “the crowd listened to him with delight.”  (Remember, these are pilgrims, many from Galilee.  Not Jerusalem citizens).

Jesus then went on the attack.  “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

He noticed a poor widow drop two copper farthings into the collection box.  (Nothing much changes, does it?)  He commented that she put in more than those who put in quantities of gold and silver coins. “She out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Eventually evening came and Jesus and his disciples made their way out towards the Kidron valley.  The disciples were deeply impressed at the size and beauty of the temple.  ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’  They were right.  some of the stones weighed 40 tons!  Jesus replied, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

That evening he sat with his disciples on the Mount of Olives and started to answer their question, “When will this be?”

By Jewish computation, days began at sunset, so tomorrow, Wednesday, we will look at Jesus said in reply..