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“Tuesday: When Jesus Challenges
Our Religion” |
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What do you do with a “trouble-maker?” If he is your student, you send him to the principal’s office. If he is disturbing the peace in a public place, you call the police and hope they arrest him. If he is a subordinate at work, you fire him, call security, and have him escorted out of the building. If he is a prisoner, you isolate him from the rest of the prisoners and let him spend some time in solitary confinement. So - - what do you do with a trouble-maker?” What if the “trouble-maker” is a heckler? If it’s at a show with a comedian on stage, the performer may try to turn the tables on the situation and talk back or insult the “trouble-maker.” What do you do when someone forcefully criticizes the political party you vote for, or the candidate you like, or the country you were born in, or members of your family, or what you believe about religion? Do you try to not listen and then get out of there as quickly as you can? Do you argue back? Or do you get so angry that you want to hurt him? What do you do with “trouble-makers” that intrude into your peace and comfort or call into question your beliefs? Did you know Jesus was a “trouble-maker?” At least, that’s the way the gospel of Mark portrays him. Two Sundays ago, I started this series of sermons based on the last week of Jesus’ life as told in the gospel of Mark. By the time we get to Easter morning, we’ll have looked at all eight of the last days of Jesus during which he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated the Passover with his disciples, was arrested, tried, and convicted of inciting rebellion, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the grave. Mark’s gospel says that on the Sunday before Easter – the day that Jews call the first day of the week, the day we call “Palm Sunday,” Jesus stirred up some trouble in Jerusalem. That was the day that Pontius Pilate, the governor of Palestine, returned to the city from his palace on the Mediterranean Sea. Pilate brought his Roman troops with him to keep the peace during the Passover Feast celebration. This Roman governor entered Jerusalem with a great parade from the east, and then Jesus made a mockery of Pilate’s processional by riding into the city from the west; just a single Jewish rabbi on a young colt, escorted by children and women and peasants. After Jesus’ “peasant processional,” he and disciples left the city for the night. (Mark 11:1-11) Mark’s gospel says that on the next day, the Monday before Easter, Jesus came back into Jerusalem, went directly to the temple, and stirred up some more trouble. In a very confrontational way, Jesus actually shut down the temple for a brief period of time. While he was there, he publicly denounced the wealthy chief priests and scribes, who were politically and religiously corrupt. He condemned them for collaborating with the Romans and making worship more important than seeking justice. What do you do with a “trouble-maker” like Jesus? I can tell you what men like the chief priests and scribes of Jerusalem in the year 30 did. The event was so embarrassing, Mark says, that “when the chief priests and 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.” (Mark 11:18) After creating the trouble at the temple, Jesus and his disciples left the city again to spend the night elsewhere. The next day was Tuesday. Mark’s gospel says that on the Tuesday before Easter, Jesus came back into Jerusalem still yet the third time. This time, he went straight back to the temple where Jewish men and women were changing their money into shekels to pay the annual temple tax, and were buying animals to be sacrificed on the altar, or spending some time in the temple in prayer. Jesus planted himself in one of the large open-air courts and porches that made up the temple complex where worship-traffic was heavy. Jesus then began to teach all those who would stop and listen. As you might expect, a crowd gathered. And you know how quickly bad news travels! In no time, the temple authorities elbowed their way to the front of the crowd. They had already identified Jesus as a “trouble-maker,” but because he was so popular with the crowds, they decided to try a new strategy with him. The chief priests and scribes asked Jesus a series of trick questions: “By what authority are you doing these things?” “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?” “In the resurrection whose wife will she be?” “Which commandment is the first of all?” The questions were an attempt to get Jesus to make a public statement that would either get him in trouble with the Roman authorities or to turn the crowd against him. Unfortunately for the temple authorities, Jesus answered each question in such a way that, not only did they not get him into trouble, the answers also made the questioners look foolish. In the midst of this public religious bantering, Jesus told a parable. A landowner planted a vineyard and left some tenants to manage it. At the correct time, he began sending servants to them to collect the rent. Each time, the servants were either beaten and sent away without the rent or they were killed. Finally, the landowner decided to send his own son to collect the rent, certain that the tenants would respect him and give him what was due. But that is not what happened. The greedy tenants even killed the “beloved son,” convinced that they would somehow get to keep the vineyard for themselves. As does most of Jesus’ parables, the story concludes with an invitation for the hearers to make a judgment about what they have heard. Jesus asks, “What then will the owner of the vineyard do?” And the answer? “He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” (Mark 12:9) When they heard it, the temple authorities realized that this parable was about them. Jesus considered them to be “the greedy and murderous tenants who rejected and killed the servants and the son sent by the owner of the vineyard.” (Borg and Crossan, 2006, p.60) Once again, Jesus was stirring up trouble! What do you do with a “trouble-maker?” Mark says that the temple rulers “wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.” (Mark 12:12) In the parable, the vineyard is the land and the people of Israel and God is the landowner. The temple rulers are the powerful and wealthy who sit at the very top of an oppressive political and religious system. They are the greedy tenants who want the produce of the land and people of Israel for themselves. They will do whatever they must to stay in power – even collaborate with the Roman government that occupies their country and people. Jesus’ parable was not blasphemous, but its truth was a threat to a system in which the wealthy, the well-connected, and the powerful men of his time manipulated the laws and bent the rules to oppress the weak and voiceless. Jesus’ words – his parable – are revolutionary. They shout judgment and change in the face of those who are comfortable with what they have – have more than their fair share – and will do anything – even fight – even kill – to keep what they have! No wonder they wanted to kill him! Jesus’ teachings in Mark remind us that God loves servant-hearts more than sacrifices in the temple. God loves justice more than a Sunday morning worship service. God is more concerned about how we treat each other – and what is in our hearts – than how much money we have – or how famous we are – or how smart we are – or how much power we have over others. Jesus’ teachings also remind us that the church is not a piece of land. The church is not a vineyard. The church is not a building. The church is a group of people who love Jesus – and love the world the way Jesus does! Let’s pray. Generous God, Jesus has taught us that greed will destroy us, and to be greedy is to lose all. O Lord, help our efforts to conquer selfishness and to invite compassion and generosity into our hearts. In his name we ask it. Amen. |