A Story of Easter and All of Us

This was the grand mission that Jesus had

declared to the Galilean fisherman named

Peter when he called him to leave his nets

and follow and become a fisher of men.

In the three years of discipleship that followed,

Peter had seen that word fulfilled in people's

lives over and over again.

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Word of Jesus' miracles—changing water to wine, healing the sick and paralyzed, freeing those who are possessed by demons, feeding crowds of thousands— spread quickly throughout Galilee. When he entered a town with his disciples, hundreds flocked to his side, shuffling for position in the moving tide of humanity that engulfed him. The phenomenon had grown with every mile and every footstep, every village and town.

Jesus had taught his disciples during their daily walks from city to city. His simple, poetic words were delivered casually and gently. Jesus preferred to explain a difficult con cept over time, never talking down to his followers, pat iently letting the words soak in until they finally under- stood them fully.

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But Jesus didn't just instruct his disciples. The religious revolution he started was a grassroots movement: he preached on dirt roads, in fields and villages, to farmers and fishermen and all manner of travelers. He stopped often, standing on a hillside or by a lake, to address the thousands who flocked to hear him, declaring his new vision for the relationship between God and man. To the people, Jesus' words feel like a spiritual rebirth. His goal is to liberate these oppressed people, who suffer so dearly under the Romans. But Jesus has no plan to form an army to save the Israelites from Rome. His purpose is to free them from something far more dire: sin.

Jesus also had no intention of waging a battle for religious power. But as his ministry grew, he found himself wading into a complex quagmire of political and religious movements. God, Rome, and religion are intertwined throughout Israel, and the two most powerful religious groups, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, have united in their view that Jesus endangers their relationship with Rome and their way of life. The most powerfully religious in Israel make up the Sanhedrin. This council is the supreme court for all Jewish disputes and is led by a high priest appointed by Rome. The general consensus of the Sanhedrin is that Jesus must be stopped at any cost.

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A Story of Easter and All of Us

IT IS THE WEEK BEFORE PASSOVER, the holy

day that marks the time in Jewish history when its people were spared from death and led out of slavery from Egypt. Ironically, they celebrate their freedom from past oppressors while suf- fering under the yoke of new pagan masters— the Romans, and specifically the Roman prefect to Judea, Pontius Pilate. The servitude seems to never end.

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Even as all of Israel prepares to celebrate this most important and sacred occasion, one select group of pilgrims is making their way to Jerusalem. Jesus walks at the front of the single-file line, leading his disciples and Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus had delivered from demons.

They are not alone on the dusty road leading into the city. Thousands of people walk dutifully in from the countryside and desert—the elderly, men pushing handcarts, women leading the family donkeys. Now and again the crowd parts to let Roman soldiers through, knowing that to obstruct their path might lead to a sudden but common act of brutality.

For Jesus, Passover week is off to a rousing start. Having heard about Jesus for years, the people of Jerusalem now celebrate his entry into their city. He rides a donkey, which is unusual for a man who walks everywhere, but it is the traditional way a king would come to visit his subjects if he came in peace. Hundreds of people line his path, throwing palm branches onto the ground to carpet

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the road. They chant "Hosanna," which means "save us," for even more than a spiritual teacher, these people hope that Jesus is the new King of the Jews who will save them from the Romans. "Hosanna," they chant over and over. The roar is deafening, and Jesus gladly acknowledges them all. The disciples walk on either side of him, somewhat dazzled by the excitement. This first big test of Jesus' popularity since he left Galilee is a success far beyond any expectation.

It is also audacious. Jesus has chosen to make his entry into Jeru- salem on the donkey because Scripture foretells that the king of the Jews will enter Jerusalem as a humble man riding on a donkey. The symbolism is not lost on the crowd, who know their Scripture well.

"It is written!" they cry in the midst of their hosannas, clapping and chanting and waving palm fronds as a sign of fealty. Their faces are alight with hope as they imagine the day when they will throw off the Roman yoke. This is the One, the man who will bring a new peaceful age, free from poverty and suffering.

It is written.

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"A DONKEY?" Caiaphas, the leader of the San-

hedrin, fumes when his servant Malchus tells him of Jesus' mode of transportation.

The elders of the Temple stand with him, shaking their heads. Jesus' arrival represents a direct challenge to their authority. Claims that Jesus is the Messiah have outraged and incensed the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. Only they can anoint the new Messiah, and this carpenter from Nazareth is clearly not such a man.

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"See your king comes to you," Caiaphas sarcastically quotes from Scripture. "Triumphant and victorious, humble and riding on a  donkey."

The elders are silent.

"and where is he headed?" Caiaphas asks the servant.

"The Temple."

"The Temple!"

One of the elders named Nicodemus quotes another verse: "To lead his people to victory and throw out the oppressors."

"How are the crowds responding?" Caiaphas demands of the servant.

Malchus had hoped to impress the Sanhedrin by racing to tell them of Jesus' whereabouts. Yet it seems that every word that comes from his mouth is just another variation of bad news, so he says nothing.

Caiaphas knows precisely what that means. He paces animatedly, clearly worried. "Have the Romans made a move against him yet?"

Malchus shakes his head.

"Not yet," says a concerned Caiaphas. "We don't need Pilate feeling threatened or intervening, particularly during Passover. If we have a repeat of those executions, there's no telling what kind of anarchy will erupt."

Nicodemus agrees. "Last time Pilate felt threatened, hundreds of Jews were killed," he says, stating what everyone in the room was thinking.

Caiaphas nods to Nicodemus. "Go with Malchus. If Jesus enters the Temple, you watch him. I want to know every move he makes."

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JESUS URGES HIS DONKEY on toward the Temple's outer wall.

Peter, John, and the other disciples quicken their pace to keep up. The crowd continues chanting as they part to let Jesus through. The apostles grow anxious as they realize that these people are expecting amazing things from Jesus—not just miracles, but a complete revitalization of Israel.

"It is written," voices cry out from the crowd, "he will be called 'Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting father, Prince of Peace.'"

Jesus would normally shy away from such profound benedic-tions. Instead, much to the apostles' shock, he welcomes them and is riding straight for the heart of his people's national iden- tity: the Temple of Jerusalem. This can mean just one thing: the situa tion is about to explode. John scans the crowd nervously and notes that spies and messengers, whose faces are bereft of the joy possessed by so many others in the crowd, as well as Roman soldiers, are monitoring their actions.

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At last Jesus reaches the Temple, dismounts from the donkey, and begins climbing the staircase to the Temple's outer gate. The great palace of worship is filled with Temple officials and money changers. The mood is tense, a stark contrast to the reception Jesus enjoyed as he entered the city. The disciples are concerned that things could get out of hand. This is a time to remain completely calm, not upsetting anyone or inviting trouble.

Jesus reaches the outer court of the great Jerusalem Temple complex— the Court of the Gentiles, as it is known. He walks ahead of the disciples with a purpose to his every footfall and a determination in his eyes.

Judas is frightened. "I don't like the looks of this," he says in a hushed voice. His fascination with being a disciple has been wearing thin lately, and he's not as eager as the others to lay down their lives for Jesus.

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All around them, the great court is filled with activity. Lambs, doves, and goats are for sale, and their sounds and smells add to the human cacophony. There is the familiar clink of coins being counted and changing hands. The climax of Passover is a ritual animal sacrifice. Poor pilgrims traveling into Jerusalem from all over Israel must part with their hard-earned money to buy the animals. But their coins bear images of Roman emperors or Greek gods that are thought to be idolatrous by the Temple priests. So pilgrims must change all coins into Temple currency. A portion of the proceeds from the exchange goes to the Temple authorities, part goes to the Romans in taxes, and the rest is pocketed by the corrupt money changers who charge the pilgrims more than the law allows for making the currency exchange.

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Jesus stops and studies all that is going on around him. His face and eyes are the picture of sadness. He sees more than just animals and money changers: an old man being shooed away by an angry moneychanger, a poor family trying to buy a lamb but having only enough for doves, and a frail old woman being jostled. The commo- tion makes it impossible for anyone to engage in devout prayer. Jesus' face clouds with anger and resentment, then he walks calmly toward the moneychangers' stall. Coins are piled on the tables. Their hands are dirty from counting money. They banter with one another. Jesus grabs the table edge with two hands and flips it over. Then he goes on to the next table and does the same. All heads in the Temple court turn to the sound of spilling coins, and onlookers immediately race to scoop up the fallen money.

"What are you doing?" shrieks one moneychanger.

Judas sees a band of Roman soldiers lining up like riot police near the entrance to the Temple complex. "Jesus! Please!" he pleads. He doesn't have the stomach for Jesus' brand of revolution. He fears he will be thrown into prison along with Jesus and all the disciples.

But Jesus doesn't listen to Judas or anyone else. Another table gets flipped.

"Why?" shouts one vendor, angry about all his earnings scattered about the Temple floor. "Why have you done this?"

"Is it not written?" Jesus declares in a booming voice that echoes throughout the chamber. "My house shall be called a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a den of thieves."

Nicodemus from the Sanhedrin steps forward. "Who are you to tell us this? How dare you. We interpret God's law—not you."

"You're more like snakes than teachers of the law," Jesus replies in a heated tone.

Nicodemus is beyond shocked. "Wait! you can't say that! We uphold the law. We serve God."

"No," Jesus replies. "You pray lofty prayers and strut about the Temple, impressed by your own piety. But you are merely hypocrites."

Nicodemus is stunned. No one speaks to men of his rank in this manner.

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Jesus reaches out and gently lifts the fine material of Nicodemus's robe, rubbing the fine threads between his fingers. "It is much harder for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle," Jesus tells him, letting go of the robe.

Nicodemus looks about uneasily, feeling trapped. The pilgrim crowd is definitely on Jesus' side. At the far end of the chamber, he sees the Roman soldiers prepared to move in if the situation escalates. Such an intervention would further discredit the Temple elders and Sanhedrin, so Nicodemus says nothing as Jesus walks away.

Jesus' actions in the Temple confirm Caiaphas's worst fears. He and a handful of elders have been watching the action from a balcony high above the Temple floor. The chant of the crowd still vibrates through out the great chamber long after Jesus has left. The people have been energized by Jesus, which makes the elders very nervous.

"This is outrageous!" fumes Caiaphas, who normally prides himself on his stoic behavior, preferring to appear unruffled and untroubled at all times.

A slightly breathless Nicodemus comes up the steps and joins them.

"You weren't much help," says Caiaphas.

"He's clever," Nicodemus counters. "The crowd worships him. There's something unusual about him that is easy for people to draw near."

"There's absolutely nothing unusual about him," Caiaphas snaps, "except for his ability to create havoc!"

A Story of Easter and All of Us