Itβs Monday,
How many cups of coffee have you had so far? π΅βπ« HA! Here are some thoughts about a story in Mark when Jesus flipped over some tables in the Temple. These are some fresh and choppy thoughts that came to me after being awakened by the sweet aroma of this morningβs coffee.
I hope it encourages you.
Glenn || PATREON / BUY ME A COFFEE
In Mark 11 Jesus walks into the Temple and starts flipping over some tables. To set the scene, the outer courts of the Temple were filled with people who were buying and selling animals that could be used for sacrifice. The holiest of the holiest of the holiest of sacrifices were the most expensive, but even the more modest offerings carried a pretty steep price tag.
Jesus was ticked.
What was he ticked about? Scholars disagree on what his major issue was, but I tend to think that he became unhinged at the sight of people being forced to take part in a corrupt practice whereby people had to spend large amounts of money (the money they had to live off of, mind you) in order receive something in return that they would be able to use as their sacrifice to God.
Hm.
I wonder what Jesus would think of our places of worship today and the leaders who stand in their pulpits Sunday after Sunday driving home the importance of tithing and giving and challenging people to give their "biggest offering" and "the best gift" and layering on the guilt of needing to "trust God" even though giving that big gift feels scary and impossible and ...
Yes, "hm", indeed.
Anyways, one of the things I want to mention here that is really important (and I mentioned this a few days back, as well) ... is that it's important to not look at a story like this and weaponize it by using it to judge the entire Jewish Religion.
Because.
Really.
I've seen this done before, even in seminary classrooms. Like, I've heard people say that "the Jews" of Jesus' time were corrupt and "the Temple" was corrupt and "the leaders" were corrupt and make blanket accusations at all Jews and the entirety of Judaism.
BUT.
That's not fair, nor is it accurate. In his book "Radical Transformation" my friend Alexander John Shaia points out that "this section of Mark describes Temple behavior that occurred at an unusually low point in the religion's history. There are absolutely not descriptions of the great heart of Judaism at its origins, in subsequent centuries or today."
In other words, this story reflects what was going within a certain BRANCH of Judaism during a certain TIME of history.
He goes on to explain that during the 1st century there were many other parts of Judaism, such as the Essenes and holy sages "who held a more mystical and compassionate understanding" than the segments of Judaism represented in this story who were ...
Obsessed with rigid laws.
Marked by an unforgiving spirit.
Headed by a priesthood that charged insane prices for sacrificial animals ... a priesthood who "had sold out to the Roman Emperor and were abusing their religious power and authority", as a result.
What I'm saying is we must be careful not to use stories like this to consciously or subconsciously judge our Jewish friends - these stories are not reflective of Judaism or of Jewish people, but of a small segment of Judaism in a small window of Jewish history.
Anyways, so why this story? Why does Mark include it in his Gospel? And how might the original readers have read it?
Remember, Mark's readers (the Messianic Jews) were living in the aftermath of Nero's genocide. A fire had all but burned Rome to the ground and since rumors were spreading that Nero burnt it down for his own political gain, he needed someone to pin the blame on and so he pinned the blame on the Messianic Jews - a small segment of Judaism that looked to Jesus as their Messiah.
People were executed in the streets.
Their leaders were lit on fire and used as torches at Nero's banquets.
AND.
Their fellow Jews along with their Temple leaders and such ... they did nothing to try and stop it, but (rather) told Nero where to find them so as to protect themselves and avoid his wrath.
In other words, the Jews threw their Messianic brothers and sisters under the bus that ran wildly through their community, destroying the lives of any Jew who identified Jesus as the Messiah.
Men.
Women.
Children.
... Dead.
And so Mark is writing to a community of people who know what it's like to be standing in direct opposition to Jewish Religious Leaders who proved to be siding with the Roman Government, even if it was just to save their own lives.
Right?
They knew what it felt like to be staring a corrupt system in the eyes and they knew exactly what it felt like to be used, to be taken advantage of, and to be sold out - to have their lives sold out to Nero for the exorbitant price of their lives ... to be sacrificed on the altar of the larger Jewish community's wellbeing.
And so perhaps Mark included this story to encourage the Christ followers - to give them the strength to confidently walk into their conflict as opposed to running away to avoid them, to give them the strength to remain true to their values and true to their beliefs in the Messiah regardless of what horrors they may endure as a result, to give them the courage to flip over some tables in their community and make their presence known.
Sometimes I feel like as a progressive Christian, as someone who identifies as an ex-vangelical, as someone who no longer believes the same things as the rest of the tribe ... sometimes I feel like I've been sold out by my Evangelical friends, like I've been sacrificed on the altar of their wellbeing, like rather than try to understand me and take the time to hear my story and know my journey, rather than them having to wrestle with their own beliefs as a result of listening to me wrestle with mine ... sometimes I feel like it's easier for them to just throw me away, throw me to the wolves, count me as a lost cause, and let me and my Spirit and my heart be executed in the streets.
Do you feel that?
I do.
And so this story helps give me some courage, courage to remain true to my values, true to my ever evolving beliefs, true to myself ... and to not be afraid to stare opposition in the face, flip over tables of theologies and doctrines and systems that are abusive and traumatizing, and make my presence known.
I hope it can do the same for you, because the world needs your voice.