Page 126 - laten-08-06-2020

works? What power Jesus has to over throw the exchange
tables? What power Jesus has in stopping the sale of sacrificial
livestock in the Temple? How dare he (Jesus) talks about fall of
the Jerusalem Temple? How dare that he refers to the Temple as
‘Abba House’ when it is a place of finding forgiveness through
cultic sacrifices only? These questions seem to pave way for an
unholy nexus between the power centres of the Temple namely
Chief priests, Pharisees, and others, along with the power
centres of the Roman state namely Pilate.

Jesus's Attention

Jesus did pay attention to people’s conversations in
the region about the Jerusalem Temple as a house of prayer,
forgiveness, healing and hope of resurrection. People’s
conversations are juxtapose to the power centres that project the
Temple as a place of selling and buying forgiveness; everything
mediated through cultic sacrifices, cultic sacrifices alone. The
power centres started breaking ethical code towards fellow
brothers in the act of coveting the neighbour’s wife. When John
the Baptist questioned the power centres of violating ethical
code, he was ruthlessly murdered. The discussion about John
the Baptist is alive in the conversations of the people.
When the power centres questioned Jesus about his
authority to teach, to converse and to act, he posed a counter
question pointing to John the Baptist, who presented way to
forgiveness through repentance and baptism in water. Jesus said
to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell
you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John
comes from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me”
(Mark 11: 30). The Temple power centres afraid of the crowds
who believed that the baptism of John was from heaven. Such
a shift is liberative from the power centres and market forces to
find place for forgiveness, experience healing and resurrection,
in life affirming relationships, and not in Temple sacrificial cult.
Now the mist is gone. I can see where my salvation rests. It is in
my Lord with the people. In such a relationship one experiences
120
Lenten Meditations Re - Imaging People