Lent 2016, Day 43: March 23 (Luke 22:1-38)

It’s nearly time to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Tensions are running high, and the attitude of the people towards Jesus is driving the Pharisees, Sadducees and Priests to an extreme: they are actively seeking, scheming, speculating on how they might put Him to death.

Why now? The obvious answer is prophecy. Events have reached a certain point, stars have aligned. Jerusalem is a bomb waiting to go off with the most powerful explosion mankind has ever seen – one that will scatter Jewish believers throughout the known world.

The less obvious answer is politics. Dozens of factions among the Jews have famously squabbled and vied with one another for power under the Romans throughout (and before) the last 100-plus years of occupation. The crowd unified under Jesus is a huge asset, and the Pharisees, Sadducees and Priests will do whatever they must in order to get control of it. If they cannot control it, they must neutralize it.

Then Satan entered Judas.

This is a complex, confusing statement. It hints at possession, but Judas acted of his own free will. He did his research, reviewed his options and made his choices. He was self-directed. Perhaps then it might be better to re-state this as “Judas became Jesus’ chief adversary.” Judas is not driven by unseen, external forces to betray Jesus. His motivations are very personal – so personal, in fact, that we do not know them.

So what do we know?

The name “Judas” means “the praised one.” That conjures up all sorts of images involving spoiled, entitled children. His surname “Iscariot” may mean “man from Kerioth” or “man of the knife” (we like that one because it appeals to our simplistic sense of right and wrong, black and white – never gray).

John tells us Judas was deceitful, a thief and that he held – and helped himself to – the group’s petty cash. Matthew tells us Judas was outgoing and showed initiative – he sought out the priests to negotiate a price for his betrayal. Mark may be telling us the most by putting that betrayal immediately following the dinner at Simon the leper’s house where the woman anoints Jesus with nard (a most extravagant gift). Was it Judas who decried the waste of 300 denarii?

Despite these clues, Judas remains elusive (the Apostles and early Church Fathers did a thorough job of expunging Judas from the record). But if we augment this information with what we know about the disciples in general, we can speculate on a fuller picture of Judas.

As a group, the disciples (including Judas) have several things in common. They are all outsiders – fishermen, tax collectors, etc. Each has a sincere desire for a relationship with God, and each has been waiting for the promised Messiah. None has found what he has been looking for in the Temple system of worship. All see Jesus as the answer to their nation’s spiritual, social, political and geopolitical needs. Because they are individuals, however, we know that each has his own personal agenda that may include one, more or all of these characteristics in varying degrees.

While Judas and Jesus are alive, there is tension in the group. The disciples frequently fight amongst themselves about who is greatest. After Jesus and Judas are dead, this infighting stops. While Christ’s resurrection must be given full credit for transforming the disciples from a bunch of lower class yokels into Godly men of grace and power, it does make you wonder: is it a coincidence that they stop fighting now that Judas is dead?

There is nothing in the text about the disciples’ ministry activities to indicate that Judas did not fully participate in them, nor do we find anything critical of his attitude. Everything we know about Judas outside of the context of the group is told to us in hindsight: his secret thieving, his black remorse and consuming despair, his failure to find atonement under the Priests, his suicide.

So what happened? How did Judas go from being one of the guys to being Jesus’ nemesis – The Betrayer?

Human nature being what it is it probably wasn’t just one thing but a series of things that turned Judas against Jesus. But if we want a simpler answer, we can find it. We know Judas was stealing, so he either needed or coveted money. Either way, he would have resented those times when money failed to find its way into his pocket (as with the woman and the nard). We know he had relationships among the Jewish leadership since he knew who to approach to get the best deal for betraying his Lord. Do we do a disservice to him by drawing such a short, straight line from greed to greed? Is it that simple?

Sadly, it probably is. Judas’ betrayal of Jesus for a little bit of pocket money may have been a small thing to Judas. He knew Jesus would be arrested, but he may have assumed he would be released from custody after Passover. No harm, no foul, and Judas would be miles away by then (his favorite prophet is Jonah). Regardless of his intentions, Judas clearly miscalculated because his small betrayal turned out to be a very big deal indeed – one which culminated in death for both him and Jesus. It’s an important lesson for us because we are just like him. We betray our Lord every day for the smallest satisfactions and comforts in order to have our own way over His Will. Unlike Judas, however, we have the benefit of grace and the opportunity to confess, repent and be forgiven.

We revile Judas. We hiss and boo and throw popcorn at the screen whenever he appears. We should pity him. He sought to use his relationship with Jesus to ingratiate himself with the Jews and make a little profit. Prophecy, however, used his betrayal to bring about the sacrificial death of the Lord of Life – and condemn Judas’ soul to hell. There but for the grace of God go all of us.

Lent 2016, Day 42: March 22 (Luke 21)

Jesus is on a break between sets in the Temple. He and the disciples are chilling in the Court of the Women by the Treasury and enjoying a little people-watching. It’s Passover, so the entire Jewish diaspora is well represented. The whole world is passing before the disciples, and it is a true feast for the eyes.

The people are coming to the Treasury to offer their monetary gifts by depositing them in the trumpet-shaped collection boxes. There are 13 in all, 11 of them are here; two are elsewhere in the Temple compound. Each box has a designated purpose; each purpose has a designated amount. As a result, you can hear whether a certain person has deposited the correct amount or has put in more (or less) than is required.

The poor widow’s tiny coppers make hardly any sound at all, which leads Jesus to comment that she has given everything she had to live on. It’s a lesson for us in that she had nothing to spare and yet she gave it all. She understood that the only way she could maintain right standing with God was to sacrifice it all and rely on Him to provide for all her needs. Though Jesus doesn't say it, we know her name: it is “Faith.”

Jesus speaks elsewhere about the rich hypocrites who, putting in more than is required (was it all in pennies?), do so with a flourish and a loud, long prolonged clatter of falling coins. Thus, they “sound the trumpet” in an effort to obtain the glory of men.

All this abundance – the offering boxes, the rich temple decorations, the exotic, sumptuously dressed crowds – starts to turn the heads of our country bumpkin disciples (“Gaw-aw-lee!” says Thomas, “Shazam!”), so Jesus takes a few moments to warn them that everything they see will go up in flames very soon now.

This is not a new warning. Jesus has been hinting at this – and His death – for some time. It is, however, a more detailed warning; and yet for all its ominous details, Jesus tells the disciples not to worry – they can escape what is coming in both the short-term and the long.

This is one of those passages we read with too much hindsight. We gloss over what Jesus has to say because we know it as historical fact. It must have been completely bewildering to the disciples. Up until this point, they have been convinced that they have been going to Jerusalem to usher in the Kingdom of God in triumph. Now Jesus is telling them that the Temple – and the city and the nation – will be destroyed.

“But you’re not talking about now, right? When is all this supposed to happen? How will we know?”

We don’t know if Jesus is disappointed that they have asked for signs, but He freely gives them. More importantly, Jesus tells them how to respond to the signs: do not be deceived, do not follow the doomsayers, do not be afraid, do not obsess over how you will respond to persecution.

Yes, Jesus says, bad times are coming. But bad times come and go. You know this. There’s no need to let this fact bother you nor should you use it as an excuse to distract yourself with sex, drugs, alcohol, drama – all the cares of this life. The same end is coming for everyone so watch and pray that you will be counted worthy to escape the final destruction.

Trust Me, He adds. It’s all going to be okay – I have a plan. Any day now, it will be put into action.

Jesus has only been in town a few days, but He already has a set routine: teach in the Temple during the day, sleep on the Mount of Olives at night. He has become a regular attraction; the people are drawn to Him, and they eagerly await Him early each morning when the Temple opens. For a brief shining moment they are open to His message. For a little while, they love to hear Him for He alone has the words of life.

Lent 2016, Day 41: March 20 (Luke 20:20-47)

It is set two of the Temple Tennis Tournament between Jesus and the Jewish leadership (commonly collectively referred to as “the Pharisees and scribes”).  We are in mixed doubles now as the Pharisees have the Herodians as allies. Luke tells us that there are spies here and that all of these men feign sincerity. They hope to encourage Jesus to let His guard down so that He will say something incriminating.

Their opening serve is embarrassing – all net. These men clearly don’t know Jesus. He is not the type to dissemble in front of strangers. In fact, He will soon testify that He has said nothing in secret, and no one will contradict that testimony. It’s also embarrassing because the Herodians sound like a second-rate amateur drama club. Their flattery of Jesus is not only empty but stilted and awkward, too.

This is His second confrontation with the Pharisees over authority. This time the question is more complex because it involves two sides of the same coin (to use the metaphor). On the one side, do the Romans have the authority to tax the Jewish people? And on the other side, does the Law preclude them from paying “tribute” to anyone but God?

Jesus returns this second serve with a strong backhand: why do you tempt Me? Right away, Jesus serves notice that the question is not about Law but politics. He asks to see a denarius and inquires about the image and superscription. If this were an American half dollar, they might respond, “John F. Kennedy, In God We Trust.” But this is a Roman denarius, so the answer is “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus.”

“Give back, therefore, the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God.”

It’s a head-scratcher response – one that at first glance looks like a wild lob. But Jesus drops the shot just inside the line to knock the Pharisees out of the game. He has uncovered their hypocrisy and shown that, despite all their practiced piety and purity, they have defiled themselves and the Temple by mixing their sacrifices with the things of Caesar.

Originally, Temple worship revolved around the seasons of the year. First fruits and tithes were given back to God as an act of worship – a simple way of life reliant upon God for the people’s needs. When the people were right with God, there was abundance. If they were not, famine, drought or pestilence made that clear.

Now, however, that simplicity no longer exists. The Jews have embraced the things of Caesar. The Temple now resembles a bank. The Jews have become Hellenistic (especially the Herodians), and they are looking to Rome for the things they need rather than to God. In accepting and incorporating Roman practices and customs into their lives, they have violated their own laws regarding ritual purity (kashrut). As a result, their hypocrisy is now painfully obvious.

The Sadducees step up to serve and suggest the Pharisees visit the showers.

“Teacher, we have a riddle for you,” the Sadducees giggle. “We’re sure you’ll find this amusing – we certainly do – but there was a man who had a wife and seven brothers. They all had her!” (Like junior high school boys, the Sadducees can’t help but snicker and guffaw.)

The Sadducees continue to unpack the riddle (“But wait! There’s more!”), until Jesus delivers a savage backhand that clinches the game: you don’t know the scriptures.

“People get married all the time,” says Jesus, “but there will come a time when they will no longer do so. And it won’t matter, because those people will have been judged worthy to attain the resurrection of the dead. Marriage will be the last thing on their minds. And by the way, here’s a fun fact for you: Moses spoke of the resurrection of the dead when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After all He is not the God of the dead but of the living, correct?”

The crowd – including the Pharisees and scribes who enjoy putting down the Sadducees – cheer Jesus’ response. They don’t necessarily understand what He just said, but they can plainly see Jesus has scored another point here.

He opens the last set with a wicked ace serve: “Tell me, how is it that the Christ is David’s son?”

The Jews never saw it coming, and they have no response. Jesus has asked the one question they cannot possibly answer because they do not know Him. In fact, they cannot even speculate about Him.

Clearly, Jesus has won this last, ultimate battle of rhetorical wits. But He takes no pleasure in it. In fact, He’s a little sad. He even feels sorry for the Pharisees – but only a little.

“Beware of the Pharisees,” He says in the hearing of all as the Pharisees head off to the locker room. “They like to look good, to be recognized in public, and to claim the best seats for themselves at all the best events. They also devour widows’ homes and make a pretense of long prayers. Theirs will be the greater condemnation.”

The Pharisees stop dead in their tracks and turn. “Not if we condemn you first.”