In case you haven’t heard, there’s a presidential election this year!
Now of course, as you know well, when we’re talking politics at the federal level, truth is concept that is left along the side of the road. It’s all about postering and images. Candidates have to shape themselves so as to be able to court the financial donors they need to fund their campaigns, while also presenting themselves in a way to get the votes they need. You probably know well that there are political strategists that can calculate the correct words and concepts to use to attract certain types of voters. Just about everything a federal level politician says is part of a strategy. The same can be said for any number of state level positions as well, although I do find authenticity at that level too.
Being in church we could say that all of this is wrong, and that principles of honesty should be followed. After all, Jesus did that.
That would be correct. And yet, while Jesus was honest, he also used the power of strategy and images.
Our gospel reading started with an account of an event you probably know well, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus is creating an image for himself. Great conquering kings or military leaders would return home from their conquests to great fanfare. They and their armies would parade in to their home city being met by cheering crowds. They’d be riding their great war horses with weapons and armor on display. They may be displaying the dead bodies of the losers or dragging prisoners of war as a display of victory.
Now Jesus could have walked into Jerusalem. He appears to have walked from place to place for much of his ministry. He certainly didn’t suddenly become too weak to walk on the day he went into Jerusalem. But he decides to ride in on a little colt – not even saddle broken. Jesus is doing this deliberately as a contrast to the great shows of pomp and power other conquering leaders would do.
He is picking up on the writing from the Old Testament prophet Zechariah who predicted a Divine Warrior who would bring peace and stability. And when he entered Jerusalem it would be said, “Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)
So yes, Jesus is the great and triumphant Divine Warrior. Unknown to the crowds at that time, but fully known to us, Jesus’ acts of triumph will be totally different from what anyone would expect.
There’s more in the details of the story too. It was not unusual for armies to requisition whatever they needed from the local population. If you were a farmer and had a good horse it could be requisitioned by an army passing through. A soldier would simply say he wanted your horse and he would take it. And you might as well kiss your good horse goodbye because it wasn’t coming back. If it survived whatever the army was going to use it for, and if they didn’t decide to keep it with them when they moved on, they would probably just abandon it.
What does Jesus promise to do with the little colt he requisitions? He promises to return it. That’s more than just being a nice guy. That’s showing integrity and appreciation for people’s property. We talk about everything belonging to God. And yet we need to note that God honors the value of a person’s resources.
Jesus’ first entry into Jerusalem was this humble affair with the donkey. He probably didn’t draw a lot of attention. Quite likely none of the religious or political leaders noticed. If they did, the image Jesus presented was probably pretty sad looking: an itinerant preacher, Jesus of Nazareth, from the north comes into town with the praise of a rag tag bunch of uneducated hicks who spread their coats on the road. And Jesus rides in on… on what? On a foal of a donkey. This would be a diminutive animal and anything but impressive.
But most likely no one of consequence noticed. It was Passover after all, and the city was swarming with tourists and pilgrims. There may have been any number of charismatic religious leaders with their followers descending upon Jerusalem.
Jesus certainly gets attention the next day though. On Monday of Holy Week he goes into the temple complex and upends the tables of the money changers and drives out those who sold animals. Let’s remember that this doesn’t take place in the temple itself. That was a relatively small building. It takes place in the several acre size courtyard surrounding the temple. The scene seems violent. I suppose it was, but I don’t think this is Jesus losing his temper. It’s often portrayed that Jesus was enraged to see first hand the corruption that was going on and flagrant merchandizing. He then reacts from rage. But there’s actually nothing in the text to say this. The buying and selling of animals was a normal part of the temple system. Pilgrims coming to make a sacrifice could hardly travel with animals. They’d buy an animal once they got there. And since Roman money had graven images on it that were offensive to Jews, you’d have to change your Roman money for Jewish money – the same way you would if you needed cash in a foreign country.
What this is, is Jesus making a symbolic act. It was along the lines of the prophets from previous times. Prophets would do all sorts of symbolic things, some of them extreme, in order to make a point. Jesus is doing the same in the temple on that day.
In next week’s gospel reading we’ll hear the response from the Jewish leaders to what Jesus has done. They don’t say defensively, “There’s no corruption here,” or anything to suggest their bottom line has been hurt. They actually say, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” They knew what Jesus’ actions meant. They knew Jesus’ actions were a symbolic act to say God was rejecting the temple as the center of worship, and the center of being in right relationship with God. So if Jesus is going to suggest rejection by his actions he’d better establish his authority for that claim. He can’t just come in from the northern hills and start making heretical claims.
The Bible doesn’t record the details of the conversations. But as Christians looking back on it, we know what’s coming by Friday of that week. Jesus’ authority will ironically be shown by his death. The new place of worship will be Jesus himself – a person, not a place. There really was no way for the religious leaders, or even any of Jesus’ followers, to know that at that point.
We’ll dig into that more in the weeks to come before Easter. For today let’s learn from what Jesus has done. Jesus didn’t have a group of marketing consultants advising him for what to do. But Jesus did know the power of appearances and actions. He shows that in the entry into Jerusalem on the colt, and in the temple with the merchants and money changers. He also does that with the fig tree that he spoke against, but we’ll hear more about that next week.
What messages do our lives send? If you were in image strategist for Christian faith how would you shape your public look to send a message? What actions would you do? What message would you send with where you live and what you drive and who you associate with?
Bu we are all in some ways image strategists for Christian faith. We represent Christ. Our lives should show his priorities. Our lives should reflect the love of God in a way that is truly visible in the world. The life of a Christian should be noticeably different from the life of a non-Christian. It should be seen in your purchases. In should be seen in your work ethic, in your business principles, in your financial investment strategies, in the way you treat people, perhaps even in your social calendar.
Jesus knew the power of images and symbols. He used them in his ministry. We do the same because we have the same power.
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