Conversations on the way to the Cross 2: The Commotion

Two temple traders complain about the recent ruckus

"Three days' takings I've lost, Samuel. Three days of my money down the drain, thanks to that joker."

"Tell me about it. Did you see my pigeons? Everywhere, they were. Some even got into the Holy of Holies, and the priests didn't like that, I can tell you! It took me ages to round them up."

"Pigeons? Well they're OK - they're homing birds, aren't they? You shake a bag of food, and back they all come. My coins don't do that. You know what all those beggars are like in the temple courts - one chink of a coin and they come running like chickens round seed. When that madman turned my table over, half the money didn't even hit the floor before it was gone!"

"At least you didn't get in the way of his whip, Hosea. Poor old Jedidiah got driven right out of the courtyard. I know those Ark of the Covenant models he sells are pretty tacky, but he didn't deserve that."

"No way! I tell you, crucifixion's too good for guys like that. And what do we pay the temple guards for, anyway? They should be making sure these lunatics don't even get in - especially if they're armed. There's been too much of it lately."

"Damn right. They all come in spouting about freedom and holy war, and next thing you know it's poor hardworking guys like us who are suffering for it. Mind you, sounds like this one's got a vendetta against the religious leaders, too. Did you hear what he was calling the Pharisees?"

"Sounded like 'hypocrites' from where I was standing."

"Oh yes, and that wasn't the half of it. Poisonous snakes, dirty graves - that man had a mouth on him!"

"Brave guy. Tell you what though Samuel, if he's insulting that lot in public he's not going to be around long. They don't want anyone disturbing their holy little bubble. You mark my words, they'll disappear him double-quick. I bet they're cooking up some scheme right this minute."

"Well, I look forward to seeing it. Even if he was just saying what the rest of us have been thinking for years - and you know it, Hosea."

"Yes, but that's the point, isn't it? We are smart enough not to say it to their face. And we don't cause a commotion right on their home turf. And so, my friend, we are still going to be alive by the end of the week."

Mark 11: 15-19

Other Conversations from the Cross
1: The Donkey

3: The Authority
4: The Anointing
5: The Betrayal
6: The Burial
7: The Precaution
8: The Resurrection

Comments

Greece is the word! Part 2: Epidaurus

For the first part of our Greek holiday, see here . Day 4 - continued After much waiting around, we acquired a hire car and set off for the second part of our holiday. I am so glad that Graham can get into a strange car in a foreign country and drive away with no problems. I would be a nervous wreck. Even Graham was a little spooked by the Athens traffic - very narrow lanes crowded with cars and buses, and mopeds zipping in and out of every available gap. I had left Google Maps set to "avoid tolls", which meant that we stayed off the fancy new highway and took the old road towards Corinth instead. There was practically no traffic, so although it was slower, it felt very relaxed. We passed hills, hotels and oil refineries. Along the way, we stopped at a supermarket for supplies and drank Green Cola at the beach over the road. Crossing the Corinth Canal at Isthmia, we started heading south through the mountains of the Peloponnese. The sky had been growing darker and darker, and...

Derwent Valley: Derby City and the Derwent Pilgrimage

It was 8 am and I was already hayfeverish, headachey and hot. Why on earth was I setting out to walk through the middle of Derby, when I could be up in the hills of the Peak District? No one was forcing me to do this section. I could skip it entirely. But I knew I wouldn't, because this was the next part of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way. And besides, I had a suspicion that it would be better than it looked. Alvaston Park was certainly a good start. It's a wide sweep of green grass and mature trees. I used to come here quite often when the boys were small. I was glad to see some of the planets were still there - although Mars has had a lot of feet standing on it, I think. Here's a tiny Toby in 2013 with Mars... ... and a more battered Mars today. Alvaston Park I kept off the roads for a while by following a cycle route. Even when I joined the traffic, it wasn't bad. The factories and office blocks had roses outside. This road, now the A5194, used to be the A6 coming in...

Greece is the word! Part 1: Athens

The last few times we have been on holiday, my family has asked, "Mum, are you going to blog about this one?" It's felt like an overwhelming task. For a start, we now have FOUR phones with photos on, rather than one digital camera. Also, I regularly write quite long blog posts about three-hour walks. How on earth will I summarise a full week's holiday? But this time, I thought I should try. It's one of the most enjoyable holidays we've had in a while, and I've definitely done too many Peak District posts recently. Everyone needs a change of scenery. So here we go, jetting off to Athens. Day 1 We landed at Athens airport in a looming thunderstorm, but the worst of the rain held off until we'd made it safely to our apartment. Graham had earmarked a nice little restaurant called Lolos for dinner - eating shell-on prawns in tomato sauce was a deliciously messy experience - and we went to bed early after our 3am start. Day 2 Next day we climbed Philopappos ...

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

Search This Blog