Skip to main content

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

Popular posts from this blog

Supercars and Selfies on the South Coast

We drove south on a wet, wet Saturday in August. The windscreen wipers swished endlessly back and forth, as we debated whether it was worth stopping anywhere except for the overcrowded motorway services. By the time we reached Winchester, the wipers had subsided to an occasional flick across the screen. We decided to stop. Of course, as soon as we left the car park there was a brief shower, but we ducked into the City Mill, now a National Trust property. There was a large room full of the usual kind of displays about flour milling; a recently renovated garden; and downstairs, the mill race running at full tilt. The mill is built right across the River Itchen. Winchester City Mill garden The mill race Water wheel (awaiting renovation) We stayed dry as we explored further into Winchester. There was even some blue sky for our selfie by the cathedral! But as we walked back to the car the rain hit us like a hose on full blast. An overhanging building provided some slight shelter, but the wa

Reading for Spiritual Formation 2023-24

I wasn't sure whether to read another set of theology books this year. Could the time I spend on it be better spent on something else? At what point does it become reading for the sake of it, without having much impact on my wider life? It's difficult to tell. However, as usual, I had a growing list of books I wanted to read. I do need to think about what I'm doing as well as what I'm reading, and I don't expect to continue this specific discipline indefinitely. But I decided there was space for at least one more year of Reading for Spiritual Formation. So, without further soul-searching: The Books. Three Mile an Hour God Kosuke Koyama Japanese theologians are few and far between; Christianity is still very much a niche religion in Japan. Kosuke Koyama was Japanese and appears to be both influential and accessible. Not every theologian is both! So I'm excited to read his recently republished book Three Mile an Hour God. It was originally written in 1979, and is

Baby Language

For some reason baby equipment is an area in which American English differs markedly from British English. As well as learning how to care for a baby, we had to learn a whole new vocabulary! Fortunately we are now fluently bilingual, and I have compiled a handy US-UK baby dictionary for you. Diaper n. Nappy Mom says if you can read this change my diaper. The first time you change one of these you will be all thumbs and stick the little adhesive tabs to yourself, the baby and probably the changing mat before you get them where they ought to go. A few years later you will be able to lasso a running toddler and change them before they even know what's happened (yes, I have seen it done). You will also get through more diapers than you ever thought possible, creating scary amounts of expense and waste. Hence we are now mostly using: Cloth diaper n. Reusable nappy Cool baby. No longer those terry squares, the main drawback is that there are now so many types it can be qu